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October 25, 20112012: Generic Republican 46%, Obama 41%
A generic Republican candidate leads President Obama by five points in a hypothetical 2012 matchup for the week ending Sunday, October 23.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds the generic Republican earning 46% support, while the president picks up 41% of the vote.
(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 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted October 17-23, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error 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.

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                            October 25, 201149% Oppose Single-Payer Health Care System
Roughly half (49%) of Americans oppose a single-payer health care system where the federal government provides coverage for everyone.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% of American Adults favor a single-payer health care system. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
October 25, 2011Obama 39%, Huntsman 32%
Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who opted out of the Republican debate last week in Las Vegas in opposition to Nevada possibly moving its primary date and forcing other states to reschedule, trails President Obama by seven points in the latest hypothetical Election 2012 matchup.

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                            October 25, 201155% Want U.S. Troops Out of Europe
Voters are increasingly skeptical of the level of spending on the military and national security, and they feel more strongly than ever that the United States should remove its troops from Western Europe.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say America should bring home the troops that have been stationed in Europe since the end of World War II.
October 25, 2011Recalling the Lost Paradise of Budget Surpluses By Froma Harrop
Hard to believe, but once upon a time, economists worried that the U.S. government would pay off all its debt. Also hard to believe, once upon a time was only 11 years ago.

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                            October 25, 201166% Oppose Forgiveness of Student Loans
One of the loudest demands by the Occupy Wall Street protesters is for forgiveness of the nearly $1 trillion worth of student loans, but Americans strongly oppose forgiving that debt. Even as President Obama talks about easing the burden on those with student loans, in fact, Americans are more inclined to think the government should help those who haven’t gone to college instead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 21% of American Adults think the federal government should forgive the nearly $1 trillion in loans it made or guaranteed to help students pay for a college education. Sixty-six percent (66%) oppose the forgiveness of all student loans.Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
October 24, 2011Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 44%, Democrats 36%
As has been the case for over two years now, Republicans remain ahead of Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot.  The GOP has extended its lead to eight points for the week ending Sunday, October 23.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election was held now, while 36% would choose the Democrat instead.
October 24, 20119% Give Congress Positive Marks for Job Performance
Positive ratings for Congress’ job performance continue to hover near record lows, while the number of voters who feel the national legislators are more interested in their own careers than in helping people matches the all-time high. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just nine percent (9%) of Likely U.S. Voters rate the job Congress is doing as good or excellent.  Sixty-three percent (63%) view Congress’ job performance as poor.
October 24, 2011Election 2012: Obama 44%, Cain 38%
Herman Cain's surge to front-runner status prompted his Republican rivals to pile on during last Tuesday night's debate and also brought on a lot more media coverage about him. After taking a very slight lead over President Obama last week, Cain now trails the incumbent by six points in the latest hypothetical Election 2012 matchup.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Obama picking up 44% of the vote, while Cain earns 38%.

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                            October 24, 201161% Favor Simpler Tax Code, But Have Doubts About Flat Tax Plans
Voters want a simpler and fairer tax system but give generally negative reviews to flat tax proposals.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of Likely U.S. Voters agree, however, that it’s a good idea to get rid of the existing income tax code and replace it with something simpler. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 16% disagree with the idea of a simpler tax code, while 23% are not sure.
October 24, 2011Scott Rasmussen on Fox News - October 21, 2011
Scott discusses the rise of Herman Cain in the GOP Primary race with Bill Hemmer.

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                            October 24, 201141% Say Their Views Closer to Tea Party’s Than to Wall Street Protesters’
The Occupy Wall Street protesters have been compared by some with the Tea Party protests that erupted more than two years ago in reaction to Washington’s big government spending plans. Americans are evenly divided in their opinions of those currently protesting against Wall Street but tend to see their own views as more in line with those of the Tea Party.
October 24, 2011Cult of Global Warming Is Losing Influence By Michael Barone
Religious faith is a source of strength in many people's lives. But religious faith when taken too far can prove ludicrous -- or disastrous.
On Oct. 22, 1844, thousand of Millerites, having sold all their possessions, climbed to the top of hills in Upstate New York to await the return of Jesus and the end of the world. They suffered "the great disappointment" when it didn't happen.

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                            October 23, 201171% Say Volunteering Serves Community More Than Entering Politics
Americans still overwhelmingly believe that volunteering is more important than getting involved in politics in terms of serving their community, and most have done some kind of volunteer work within the past month.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 71% believe doing volunteer work for a church, community organization or charitable group is more important in terms of serving the community than getting involved in politics. Only 14% believe getting involved in politics better serves the place they live. Another 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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                            October 23, 201127% Say They’re Conservative On Both Fiscal and Social Issues
The bad economy, a change in presidents, bailouts, health care, the Tea Party and now another presidential cycle, you name it. Still, the basic fiscal and social ideologies of U.S. voters remain largely unchanged.
October 22, 201141% Now Agree With Obama’s Decision To Take Military Action in Libya
Polls show a bounce in support for President Obama’s policy in Libya following the death of the country’s longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, but most voters still don’t expect the new Libyan government to become an ally of the United States.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken following news reports of Gadhafi’s death, finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters now rate the Obama administration’s response to the situation in Libya as good or excellent, up 12 points from a week ago.
October 22, 2011What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending October 22, 2011
Not much hope and a strong desire for change – it sounds like 2008 all over again. Will Herman Cain ride that wave into the White House like Barack Obama before him?
Just 15% of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, down 15 points from this time last year. Since the third week in July, the number of voters who are confident in the nation’s current course has resembled levels measured in the final months of the Bush administration.
October 22, 2011What Romney's Religion Reveals About His Politics By Joe Conason
Recent expressions of political and religious prejudice against Mormons and the Church of Latter-Day Saints have offered Mitt Romney a chance to play the bullied underdog -- and to explain, as he did with clarity and dignity during the Vegas debate, the meaning of the constitutional prohibition against any religious test for public office.

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                            October 21, 2011North Korea, Iran Top List of U.S. Enemies
While Canada and Great Britain are still seen as America’s top allies, most Americans also continue to think of Iran and North Korea as the nation’s worst enemies.
October 21, 2011Voters Still See Economy As Top Issue
When it comes to voting decisions, the economy is still far and away the most important issue on voters’ minds, while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and national security remain at the bottom of the list of issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports.