Leaders, elites, and the media may put ideas on the shelf, but that doesn’t mean people will buy them. And when they do, it may often be best to conclude that the message has struck a responsive chord rather than that the public has been manipulated. As people sort through […] Read more »
This recent poll shows how Americans think about the war in Afghanistan
The Washington Post’s recently published Afghanistan Papers project revealed a purposeful effort, by both Democratic and Republican administrations, to mislead the American public on the harsh realities of the war in Afghanistan. This fall, we asked a nationally representative sample of Americans, as part of the University of Maryland Critical […] Read more »
Most Americans credit Trump for Baghdadi death, but raid doesn’t shake negative ratings of president’s leadership
A majority of Americans say President Trump deserves credit for the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, although this past weekend’s successful raid has failed to improve ratings for Trump’s strength as a leader, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. CONT. Scott Clement & Emily Guskin, Washington Post Read more »
54% credit Trump for ISIS leader’s death but with broader doubts on Syria policy
A majority of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll give Donald Trump credit for the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but at a level that far lags credit for Barack Obama after the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011. Fifty-four percent say Trump deserves […] Read more »
What Should Senate Republicans Do About Impeachment?
What is the savviest political strategy on impeachment for Republicans in the Senate? In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew tries to answer that question in a new edition of FiveThirtyEight Debate. Each member of the team was assigned a position and then tried to poke holes […] Read more »
Why Trump may not see a sustained political boost from Baghdadi’s death
… We have a recent moment that seems as though it should provide some useful guidance on this question: the 2011 raid that resulted in the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. President Barack Obama’s approval rating rose seven points over the course of a week, driven in part […] Read more »