President Obama’s standing with the public likely will continue its recent upward trend following the latest positive economic news, but new data on the country’s polarized politics suggests he’ll soon bump up against a low ceiling. CONT. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times Read more »
Obama Approval Ratings Still Historically Polarized
Throughout President Barack Obama’s sixth full year in office, an average of 79% of Democrats, compared with 9% of Republicans, approved of the job he was doing. That 70-percentage-point party gap in approval ratings ties for the fifth-most-polarized year for a president in Gallup records dating back to 1953. CONT. […] Read more »
The Problem With Middle Class Populism
… When the middle-class populist message is turned into actual legislative proposals, the costs, in the form of higher taxes, will be imposed on the affluent. Such a shift in the allocation of government resources threatens the loyalty of a crucial Democratic constituency: well-off socially liberal voters. Over the past […] Read more »
Majorities in Five States Approved of Obama in 2014
Residents of five states gave President Barack Obama 50% or better job approval ratings in 2014, with Massachusetts and Hawaii leading the list at roughly 53%. Wyoming residents were the least approving, at 19.3%. CONT. Lydia Saad, Gallup Read more »
When Trends Collide
… Putting aside the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of the two presidential nominees next year, 2016 features a collision between the normal “time for a change” dynamic favoring Republicans and the shifting national demographics, which could boost Democratic chances. Which factor will dominate is anyone’s guess, but how voters perceive […] Read more »
California: Record-High Approval for Gov. Brown, Bipartisan Support for His Budget
Californians give Governor Jerry Brown a record-high job approval rating and his budget proposal has strong bipartisan support in a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), with support from The James Irvine Foundation. Strong majorities of state residents favor the governor’s plan to require […] Read more »