President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday to an American public that is less pessimistic about the nation than a year ago, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds, but which also sees Washington’s leaders as stubborn and divided. CONT. Janet Hook, Wall Street […] Read more »
The Democrats’ Turn: First Steps on the Road Back
The 2014 election was a devastating defeat for the Democratic Party, with consequences that may be felt for many years to come. Even so, we wrote in the aftermath of the 2014 election, “Despite the deep losses of 2014, the partisan predispositions of the Democratic coalition remain very much intact. […] Read more »
Fox News Poll: 64% say U.S. still in recession, yet 58% optimistic about economy
At the start of Barack Obama’s seventh year as president, majorities of American voters disapprove of the job he’s doing, think the country is still in a recession and are generally unhappy with the way things are going. Yet at the same time, there is optimism about the future, and […] Read more »
Americans’ Personal and U.S. Satisfaction on the Upswing
After falling during the economic downturn, Americans’ satisfaction with the way things are going in their personal lives has recovered to 85%. Meanwhile, Americans’ satisfaction with the direction of the country surged nine percentage points since December to 32%, one of its best readings in the last eight years. CONT. […] Read more »
Obama Job Rating Ticks Higher, Views of Nation’s Economy Turn More Positive
President Obama enters the seventh year of his presidency in a familiar position when compared with his recent predecessors. His 47% job approval rating places him squarely between George W. Bush (33%) and Bill Clinton (63%) at similar points in their second terms. Obama’s rating is comparable to Ronald Reagan’s […] Read more »
Post-election blues? Democrats’ expectations for 2015 take a dive
The public remains deeply dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country. Just 26% are satisfied with national conditions, while 71% are dissatisfied. And Americans have muted expectations for the year to come: 49% say they think 2015 will be a better year than 2014, while 42% think […] Read more »