The Republican Party has expanded its historical edge over the Democratic Party in Americans’ minds as being better able to protect the U.S. from international terrorism and military threats. At this point, 55% of Americans choose the GOP on this dimension, while 32% choose the Democratic Party. This is the […] Read more »
Democrats Have Plenty of Reasons to Dread November
… The Democrats whom I have talked and emailed with in recent weeks seem increasingly resigned to an ugly midterm election. Of course, it’s not likely to be the wipeout that 2010 was—after all, in the House, the best news for Democrats is that you can’t lose seats you don’t […] Read more »
Governors, Like Obama, Getting No Bump From Better Economy
Using the economy as a frame, 2014 should be a good year for incumbents. Unemployment is down, GDP is up and the Great Recession is slipping further into the rearview mirror. And yet this year is looking like a tough one to seek re-election, even for those outside of Washington. […] Read more »
Is a Democratic realignment afoot in the middle class?
… Why would these economic changes push the middle class toward the Democratic Party? Because an increasing number of the middle class are employed in the relatively lucrative knowledge, professional and high-tech sectors, and they benefit from Democratic initiatives in education, alternative energy, scientific research and civil rights. Moreover, younger […] Read more »
Consumer Comfort in U.S. Rises to Second-Highest Level in a Year
Consumer confidence climbed last week to the second-highest level in a year as an improving job market bolstered Americans’ views of their financial well-being. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to 37.7 in the period ended Aug. 31 from 37.3 the prior week. CONT. Shobhana Chandra, Bloomberg Read more »
Views of Job Market Tick Up, No Rise in Economic Optimism
In advance of Friday’s jobs report, the public’s assessment of job availability in their local communities has improved modestly. But that has done nothing to boost overall economic optimism. CONT. Pew Read more »