A number of factors underpin the anti-redistributionist shift in public opinion that I wrote about last week. First, and perhaps most important, is the emergence of significant resistance to downward redistribution among the elderly, a major voting bloc. CONT. Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times Read more »
Death and taxes
Last week, House Republicans voted once again to repeal the estate tax. This newspaper reported that both parties were excited about the politics, which should mean one of them is wrong. The reality is a bit more complicated, but while the Republican policy is fiscally irresponsible, and morally bankrupt, it […] Read more »
Hillary Clinton Adopts Obama’s Middle Class, Fair Shot Positioning
Hillary Clinton has essentially adopted one of Barack Obama’s major policy thrusts in her nascent presidential campaign, identifying a large swath of the country’s population, assuming that this large group has the economic deck stacked against them, and then promising to help them gain economically in the future. CONT. Frank […] Read more »
The Promise and the Peril of an Improving Economy
Americans are feeling better about the economy today than they have in years. For the first time since early 2013, more Americans approve of the job Obama’s doing on the economy (48 percent) than disapprove (47 percent). That’s good news for Hillary Clinton and Democrats heading into 2016. Yet, Americans […] Read more »
Bloomberg Politics National Poll Finds Improving Economic Mood
Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes may be buoyed by a more optimistic feeling about President Barack Obama and the economy seen in a new Bloomberg Politics poll. Americans are becoming more optimistic about the country’s economic prospects by several different measures. President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy is being seen […] Read more »
Has Obamacare Turned Voters Against Sharing the Wealth?
With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, the share of Americans convinced that health care is a right shrank from a majority to a minority. This shift in public opinion is a major victory for the Republican Party. It is part of a larger trend: a steady decline in […] Read more »