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Politics

Most Recent Releases

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September 9, 2009

Coakley Takes Early Lead In Race To Fill Kennedy’s Senate Seat

State Attorney General Martha Coakley is the early leader in the Democratic race to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of longtime Massachusetts Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy.

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September 8, 2009

53% Say Limiting Malpractice Awards Would Reduce Health Care Costs

Fifty-three percent (53%) of U.S. voters say restricting jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits would significantly reduce the cost of health care in the United States.

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September 8, 2009

52% of Insured Americans Say They’d Have to Switch Coverage if Health Care Reform Passes

As President Obama prepares for a major speech on Wednesday to relaunch his health care reform initiative, polling data continues to show that many Americans remain skeptical of the details.

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September 7, 2009

83% Say Proof of Citizenship Should Be Required to Get Government Health Aid

The health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats contains many controversial items that divide the general public. However, one area of consensus among the public is the desire to restrict government health care benefits to U.S. citizens only.

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September 7, 2009

47% Blame Global Warming on Planetary Trends, Not Humans

Forty-seven percent (47%) of U.S. voters say global warming is caused by long-term planetary trends rather than human activity.

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September 6, 2009

60% Say Obama At Least As Ethical As Most Politicians

Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe that President Obama is at least as ethical as most politicians. That figure includes 34% who say the president is more ethical than his peers and 26% who say he is about as ethical as most.

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September 5, 2009

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 4, 2009

For most Americans, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. But this year it also means the return of Congress to Washington, D.C., after one of the most harrowing recesses even the most senior of the legislators can ever recall.

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September 4, 2009

Does Obama Face a 2012 Challenge In His Own Party?

Leading liberals are already thinking the unthinkable: Challenging President Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012.

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September 4, 2009

20% Say Pull All Troops Out of Afghanistan Immediately

Twenty percent (20%) of U.S. voters say all American troops should be brought home from Afghanistan immediately, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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September 4, 2009

Americans Say JFK Had Biggest Impact of the Kennedy Brothers

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Americans say President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963 after nearly three years in the White House, had the most positive and lasting impact on the nation of all of the political Kennedy brothers.

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September 3, 2009

Most Voters Say Town Hall Meetings Should Be for Congressmen to Listen, Not Speak

At town hall meetings on the health care issue, most Americans say it’s more important for those in Congress to listen rather than speak.

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September 3, 2009

51% Say Congress is Too Liberal, 22% Say It’s Too Conservative

Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters nationwide believe that Congress is too liberal while 22% hold the opposite view and say it is too conservative. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 14% say the ideological balance of Congress is about right and 12% are not sure.

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September 2, 2009

Virginia Governor: McDonnell 51% Deeds 42%

In the race to become the next Governor of Virginia, Republican Robert F. McDonnell retains a steady lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.

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September 2, 2009

68% Say Passage of Health Care Reform Will Increase Deficit

Despite President Barack Obama’s promise that any health care reform legislation will be deficit-neutral, 68% of voters nationwide say that passage of the Congressional health care reform legislation is likely to create larger deficits.

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September 2, 2009

Democrats See Their Congressmen Holding Similar Views to Democratic Voters

Just 27% of Democratic voters say the average Democratic member of Congress is more liberal than the average Democrat.

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September 1, 2009

42% Say People Randomly Selected from Phone Book Better Than Current Congress

Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters say a group of people randomly selected from the phone book would do a better job than the current Congress. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that an identical number (42%) disagree, but 16% are not sure.

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September 1, 2009

Republican Voters Say GOP Reps in Congress Still Out of Touch

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republican voters say their party’s representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 18% of GOP voters believe their elected officials have done a good job representing the base.

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September 1, 2009

Obama Approval Index Month-by-Month: August 2009

When you track the President’s Job Approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports has compiled the numbers on a full-month basis and the results can be seen in the graphics below.

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September 1, 2009

Fear of Potential Terrorist Attack Has Declined

Forty-nine percent (49%) of Americans believe it is at least somewhat likely that there will be a significant terrorist attack in the United States in the next year. That figure is down from 70% in the summer of 2007 and 58% in December 2008.

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August 31, 2009

Climate Change Bill Gets Mixed Reviews

Since the flurry of activity surrounding its passage by the House in late June, little has been heard about the historic climate change bill aimed at curbing global warming. But the Senate will be tackling the controversial measure when it returns to Washington next week.