As President Obama prepares to give his last State of the Union address, the country is split on his job performance: 46 percent of Americans approve, while 47 percent disapprove. His approval rating has hovered in the low to mid-40s for most of his second term, although at the onset […] Read more »
The Eight Causes of Trumpism
… Both Trump and a broader phenomenon—call it Trumpism—are stronger and deeper than most veteran political analysts realized or were willing to acknowledge. They are neither immediate nor transitory phenomena. The disdain for the status quo, for authority figures of both parties and other institutions, and the anger at inexorable […] Read more »
Trump Did Not Break Politics
Politics, we’re often told, is governed by rules — basic principles that explain not just what’s going to happen, but what rational candidates and parties can be expected to do. … Mr. Trump is not the first to test the basic assumptions about how politics works and how we predict […] Read more »
Dissatisfaction, anger dominate year-end reviews of Washington
Heading into the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency, the American public is divided on whether he’s brought positive or negative change to the United States, and expresses broad dissatisfaction with government and anger about the way things are going in the nation generally. CONT. Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Read more »
From Trump, Ryan, Cruz and Rubio, clues to the Republican Party’s identity
Early next year, when Republican voters begin to select their 2016 presidential nominee, they will not just be choosing one individual from among a large field of candidates. They will also be choosing among competing theories about what the party needs to do to win the White House. One choice […] Read more »
New Speaker Ryan’s Image Positive at Outset
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan begins his term with generally positive ratings from Americans — 42% have a favorable opinion of him and 29% an unfavorable one. His ratings have generally been more positive than negative over the last three years, but Ryan’s current +13 net favorable rating is […] Read more »