The Shutdown Lesson People Seem To Have Trouble Learning

… The idea that every shutdown has political “winners” and “losers” is an oversimplification; historically, the compromises that emerge from these standoffs have often allowed people on both sides to point at something that they could claim as at least a small victory. That said, the side that has consistently […] Read more »

Trump’s First State of the Union: How Will it Affect the State of Play?

Tomorrow night, President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union (SOTU) address to Congress and the American people. With Trump’s approval rating currently clocking in at 36% approve/59% disapprove according to Gallup, one might naturally assume that the SOTU offers the perfect opportunity for Trump to hit the […] Read more »

Trump’s First-Year Job Approval Worst by 10 Points

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating averaged 38.4% during his first year in office — slightly more than 10 percentage points lower than any other elected president’s first-year average. Bill Clinton is the only other president who was below 50% in his first year. All others were 57% or higher, […] Read more »

Trump’s Job Approval in First Quarter Lowest by 14 Points

Donald Trump averaged 41% job approval during his first quarter as president, 14 percentage points lower than any other president in Gallup’s polling history. Bill Clinton had the previous low mark of 55%. The average first-quarter rating among post-World War II presidents elected to their first term is 61%, with […] Read more »

The Ross Perot Myth

George H.W. Bush only lost his re-election bid in 1992 because a peculiar independent candidate from Texas, Ross Perot, drew more voters away from Bush than from Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. It’s one of the most enduring myths in U.S. presidential election history. CONT. FiveThirtyEight See also: Vengeful billionaire sinks President’s […] Read more »