From The Polling Report archives: Pundits and prognosticators, strategists and seers all said it couldn’t be done. Incumbents who garner positive ratings from fewer than four in ten voters and who post double-digit deficits in match-ups against opponents (in public polls) are not supposed to win—and they usually don’t. In […] Read more »
Will 2016 Bring a Generational Shift in U.S. Leadership?
This year and next are likely to represent something of a watershed period in American politics. First, we have a “double open” presidential contest, with no incumbent running in either party. The absence of an incumbent creates a vacuum and an opportunity for change within a party—not only a strong […] Read more »
Low Favorable Ratings Still Plague Top Dogs on Capitol Hill
Relatively few Americans have a favorable impression of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner — the two top-ranking members of Congress. But as weak as both men’s ratings have been in recent years, Reid’s has recently gotten worse, with his […] Read more »
Why so many Americans hate politics
In a time of political polarization, one thing still unites left, right and center: the disdain people have for Washington, their elected leaders and the political system. Everywhere people look, there are reasons to feel shut out, manipulated or deprived of the whole truth. Big money permeates political campaigns. Political […] Read more »
Blocking the Vote
… In the new political order, nothing is more important than either winning or holding a majority. The rationale is that the other party is so wrongheaded, if not evil, that if it were to prevail, then the immediate future—at least—of the Republic would be endangered, so anything that prevents […] Read more »
What’s the American political landscape looking like?
The dog days of summer are upon us, and, with it, an extended slowdown in politics — as Americans spend their time working on their tans rather than studying up on the latest fights in the nation’s capital. Things won’t pick up in earnest again until after Labor Day, when […] Read more »