The State of the Union, 2015: Not Great, but Getting Better

The state of the nation? Not great – but it’s sure been worse. That summarizes public attitudes as Barack Obama prepares to deliver his penultimate State of the Union address. There are grace notes, largely based on improving views of the economy. But deep concerns about long-term and structural economic […] Read more »

Mood on Economy Up, Race Relations Sharply Down

Americans’ views about the economy, their overall quality of life and the opportunity to get ahead through hard work are more positive than they were before the 2014 State of the Union Address — echoing their improving economic confidence. At the same time, Americans are markedly less satisfied with the […] Read more »

‘Wealthy plutocrat’ isn’t Mitt Romney’s issue. It’s the Republican Party’s issue.

… If Republicans pursue an anti-inequality or anti-poverty agenda, the issue is less that any individual Republican messenger is wealthy. It is more that the Republican Party is fighting an image that is decades old and not easy to change. CONT. John Sides, The Monkey Cage Read more »

Americans’ view of the economy most positive in eight years

Americans’ views of the national economy are now the most positive they’ve been in almost eight years. Fifty-three percent say the economy is in very good or fairly good shape — an increase of 13 points since October and the highest percentage since September 2007, before the start of the […] Read more »

Both parties agree: Economic mobility will be a defining theme of 2016 campaign

Presidential hopefuls in both parties agree on at least one thing: Economic mobility, and the feeling of many Americans that they are being shut out from the nation’s prosperity, will be a defining theme of the 2016 campaign. … “You talk to any pollster, on the Democratic side or the […] Read more »