Blacks voted at a higher rate this year than other minority groups and for the first time in history may also have voted at a higher rate than whites, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data, election day exit poll data and vote totals from selected cities […] Read more »
The Fiscal Cliff’s Greatest Threat Is to American Unity
The real issue in the frantic final flailing over the fiscal cliff isn’t whether Washington can balance its books. It’s whether blue America and red America are capable of, or even interested in, mediating their differences. The evidence is growing more discouraging. Across almost every front, the process of pulling […] Read more »
A simple lesson from the fiscal cliff
Gallup has new numbers out today on the fiscal cliff. … The most striking of these is how bad the numbers for Republicans are, both for Speaker Boehner (26% approve of his handling) and for Republican leaders overall (26%). Striking, but not surprising. [cont.] Bryon Allen, WPA Opinion Research Read more »
Americans’ Optimism Wanes About Averting ‘Fiscal Cliff’
Americans’ optimism that President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will reach a budget agreement before Jan. 1 has waned somewhat over the past week. Fifty percent now believe this and 48% are doubtful, a change from the previous three weeks, when the solid majority of Americans were generally confident leaders […] Read more »
2012 Polling Accuracy: Right Winner, But Different Trends
… While the public polls collectively predicted an Obama victory, they also understated Obama’s margins, both nationally and in a half-dozen battleground states. And, perhaps more importantly, some polls told very different stories about how much voter preferences shifted over the final weeks of the campaign. [cont.] Mark Blumenthal, Huffington […] Read more »
The New Year Can’t Come Soon Enough for the GOP
… Democrats have emerged from the 2012 elections stronger, while Republicans look poorly positioned and divided. … Victory inevitably produces over-confidence, while defeat gives politicians and political parties an opportunity to reassess and re-position. Still, for too long Republicans have boxed themselves into the position of appearing to represent millionaires, […] Read more »