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                            September 26, 201255% Think Government Doesn’t Protect U.S. Industries Enough from Overseas Competitors
Most Americans blame the country’s bad economy on government policies at home rather than on overseas competitors, but they’d like to see the U.S. government protect domestic companies more. The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 59% of American Adults think the economic policies of the U.S. government are a bigger factor in creating the current problems with the economy than unfair business practices by countries like China and the ongoing economic problems in Europe. Only 12% blame unfair business practices by overseas competitors more, while just as many (11%) see the debt crisis and other problems in Europe as chiefly at fault. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 24-25, 2012 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.
September 26, 2012Strangulation by Union By John Stossel
The Chicago teachers strike is over, but the public didn't win. Schools will still transfer bad teachers to other schools because it's nearly impossible to fire them. When bad teachers go from school to school, principals call it "the dance of the lemons." It would be funny if those teachers didn't slowly wreck children's lives.
The basic issue is: Who decides how to manage a workplace? Unions say it's good that they protect American workers from arbitrary dismissal and make sure everyone is treated equally.

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                            September 26, 201236% Think U.S. Has Best Economy in the World
Americans are slightly more optimistic about the nation’s economic standing globally and are a lot more confident about those who advise President Obama on the economy.
Still, just 36% of American Adults think the United States has the best economy in the world, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty-seven percent (47%) believe the U.S. economy is not the world’s best. Seventeen percent (17%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 20-21, 2012 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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                            September 25, 2012Michigan Senate: Stabenow (D) 53%, Hoekstra (R) 37%
Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow is comfortably ahead in her bid for reelection in Michigan.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Michigan Voters shows Stabenow with 53% support, while her GOP challenger, former Congressman Peter Hoekstra, gets 37% of the vote. Just three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on September 20, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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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                            September 25, 2012Only 41% Expect U.S. Economy To Be Stronger In Five Years
For just the second time in three years, the number of Americans who predict a stronger economy a year from now is slightly higher than those who expect a weaker one. But the number who feel the economy will be stronger in the longer term remains near its all-time low.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 36% of American Adults expect a stronger U.S. economy in a year's time, while nearly as many (34%) expect the economy to be weaker. Thirteen percent (13%) say the economy will be about the same a year from now. Seventeen percent (17%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 22-23, 2012 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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                            September 25, 2012Massachusetts Senate: Brown (R) 48%, Warren (D) 48%
Incumbent Republican Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren remain tied in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts.
 
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Massachusetts Voters finds Brown and Warren each picking up 48% of the vote.  One percent (1%) prefers some other candidate, while three percent (3%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Massachusetts was conducted on September 24, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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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                            September 25, 201248% Think Obama Better Understands Middle Class, 42% Say Romney
Voters in general are slightly more confident that President Obama has a better feel for the middle class than Mitt Romney, but middle class voters give the edge to Romney. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters think Obama better understands the issues of the middle class. Forty-two percent (42%) believe Romney has a better understanding of the middle class. Ten percent (10%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 23-24, 2012 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.
September 25, 2012Swing-state Florida's Up-for-grabs Region By Froma Harrop
LADY LAKE, Fla. -- Lunching at Applebee's in this hyper-groomed shopping center, I'm tempted to buttonhole some of the retirees enjoying their leisure as Fox News jabbers down from the bar. This, after all, is a gathering place near the storied retirement community known as The Villages, a huge conservative enclave smack in the middle of Florida's I-4 corridor.

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                            September 25, 201245% Think U.S.-Muslim Relations Worse Than Four Years Ago
President Obama in June 2009 in one of his first major foreign policy initiatives delivered a highly publicized speech in Cairo reaching out to Muslims worldwide after the conflict of the Bush years. But only 18% of Likely U.S. Voters think U.S. relations with the Islamic world are better now than they were four years ago.
A plurality (45%) of voters believe those relations have gotten worse since then, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirty-one percent (31%) say America’s relationship with the Islamic world is about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 21-22, 2012 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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                            September 24, 2012Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 44%, Democrats 43%
Republicans continue to lead Democrats by just one point on the Generic Congressional Ballot, this time for the week ending September 23, 2012.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 43% would choose the Democrat instead.
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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from September 17-23, 2012. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage point 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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                            September 24, 201244% Think Ryan Better Suited to Be President, 44% Say Same of Biden
Voters are evenly divided when asked which of the major vice presidential candidates is more qualified to be president.
Forty-four percent (44%) of Likely U.S. Voters say Vice President Joe Biden is more qualified to serve as the nation's chief executive if need be, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But just as many (44%) say Mitt Romney's running mate, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, is more qualified to serve. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 19-20, 2012 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.
September 24, 2012Michigan: Obama 54%, Romney 42%
President Obama now earns over 50% of the vote in Michigan.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Obama with 54% support to 42% for Mitt Romney. One percent (1%) prefers some other candidate, while three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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This survey of 500 Likely Voters in Michigan was conducted on September 20, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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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                            September 24, 201223% Blame Middle East Protests on Anti-Islamic Video
Most voters think the recent protests at U.S. embassies in the Middle East were pre-planned and not a reaction to an anti-Islamic video on YouTube. They also believe overwhelmingly that terrorists are likely to have been involved in the murder of the U.S. ambassador to Libya.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters feel that the recent embassy protests largely have been planned in advance. Just 23% think they were spontaneous reactions to the anti-Islamic video. Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 21-22, 2012 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.
September 24, 2012Obama's Unfulfilled Promise Change By Michael Barone
"The most important lesson I've learned is that you can't change Washington from the inside," Barack Obama said in an interview Thursday on the Spanish-language Univision network. "You can only change it from the outside."
A better way to put it is that Barack Obama has proved he can't change Washington from the inside.
One case in point is the comprehensive immigration legislation Obama promised to steer to passage in his first term. The Univision interviewers, who asked tougher questions than the president has been getting from David Letterman or various rappers, zeroed in on this issue.

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                            September 24, 2012Most Still Favor Health Care Repeal, 42% Say It’s Likely
Most voters still want to repeal President Obama’s national health care law, but voters are now evenly divided over whether repeal is likely. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of the health care law, and 41% are opposed. This includes 41% who Strongly Favor repeal of the law and 32% who Strongly Oppose it. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 21-22, 2012 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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                            September 23, 2012Pennsylvania Senate: Casey (D) 49%, Smith (R) 42%
Incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. still holds the lead in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Pennsylvania Voters finds Casey with 49% support to 42% for his Republican challenger Tom Smith. Two percent (2%) like some other candidate in the race, and seven percent (7%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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This Pennsylvania survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on September 19, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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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                            September 23, 201229% Think Poverty Very Severe in America Today
An overwhelming majority of Americans think poverty is a major problem in the United States today, and just one-in-four think the current government-set poverty line is right.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 80% of American Adults believe poverty is at least somewhat severe in the United States, although that includes only 29% who say it is Very Severe. Just 16% think poverty is not severe in the nation, with four percent (4%) who believe it is Not At All Severe. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 18-19, 2012 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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                            September 22, 2012New Hampshire Governor:  Lamontagne (R) 48%, Hassan (D) 44%
Rasmussen Reports' first look at New Hampshire's gubernatorial race since the state's party primaries finds Republican Ovide Lamontagne slightly ahead of Democrat Maggie Hassan.  A new telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Granite State shows Lamontagne earning 48% of the vote, while Hassan picks up 44% support.  Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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This New Hampshire survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on September 18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 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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                            September 22, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 21, 2012
Mitt Romney’s newly aired comment that 47% of Americans are dependent on the government and locked in to vote for President Obama has prompted debate all week. Scott Rasmussen argues in his latest newspaper column that Romney’s remark like Obama’s notorious comment about small-town voters bitterly clinging to their guns and religion highlights the condescending attitude the political elites have towards voters.  “If he wins the White House, the only way for Romney to succeed will be to side with the nation's voters and throw out the club in Washington,” Scott writes. “That will be great news for the country but bad news for political insiders on both sides of the partisan aisle.”

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                            September 21, 201251% in Wisconsin Approve of Governor Walker's Job Performance
Wisconsin voters are almost evenly divided over how the governor they almost removed from office is doing these days. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Wisconsin Voters finds that 51% at least somewhat approve of Governor Scott Walker's job performance, including 41% who Strongly Approve. But 49% disapprove, with Strong Disapproval from 41%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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This Wisconsin survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on September 17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.