Americans are finding little they like about President Barack Obama or either political party, according to a new poll that suggests the possibility of a “throw the bums out” mentality in next year’s midterm elections. [cont.] Nedra Pickler & Jennifer Agiesta, AP Read more »
Boehner, Reid, Cruz Down; Obama Up
House Speaker John Boehner lashed out last week at suggestions that there might be winners and losers in the government shutdown, saying “this isn’t some damn game.” But less than two weeks in, there do seem to be a few losers in the eyes of the public, Mr. Boehner among […] Read more »
Production Capability in the Current Situation in Washington
From the public’s perspective, the protracted stalemate in Washington, the partial shutdown of government, and the threat of a default next week are becoming more matters of process than of the underlying issues involved. [cont.] Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »
The Six Big Takeaways From the Government Shutdown
… As I discuss in my book, the more common tendency instead is that people (and especially the “experts” who write about the issues for a living) overestimate the degree of predictability in complex systems. … That’s been my impression of the coverage of the shutdown: The folks you see […] Read more »
The Public Weighs In on the Shutdown
Polls show both parties are suffering in the government shutdown and debt-ceiling fights. The numbers for Republicans are marginally worse than those for President Obama and Democrats, but no one is escaping without damage. [cont.] Karl Rove Read more »
Americans Down on D.C. Leaders Since Shutdown Began
Americans’ basic opinions of President Barack Obama and key congressional leaders are worse today than they were prior to the government shutdown. Net favorable ratings of Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell are at least 10 percentage points lower than before, with a smaller five-point […] Read more »