As President Barack Obama orders airstrikes in Iraq and considers taking executive action on immigration, the latest Reason-Rupe national telephone poll finds that 42 percent of Americans feel he has expanded the power of the presidency “too much” during his time in office. Twenty-one percent of Americans do not think […] Read more »
How Race Undermines Obama’s Bully Pulpit on Ferguson
… Research by a Brown University political scientist, Michael Tesler, shows that the mere mention of Mr. Obama, the first African-American president, polarizes the public along racial lines on issues ranging from health care to how people feel about his dog, Bo. The Ferguson controversy may end up being as […] Read more »
The Court, Not Congress, Is Obama’s Biggest Obstacle
As President Obama maneuvers to advance his agenda around unrelenting opposition from House Republicans, he is accelerating a dynamic that could reshape the power balance between the White House, Congress, and the courts long after he’s gone. Continuing a pattern followed by George W. Bush, Obama is increasingly implementing his […] Read more »
Fox News Poll: Imperial or imperiled? Mixed views on Obama
President Obama’s job rating has been underwater for over a year. Some people criticize him for exceeding his authority by going around Congress to push his policies through. Others say he is getting little accomplished because of a lack of leadership and willingness to compromise. Well, which is it? CONT. […] Read more »
How Obamacare Is Doing Better But Feeling Worse
… The sharp partisan divisions over the ACA explain the politics we see playing out as the midterms approach. Each side knows it can’t convince the other to change its views of the health-care law. So each plays to its base; especially Republicans, whose core voters feel most strongly about […] Read more »
Political Strategists See Double Edge in Raising Competency Argument in Campaigns
In the Republicans’ campaign for the grand prize of the midterm elections, control of the Senate, some party strategists say the key to winning a majority comes down to one word — competence — and voters’ perception that President Obama lacks it. Apparently that is debatable, even among Republicans. CONT. […] Read more »