With less than a year to go before the election, FiveThirtyEight’s staff members took a detailed look at seven issues we cover regularly, examining the positions of the presidential candidates and suggesting developments likely to arise before the voting takes place. CONT. FiveThirtyEight Read more »
Fear is making the GOP’s job easier
Politics is not only about competing views on issues. It is also, and often most importantly, about which problems come to the forefront in the public conversation and in the minds of citizens and voters. … The importance of who gets to set the agenda was brought home by a […] Read more »
Protecting the Environment Improves the Economy, Provides Jobs, Majorities Say
Some politicians argue that taking action to protect the environment will harm the economy and cost jobs. However, a recent national survey finds that only 15% of Americans agree with this argument. Instead, a large majority of Americans (60%) say that in the long run, protecting the environment actually improves […] Read more »
Obama: Help or hindrance for ’16 Democrats?
… Democratic presidential candidates have a big challenge. Obama remains overwhelmingly popular among Democrats, particularly key constituencies. Ninety-one percent of African-Americans and 62 percent of Latinos give Obama high marks. The general election, though, will be more difficult terrain. CONT. David Lightman, McClatchy Read more »
Approval of Obama’s Handling of Economy, Healthcare at 44%
Americans’ approval of President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy and healthcare policy — both at 44% — is at the high for each since November 2012. The president’s economic rating was almost as high (43%) in a survey conducted in February 2015. CONT. Justin McCarthy, Gallup Read more »
The Economy Is Better — Why Don’t Voters Believe It?
… This is one of the central paradoxes of the 2016 presidential campaign. The economy is, by virtually any measure, drastically improved from when President Obama took office nearly seven years ago. And yet poll after poll reveals a national electorate that is deeply skeptical of that progress. In one […] Read more »