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                            July 3, 2012Views on Holder Unchanged: 40% Think Attorney General Should Resign
While much of the nation was reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on President Obama’s health care law last week, the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for withholding information wanted for an ongoing investigation. It was the first vote of its kind against a sitting Cabinet member but hasn’t changed any minds about Holder.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 1-2, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
July 3, 2012Obamacare Survives, but Political Playing Field Has Changed by Michael Barone
The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding the Obama administration's health care legislation was a victory for the president, his administration and his party. Their most ambitious legislative achievement has not been nullified, and they are not left in obvious disarray.
July 3, 2012Obama’s Full-Month Index Rating Dips Slightly In June
When tracking President Obama’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 compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.
For the month of June, the president’s Total Job Approval Rating was at 47%. That finding is down two points from May and has remained in the narrow range of 47% to 49% since the beginning of 2012. By comparison, in January 2009, 62% of voters approved of Obama’s job performance.
July 2, 2012Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 41%, Democrats 40%
Republicans now only lead Democrats by one point on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, July 1.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 40% would choose the Democrat instead.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from June 25-July 1, 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.
July 2, 2012Partisan Trends: Republicans 35.4%, Democrats 34.0%, Unaffiliateds 30.5%
The number of Democrats and Republicans in the United States held relatively steady in June, though the number of voters in President Obama’s party is still at its highest level of 2012.
During June, 35.4% of Americans considered themselves Republicans, down slightly from 35.7% in May.
Rasmussen Reports tracks this information based on telephone interviews with approximately 15,000 adults per month since November 2002. The margin of error for the full sample is less than one percentage point, with a 95% level of confidence.

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                            July 2, 2012Americans Still Agree With Declaration of Independence
With Independence Day just around the corner, most Americans still strongly agree with the central tenets of the document that declared the nation's independence from Great Britain 236 years ago.
The Declaration of Independence, ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, asserts that “governments derive their only just powers from the consent of the governed.” A new Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 70% of American Adults agree with that statement, up from 66% last year and up from 56% in 2008. Just 13% now disagree with this assertion, but 17% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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                            July 2, 2012Only 43% Now Believe America Is The Last Best Hope of Mankind
Americans continue to believe strongly that their nation offers them more opportunities than any other country in the world, but they’re not nearly as confident in America’s place in the world.
Just 43% of American Adults now view the United States as the last best hope of mankind, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That’s down from 51% who felt that way in May 2010. Thirty percent (30%) say America is not the last best hope of mankind, as Ronald Reagan famously described it, but nearly as many (27%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Americans nationwide was conducted on June 30-July 1, 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.
July 2, 2012Obamacare Survives, but Political Playing Field Has Changed by Michael Barone
The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding the Obama administration's health care legislation was a victory for the president, his administration and his party. Their most ambitious legislative achievement has not been nullified, and they are not left in obvious disarray.
July 2, 201252% Favor Repeal of President’s Health Care Law
The U.S. Supreme Court declared that President Obama’s health care law is constitutional, but they were unable to make it popular.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of the health care law, while 39% are opposed. That’s little changed from a week ago.  Indeed, support for repeal has barely budged since the law was passed.
(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 June 29-30, 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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                            July 1, 201230% Say America Better Off Today Than Four Years Ago
Most Americans don’t believe the county is better off today than it was four years ago, but they'd still rather live here than anywhere else in the world. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of American Adults think the nation is better off today than it was four years ago. But twice as many (60%) don’t believe the United States is better off today. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
July 1, 2012Approval Ratings for Supreme Court Slip Following Health Care Ruling
Public opinion of the Supreme Court has grown more negative since the highly publicized ruling on the president’s health care law was released. A growing number now believe that the high court is too liberal and that justices pursue their own agenda rather than acting impartially.
A week ago, 36% said the court was doing a good or an excellent job. That’s down to 33% today. However, the big change is a rise in negative perceptions. Today, 28% say the Supreme Court is doing a poor job. That’s up 11 points over the past week.
The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on Friday and Saturday following the court ruling, finds that 56% believe justices pursue their own political agenda rather than generally remain impartial. That’s up five points from a week ago. Just half as many -- 27% -- believe the justices remain impartial. (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 Likely Voters was conducted on June 29-30, 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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                            June 30, 201258% Say An Overly Powerful Government Is A Bigger Danger Than A Weak One
As they have for years, Americans feel a government that is too powerful is a bigger problem than a government that is not powerful enough. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of American Adults say a government that is too powerful is the bigger danger in the world today, according to a new 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 available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 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.

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                            June 30, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending June 30, 2012
A week ago, most voters nationwide wanted the Supreme Court to uphold the Arizona immigration law and overturn the president’s health care law. The Supreme Court did just the opposite and now the debate returns to the political arena.
In his weekly newspaper column, Scott Rasmussen notes that the court decision keeps the health care law “alive for now. But it's important to remember that the law has already lost in the court of public opinion. The Supreme Court ruling is a temporary reprieve more than anything else.” Fifty-four percent of voters nationwide still want to see the law repealed.

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                            June 29, 201260% Say Border Control Should Be Top Immigration Priority
Most voters continue to favor a welcoming immigration policy that focuses on gaining control of the border.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely Voters agree that the goal of immigration policy should be to keep out only national security threats, criminals and those who come to the United States to live off its welfare system. Twenty-five percent (25%) disagree.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 25-26, 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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                            June 29, 201266% Put National Security Ahead of Human Rights
Former President Jimmy Carter complained earlier this week that the United States is “abandoning its role … as the global champion of human rights.” But most Americans put national security ahead of human rights when it comes to foreign policy and think the best thing the United States can do is be a good role model for others.
Sixty-six percent (66%) of American Adults think the United States is a positive role model for the rest of the world when it comes to human rights, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 19% disagree, but another 15% 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 Americans nationwide was conducted on June 26-27, 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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                            June 29, 201271% Say Democratic Leaders Liberal, Republicans Leaders Conservative
Voters continue to see a sharp ideological difference between the leaderships of the two major political parties, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of Likely U.S. Voters describe the leadership of the Democratic Party as liberal, and the identical number (71%) believe the leadership of the Republican Party is conservative. These findings include 43% who think Democratic leaders are Very Liberal versus 36% who feel the GOP leadership is Very Conservative.  (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.
This national survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on June 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.
June 29, 20122012 Gubernatorial Update: Republicans Aim For Their High-Water Mark By Geoffrey Skelley
A record-tying year could be in store for Republicans in 2012. No, we’re not talking about Mitt Romney -- even if he wins, Romney will not equal Richard Nixon’s 60.7% popular vote share in 1972 or Ronald Reagan’s 525 electoral votes in 1984. Rather, Republicans can tie a record in another category: the number of state governorships the party has held at one time.
June 29, 201235% Give Supreme Court Good or Excellent Marks
Thirty-five percent (35%) of Likely Voters nationwide say the U.S. Supreme Court is doing a good or excellent job. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% think the court is doing a fair job, and 22% rate its performance as poor. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
In March, just before oral arguments on the health care law, only 28% gave the high court such positive ratings. Those were the lowest ratings ever earned by the court in more than eight years of polling by Rasmussen Reports. But those oral arguments convinced many that the president’s health care law might be overturned, and positive ratings for the court jumped 13 points to 41%.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 27-28, 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.
June 29, 2012Fox's Brazen Star: Karl Rove Rebukes Obama on Executive Privilege Claim By Joe Conason
Forever incapable of embarrassment, let alone sober reflection, Karl Rove is very well suited to his current roles as Fox News commentator and Crossroads Super PAC smear sponsor. But he achieved a moment of near-perfection last Thursday when, appearing on a Fox morning news broadcast, he spoke up about President Obama's invocation of executive privilege against a House committee subpoena of Justice Department documents.

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                            June 29, 2012Supreme Court Keeps Health Care Law on Life Support By Scott Rasmussen
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision that President Obama's health care law is constitutional keeps it alive for now. But it's important to remember that the law has already lost in the court of public opinion. The Supreme Court ruling is a temporary reprieve more than anything else.