… The question for Obama and the Democratic candidates and consultants whose fate at the ballot box in November is inextricably linked to his is what, if anything, can be done to turn around this story line of a president increasingly unable — or unwilling — to steer the country […] Read more »
Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index keeps foot on the brakes
The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index kept its foot on the brakes this week, extending what’s now a two-month pause, while the gap between negative and positive economic expectations reached its largest since May. The CCI now stands at 36.6 on its scale of 0 to 100, remaining within a narrow […] Read more »
Republicans More Focused on Immigration as Top Problem
Although both Republicans and Democrats name dysfunctional government, the economy, and unemployment as top problems facing the country today, they attach different importance to other issues. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are significantly more likely than Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to say that immigration and moral decline are top problems in […] Read more »
Obama Overall Job Approval Tops Economy, Foreign Affairs Ratings
Throughout his second term, President Barack Obama’s overall job approval rating has exceeded his approval ratings on both the economy and foreign affairs, arguably the two most important areas of focus for presidents. Obama’s 36% approval rating for handling foreign affairs and 35% approval on the economy in Gallup’s Aug. […] Read more »
The economy is less of a concern
The state of the economy continues to be Americans’ minds, and relatively few think it is getting better. More say it’s getting worse than it is improving, even though Americans increasingly recognize that the jobless rate is lower than it was when President Obama first took office. One bright spot: […] Read more »
Ferguson, Watts and a Dream Deferred
When rioting broke out in the Watts section of Los Angeles in the summer of 1965, African-Americans didn’t — couldn’t — know it yet, but the next three decades would turn out to be a period of sustained gains in terms of income, jobs, education and the status of blacks […] Read more »