NBC/WSJ Poll: 57% oppose Trump’s Muslim proposal

Nearly six-in-10 Americans oppose Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States, but Republicans are evenly divided, according to a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. CONT. Mark Murray, NBC News Read more »

Trump Is Wrong. Muslims in U.S. Are Less Likely to Endorse Violence.

On Monday, Donald Trump singled out American Muslims as supporting repression and violence, citing a discredited poll from an anti-Muslim group as evidence for imposing border restrictions. But if he is worried about extremist public opinion in the United States, he should take a broader look around. Research shows that […] Read more »

It’s not the economy anymore, stupid

Last year, Islamic State seized control of big chunks of Iraq and Syria. This year, it’s hijacking the U.S. presidential campaign. The biggest concern for most American voters until recently was the sluggish economy and stagnating incomes. But since the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, more and more […] Read more »

Hillary Clinton’s Toughness

When voters look at equally experienced male and female politicians, “the man will still be seen as more capable on issues of national security and defense,” Meredith Conroy, a professor of political science at California State University, San Bernardino, wrote me in response to my inquiry about the current election. […] Read more »

Along with Trump’s rhetoric, the stakes for 2016 have risen dramatically

… Nothing in modern politics equates with the kind of rhetoric now coming from Candidate Trump. There are no perfect analogies. One must scroll back decades for echoes, however imperfect, of what he is saying, from the populist and racially based appeals of then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace in 1968 and […] Read more »

What Becomes Decisive Issue in 2016 Campaign as Economy Fades?

Months of campaigning and televised debates haven’t yet answered a central question about the 2016 election: What is it about? The economy has receded as a presidential election topic, polling shows, and recent weeks have thrust other issues into the headlines. Terrorism has been the most prominent among them, but […] Read more »