The Occupy Wall Street protesters have been compared by some with the Tea Party protests that erupted more than two years ago in reaction to Washington’s big government spending plans. Americans are evenly divided in their opinions of those currently protesting against Wall Street but tend to see their own views as more in line with those of the Tea Party.
The bad economy, a change in presidents, bailouts, health care, the Tea Party and now another presidential cycle, you name it. Still, the basic fiscal and social ideologies of U.S. voters remain largely unchanged.
Polls show a bounce in support for President Obama’s policy in Libya following the death of the country’s longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, but most voters still don’t expect the new Libyan government to become an ally of the United States.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken following news reports of Gadhafi’s death, finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters now rate the Obama administration’s response to the situation in Libya as good or excellent, up 12 points from a week ago.
Describing a political candidate as being “like Bill Clinton” isn’t up there in popularity with a comparison to Ronald Reagan, but it’s much better than being called “a centrist,” a phrase often used for politicians willing to compromise.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Likely U.S. Voters consider it a positive label if a candidate is compared to Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 24% consider such a comparison a negative, and 35% rate it somewhere in between the two.
Most voters are aware that the United States has accused Iran of attempting to assassinate the ambassador from Saudi Arabia in this county and think there’s a good chance America will be at war with Iran in the near future.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that the United States will end up in a war with Iran in the next five years or so. However, only 17% think it’s Very Likely. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 32% feel a war with Iran is unlikely in the next five or so years, but that includes only five percent (5%) who think it is Not At All Likely.
Most Republicans have favorable opinions of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and freshman Florida Senator Marco Rubio, but for a sizable chunk of voters both men are largely unknown.
As fighting drags on in Libya, support for U.S. military action there and confidence that a change of government in the North African country will be good for the United States have fallen to new lows.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters now agree with President Obama’s decision to take military action in Libya, down from 45% support in mid-March just after it began and 39% last month following premature news reports that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had been defeated.
Most Americans still aren’t following news of the Occupy Wall Street protests very closely and have mixed opinions of both the protesters and their authenticity.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of the nation’s Likely Voters have a favorable opinion of the Occupy Wall Street protesters while 41% offer an unfavorable opinion. Last week, a survey of Adults found a slight plurality offering a favorable opinion. Because the new survey was of Likely Voters and the prior one was of adults, the results are not precisely comparable. Additional tracking will measure whatever trends might emerge.
Voters still tend to see the congressional agendas of both major political parties as out of the mainstream and view President Obama and the average member of Congress as out of step with them ideologically.
As the nation braces itself for another race for the White House, voters say enough is enough.
Voters remain overwhelmingly convinced that most politicians won’t keep their campaign promises, but they’re a little less convinced that their elected officials deliberately lie.
Voters are fairly satisfied with the number of debates in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but most don’t think debate moderators ask enough about the major issues facing the nation.
It’s an idea that’s been around for decades of deficit spending and most voters nationwide like the idea of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But they don’t expect it to happen.
Voters strongly support term limits for all members of Congress but don’t think it’s very likely the national legislators will vote to limit how long they can serve. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters favor establishing term limits for all members of Congress. Just 14% oppose setting such limits, and 15% are undecided about them. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The execution of Troy Davis last week for murdering a Georgia policeman prompted controversy here and abroad, but it did little to shift opinions on the death penalty. Still, a sizable majority of Americans worries that people may be executed for crimes they didn't commit.
Rasmussen Reports periodically asks Likely U.S. Voters to rate political labels, and the latest national telephone survey finds that 39% consider it a positive when a political candidate is described as being “pro-gun.”
More than a third of voters believe the U.S. legal system worries too much about individual rights when it comes to public safety, but fewer believe it puts those rights over protecting national security.
Most voters see a clear ideological divide between the leaders of the two major political parties: The Democrats are led by liberals, and the Republicans are helmed by conservatives.
Voters are more convinced than ever that neither major political party in Washington, DC is on their side.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters remain conservative on both fiscal and social issues, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
