In January and February, while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were in the early stages of the battle for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, the number of Americans who considered themselves to be Democrats surged to record highs. The numbers have stabilized since then, leaving the Democratic Party with a significant advantage over Republicans in terms of partisan identification.

This month, voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on all ten key issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The two parties are almost even on two issues, taxes and national security.

The percentage of voters who think Congress is doing a poor job has reached its highest level ever recorded since regular tracking began in November 2006.

Consumer confidence in the United States fell for the ninth consecutive month and set an all-time low for the fourth consecutive month. Full month results for the Rasmussen Consumer Index shows confidence falling another point-and-a-half in June to 71.9. That’s down eighteen points since the beginning of 2008 and down thirty-six points over the past year.

After a brief rebound in May, economic confidence among small business owners dropped to a record low in June as the number of those who think the U.S. economy is getting worse expanded to nearly 80 percent. The Discover(R) Small Business Watch(SM) plummeted in June to 71.8, down 10 points from 81.8 in May.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 47% of the vote while John McCain earns 40%. When "leaners" are included, Obama leads 49% to 44%

Bolstered by strong support from lower income voters and from those who see economic issues as most important this year, Democrats continue to enjoy a double digit advantage over Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

During June, President Bush’s Job Approval ratings fell for the fifth straight month and set a new all-time low for the third straight month.

Newspaper circulation has been eroding, television audiences shrinking, and reporters sent looking for work. But, while mainstream journalists and their companies struggle with the realities of an online world, consumers of journalism are pleased with the results.

October 11th is Columbus Day—the holiday honoring the anniversary of the October 12, 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas. A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that only 11% declare Columbus Day as one of the nation’s most important holidays.