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Politics

Most Recent Releases

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May 20, 2011

12% Say U.S. Should Help Defend Cuba If It's Attacked

Treaties signed over the years sometimes make strange bedfellows, and surprisingly one such regional treaty puts the United States in the position of helping Fidel Castro’s Cuba if it gets in a jam.

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May 20, 2011

60% Say Federal Government Encourages Illegal Immigration

Most voters continue to believe that the federal government’s policies encourage illegal immigration but remain closely divided over whether it's better to let the federal government or individual states enforce immigration laws.

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May 20, 2011

71% Say Middle East Peace Agreement Must Recognize Israel’s Right to Exist

Voters continue to believe strongly that a Middle East peace treaty must include an acknowledgement by Palestinians of Israel’s right to exist, but there’s very little confidence that there ever will be peace between Israelis and Arabs.

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May 19, 2011

64% Still Put Border Security Ahead of Legalizing Illegals Already Here

Voters aren’t convinced the U.S. border with Mexico is secure, and they still put that goal far ahead of legalizing illegal immigrants already in the country. A majority of voters also continue to favor a welcoming immigration policy.

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May 19, 2011

Election 2012: Obama 43%, Christie 35%

President Obama leads seven long-shot Republican candidates in hypothetical 2012 matchups. But in a result consistent with polls involving the bigger GOP names, the president’s support stays in a very narrow range. In every matchup tested so far this year, the president’s support has stayed between 42% and 49%.

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May 19, 2011

55% Think Arab World Protests Make Israel Less Safe

Most voters think the growing political unrest in the Arab world is putting Israel further at risk.

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May 18, 2011

54% Blame Bush Recession For Current Economic Problems, 39% Blame Obama

A majority of voters continues to blame the nation’s economic problems on the George W. Bush years but still trust their own economic judgment more than President Obama’s.

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May 18, 2011

Voters Uncertain Who’s Primarily Behind Military Operation In Libya

While both the United States and NATO military forces have been carrying out airstrikes in Libya to protect rebel forces and civilians from Moammar Qaddafi’s regime, voters nationwide have mixed ideas of who is taking the lead in the military operation at this time.

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May 17, 2011

63% Think It’s Likely Gaddafi Will Be Removed From Power

Most voters still expect Libyan Ruler Moammar Gaddafi will be removed from power as a result of military action now being taken by the United States and other countries. But there has been virtually no change in this expectation since Osama bin Laden was killed.

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May 16, 2011

Mixed Reviews for Enhanced Interrogation Techniques Following Bin Laden News

U.S. voters think that Enhanced Interrogation Techniques like waterboarding probably yielded some valuable information but are unsure whether they were needed to find Osama bin Laden.

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May 16, 2011

55% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law, 53% Believe It Will Increase Deficit

A majority of voters continue to support repeal of the national health care law and believe it will increase the federal deficit.

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May 16, 2011

Only 35% Say It’s Possible To End Illegal Immigration

Voters are more pessimistic than ever about the possibility of stopping illegal immigration for good in the United States.

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May 14, 2011

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending May 13, 2011

President Obama received a bounce in the polls following the bin Laden news, but over this past week, the bounce has largely faded. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the president’s ratings have slipped back into the high 40s, right where they’ve been for most of the past year-and-a-half. The number who Strongly Disapprove of the president remains a bit lower than it was before the big news and enthusiasm for the president is up among his base voters.

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May 14, 2011

Obama's National Security Positives Fall Slightly From Last Week's High

Voter ratings for President Obama’s handling of national security issues have dipped from last week's high following the killing of Osama bin Laden, but the president’s grades on economic issues remain weak.

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May 13, 2011

Just 23% Have A Favorable Opinion of Napolitano

President Obama this week praised Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for her efforts to fight illegal immigration, but she remains the most unpopular member of the president's Cabinet.

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May 13, 2011

51% Blame Extreme Weather on Long-Term Planetary Trends, 19% Blame Human Activity

U.S. meteorologists say the deadly storms tearing up the South are not a result of climate change. None the less, the extreme weather has rekindled the global warming debate in Washington, D.C.

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May 13, 2011

Only 30% Say U.S.-Mexico Border Secure, 64% Say It’s Not

President Obama on Tuesday encouraged Congress to move forward on immigration reform, saying his administration has “strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible.” But most voters don’t share the president’s view.

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May 13, 2011

Just 23% Say Federal Government Has Consent of the Governed

Most voters nationwide continue to feel disconnected from their government and overwhelmingly believe that Congress puts party politics ahead of its constituents' concerns.

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May 12, 2011

64% of GOP Voters See Divide Between Public and Government As Biggest Since the American Revolution

Republican primary voters are pretty skeptical about the nation’s political leadership.

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May 12, 2011

53% Say Elections Are Rigged To Help Incumbents in Congress

Voters are still wary of the congressional election process but just over half believe elections are fair to voters.