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August 1, 2014

Voters See Illegal Immigration As Bigger National Security Worry Than Russia, Gaza

U.S. voters rate the latest immigration crisis as a bigger national security problem for this country than Russia and the renewed fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of Likely U.S. Voters, given these three options, consider the growing illegal immigration problem to be a bigger national security concern for the United States. Thirty-one percent (31%) view Russia as the bigger problem. Twenty-three percent (23%) think the situation in Gaza is the bigger danger facing the country. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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August 1, 2014

Bipartisanship is Alive and Well, but not in the Obama White House By Michael Barone

Bipartisanship is dead. That's the conventional wisdom, and there's a lot of evidence to support it.

But there's evidence to the contrary as well. On two important issues, veterans' health and job training, congressional Republicans and Democrats have, with little notice, reached constructive bipartisan agreements.

July 31, 2014

51% Attribute Rise in Food Stamps to Tough Economy

Just over half of Americans now blame the large increase in the number of food stamp recipients on the economy, but a sizable number still think it's because food stamps are easier to get.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of American Adults think more people are receiving food stamps because of tough economic times. That’s up slightly from a year ago but below the 55% who felt that way in July 2012. Basically unchanged from last year are the 42% think the increase is because government rules have made it easier to get food stamps. That’s up slightly from 38% who felt that way two years ago. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 26-27, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 31, 2014

Michigan Governor: Snyder (R) 45%, Schauer (D) 42%

Republican Governor Rick Snyder runs only slightly ahead of Democratic challenger Mark Schauer in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at his bid for reelection in Michigan.

Snyder picks up 45% of the vote to Schauer’s 42%, according to a new statewide telephone survey of Likely Michigan Voters. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while eight percent (8%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on July 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 31, 2014

54% Believe Obama Wants Most New Illegal Immigrants to Stay

Voters think President Obama is doing a poor job handling the latest immigration crisis and believe he wants to let most of the new illegal immigrants stay here despite majority support for their quick deportation.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters want the U.S. government to send these new illegal immigrant children home as quickly as possible. Thirty-six percent (36%) think instead that the government should process them more slowly to determine whether any should be allowed to stay in the United States. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

This marks a slight increase in favor of quick deportation from earlier this month. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 31, 2014

Americans See More Money Coming Their Way

More Americans than ever are optimistic that in one year’s time they will be earning more money.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of Employed Adults believe they will be making more money a year from today. That’s up two points from June's previous high of 48% and the highest finding in over five years of regular tracking. Just eight percent (8%) expect to earn less next year. Thirty-five percent (35%) think they’ll be making about the same amount, the lowest finding since April 2009. (To see survey question wording, click here).

(Want a  free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 583 Employed Adults was conducted on July 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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July 31, 2014

What’s the Matter With Kansas — And Hawaii? By Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley

Royal Blue Hawaii and Ruby Red Kansas are two of the most predictable states in presidential and Senate elections. Yet both states have incumbent governors from the dominant parties who are fighting for their political lives. What gives?

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July 31, 2014

Doing Well by Doing Good -- but Better by Doing Bad by Froma Harrop

How curious to watch "60 Minutes," the famously hard-hitting TV newsmagazine, bless JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon with prime-time beatification for hiring some interns from poor backgrounds. The segment's headline is "Jobs program benefits Fortune 500 and underprivileged youth."

July 30, 2014

24% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-four percent (24%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending July 27.

This finding, down two points from last week, is the lowest since the beginning of November when the country was fresh off the temporary government shutdown and in the midst of the disastrous rollout of the national health care law. The number who say the country is heading in the right direction has been less than 30% 22 out of 30 weeks this year.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on July 21-27, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 30, 2014

Michigan Senate: Peters (D) 45%, Land (R) 39%

Democratic Congressman Gary Peters has now taken the lead over Republican Terri Lynn Land in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Michigan Voters finds Peters with a six-point advantage – 45% to 39% - over Land, a former Michigan secretary of state.  Six percent (6%) like some other candidate in the race, and 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on July 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 30, 2014

Belief U.S. Is Winning War on Terror Falls to 10-Year Low

Belief that America is winning the War on Terror and is safer than before the 9/11 terrorist attacks have fallen to their lowest levels in three years.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% of Likely U.S. Voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. But that’s down from 39% in January and is the most pessimistic assessment since April 2011. Fifty percent (50%) felt America and its allies were winning a year ago. 

Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the terrorists are winning the War on Terror, down from a recent high of 30% in January. Just as many (28%) say neither side is winning. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 17-18, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 30, 2014

49% Believe Government Programs Increase Poverty in America

Congress is debating a plan by Republican Congressman Paul Ryan to reform government welfare programs. Most Americans still believe current government anti-poverty programs have no impact on poverty in this country or actually increase it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that a plurality (44%) of American Adults still think the government spends too much on poverty programs. That’s down from 51% in October 2012 but up from 38% in the previous year. Thirty-one percent (31%) say it doesn’t spend enough in this area, while 14% say the level of spending is about right. Another 10% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 26-27, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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July 30, 2014

Healthy Profits? By John Stossel

I'm the underachiever in my family. My parents also produced Harvard Medical School research director Thomas Stossel. Mom called him the one who had "a real job."

For years, my brother annoyed me by not embracing the libertarianism that changed my life. It bored him. He was comfortable in his Harvard cocoon.

But then he realized that the anti-capitalist activists who fight with me on my TV show are also the people who make life more difficult for doctors, and for patients who want cures.

July 29, 2014

Number of Fiscal Conservatives Up to Highest Level in Past Year

The number of voters who consider themselves fiscally conservative continues to climb, while one-in-three say they are social liberals.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters now identify themselves as conservative on fiscal issues such as taxes, government spending and business regulation. That’s up from 41% in April and is the highest finding since last July. Just 14% are liberal in this area, while 37% view themselves as moderates. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 23-24, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 29, 2014

What Helps Voters Decide - Looks? Sex? Race? Issues?

Americans are model voters when you ask them what motivates their voting decisions.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of American Adults believe most of their fellow citizens are not informed voters, but most voters beg to differ in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also availableon Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 27-28, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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July 29, 2014

What Scares Americans About the Child Migrants By Froma Harrop

The numbers are small for a large country like this, but the alarm is big over the influx of Central American children coming over the southern border. People are merging this special case involving about 57,000 children with generalized anxiety about a broken immigration system that has resulted in an estimated 11 million illegal residents. At bottom are fears that the United States is incapable of managing an orderly immigration program

The surge of solitary children is especially disturbing because the arrivals are so pitiful. The public knows that they are innocents escaping war-like conditions and grinding poverty. But the public also knows that vast stretches of this troubled planet are soaked in misery. If fleeing war, violence and destitution is reason enough to be granted the right to stay in the United States, distressed souls in the hundreds of millions would qualify.

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July 29, 2014

Fighting Parasitic Bureaucracies and Crony Capitalism by Michael Barone

"Pare down the parasitic fringe" of government. "Favor a gospel of work" instead of aristocratic entitlement. "Rationalize finance" and "reverse the Parkinson's law of bureaucracy."

All that sounds like rhetoric from the Tea Party or reform conservatives who assail what they call crony capitalism.

But it's not a contemporary criticism. Those are phrases from a long essay, written more than half a century ago, by the British historian H. R. Trevor-Roper, titled "The General Crisis of the Seventeenth Century."

Michael Barone, senior political analyst at the Washington Examiner, (www.washingtonexaminer.com), where this article first appeared, is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2014 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

July 29, 2014

78% Consider Marriage Important to Society

Most Americans still consider marriage important, and those who are married rate it even more importantly.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of American Adults think the institution of marriage is important to U.S. society, including 54% who view it as Very Important. These findings have generally held steady in surveys since May 2011. Just 18% think marriage is not very or Not At All Important to society. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on July 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 28, 2014

Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 39%

Democrats have taken the lead over Republicans again on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending July 27 finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 39% would choose the Republican instead.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from July 21-27, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

July 28, 2014

New Mexico Senate: Udall (D) 54%, Weh (R) 33%

Unlike his cousin in Colorado, Democratic incumbent Tom Udall is comfortably ahead of his Republican challenger in New Mexico’s U.S. Senate race.

A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely New Mexico Voters finds Udall with 54% support versus Republican Allen Weh’s 33%. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate in the race, and 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 860 Likely Voters in New Mexico was conducted on July 21-22, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.