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September 14, 2008

New Rasmussen Reports Party Weighting Targets: 38.7% Democrat 33.6% Republican

Like all polling firms, Rasmussen Reports weights its data to reflect the population at large. Among other targets, Rasmussen Reports weights data by political party affiliation using a dynamic weighting process.

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September 14, 2008

35% Expect McCain Victory, 34% Say Obama Will Win

John McCain's convention and his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate have moved him from 18 points behind to a one-point lead over Barack Obama when voters are asked who is likely to win this year's presidential election, according to a new Rasmussen reports national telephone survey.

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September 13, 2008

McCain Flies His Campaign Past Obama By Michael Barone

John McCain was trained as a fighter pilot. In his selection of Sarah Palin, and in his convention and campaigning since, he has shown that he learned an important lesson from his fighter pilot days: He has gotten inside Barack Obama's OODA loop.

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September 13, 2008

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 12, 2008

Columnist Larry Kudlow calls it the Sarah surge. With excitement now running high on the Republican side, Barack Obama’s campaign and many in the media are reacting like GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is at the top of the ticket. Whatever the view, it appears that Palin drove the polls last week.

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September 13, 2008

A Little Exercise A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Doctors will tell you that regular exercise is a key to healthy living. A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that most adults say they heed their doctors’ advice.

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September 12, 2008

Most Adults Give Children’s Schools Good or Excellent Ratings

In a speech in Dayton, Ohio last week, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told the crowd the failure of Washington to act on education reform is putting our nation in jeopardy. John McCain asked his audience at the Republican National Convention what the value is of equal access to a failing public education system.

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September 12, 2008

Voters Strongly Favor Offshore Drilling, Alternative Energy Plans

Seven out of 10 voters (69%) support offshore oil drilling, and even more (77%) favor tax incentives for the development of alternative energy sources, which means Congress is on track with the energy bill it is expected to pass in the next two weeks.

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September 12, 2008

Say It Ain't So, Joe By Susan Estrich

Sometimes Joe Biden, bless his good intentions, doesn't know when to stop. I won't recount past instances of this -- I'll leave that to the RNC -- but the most recent is a painful example of what happens when a short answer will do and you give a long-winded one instead.

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September 12, 2008

The Sarah Surge in Black and White By Lawrence Kudlow

It's so much fun reading the newspapers these days. The Sarah surge continues to dominate all the political news, while the Palin-McCain -- er, McCain-Palin -- ticket is forging ahead in the polls.

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September 11, 2008

GOP Gains Small Bit of Ground in Generic Congressional Ballot

The Democrats now lead the GOP by eight points on the Generic Congressional Ballot. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, if given the choice, 45% of voters would choose their district’s Democratic candidate, while 37% would choose the Republican candidate.

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September 11, 2008

63% Say McCain Likely to Reach Across the Aisle, 51% Say Obama Will

If elected President, 63% of voters say that John McCain is likely to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats to pass important legislation. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 51% say that Barack Obama will do the same if elected.

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September 11, 2008

Two Bridges to Nowhere By Joe Conason

Is Sarah Palin the implacable pit bull of government reform, lipstick and all? The latest Republican campaign commercial pictures her in heroic terms at the side of John McCain as one of the "original mavericks," declaring that she "stopped the bridge to nowhere."

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September 11, 2008

61% of Republicans More Likely to Give Thanks to Palin; 46% of Democrats Say Same of Biden

Call it the vice presidential battle for campaign cash. So far John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate has Republicans far more likely to give money to his campaign than Democrats responding to Barack Obama’s selection of Joseph Biden.

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September 11, 2008

Lipstick, Dipstick By Debra J. Saunders

"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday -- thereby spawning one of those vacuous debates that will consume at least two days of air time on cable news talk shows.

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September 11, 2008

GOP Back On The Polarization Trail By Froma Harrop

"We grow good people all across America, with honesty, sincerity and dignity." No, Sarah Palin didn't say that. She said, "We grow good people in our small towns" and listed the above virtues.

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September 11, 2008

Obama vs. Obama By Dick Morris

Now that the conventions are over, it is evident that the battle of John McCain is over (McCain won) and the battle of Barack Obama will determine the outcome of the election.

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September 11, 2008

54% Say U.S. Has Changed for the Worse Since 9/11

With the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks this week, over half of Americans (54%) still believe the country has changed for the worse since the events of that day, but this marks the first time the number has fallen in over six years.

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September 10, 2008

Americans Divided as to How History Will Judge Mission in Iraq

Americans are fairly evenly divided as to how history will judge the U.S. mission in Iraq. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found that 37% now believe it will be considered a success in the long-term while 41% expect it will be seen as a failure.

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September 10, 2008

69% Say Reporters Try To Help The Candidate They Want To Win

Seven out of 10 voters (69%) remain convinced that reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and this year by a nearly five-to-one margin voters believe they are trying to help Barack Obama.

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September 10, 2008

Palin Gets Rave Reviews in Alaska, Viewed Favorably by 56% Nationwide

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 72% of voters in her home state, including 56% who hold a Very Favorable opinion of her.