The failure of the Senate on Wednesday to pass a variety of gun control measures is yielding its share of second-guessing. How close was President Obama to seeing the bills meet the 60-vote super-majority required for approval? And was it a good use of his political capital to try? I […] Read more »
Trust in Government, Obama Approval Slip
President Barack Obama’s re-election glow is gone. Congress’ reputation remains dismal. And only about one in five Americans say they trust the government to do what’s right most of the time, an Associated Press-GfK poll finds. [cont.] Charles Babington & Jennifer Agiesta, AP Read more »
Obama budget starts underwater with public
President Obama’s courtship of Republicans hit a critical point last week when he unveiled a budget proposal pitched as an effort at compromise. But a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds Americans’ initial reactions to the framework tilting negative, with broad opposition from Republicans and little public support for a […] Read more »
Long-Term Trends, Not Racism, Cost Obama Millions of Votes
In every election over the last 20 years, Appalachia shifted toward Republicans and the West revolted against the incumbent party’s candidate. These patterns continued in 2008 and 2012, but Seth Stephens-Davidowitz argues that these more recent manifestations are due to racism, since they correlate with the prevalence of racist Google […] Read more »
Support for Gun Checks Stays High; Two-Thirds Back a Path for Immigrants
Support for a process providing legal status to undocumented immigrants reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, while vast public backing for expanded background checks on gun sales held strong – two prominent issues coming to the fore in Congress. [cont.] Gary Langer, ABC News Read more »
The Strip: President Obama is … The Super Negotiator!
“Do whatever you want to the hostages, but please don’t hurt the economy!” [cont.] Brian McFadden, The Strip, New York Times Read more »