What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 4, 2011
The drama on the streets of Cairo has many Americans thinking about national security and the role our country plays in the world these days.
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February 5, 2011
February 5, 2011
That Scene By Susan Estrich
I had never seen anything like it. I sat in the movie theater holding my breath as Marlon Brando wielded the stick of butter. For the sake of families who might be reading, I'll say no more, except that "Last Tango in Paris" was, depending on your perspective, either a very sexy movie or a very scary one.
February 4, 2011
35% of Super Bowl Watchers Find The Ads Better Than The Game
One-out-of-three Super Bowl viewers think the commercials are better than the game.
February 4, 2011
Half Want Troops Out of Europe, Japan, But South Korea's Another Story
A plurality of voters think the United States should remove troops from Western Europe and Japan and let them defend themselves. But when it comes to South Korea, most voters think we should stay.
February 4, 2011
54% Say States Should Have Right To Opt Out of Health Care Law
More than half the states are challenging the constitutionality of the new federal health care law in court, many focusing on the requirement that every American must have health insurance. More voters than ever oppose that requirement and think states should have the right to opt out of some or all of the health care law.
February 4, 2011
Obama's Antique Vision of Technological Progress By Michael Barone
Barack Obama, like all American politicians, likes to portray himself as future-oriented and open to technological progress. Yet the vision he set out in his State of the Union address is oddly antique and disturbingly static.
February 4, 2011
32% of Voters Are Both Fiscal and Social Conservatives
In today’s economic climate, few voters consider themselves liberals on fiscal policy issues, but there’s a little more divergence of opinion when it comes to social issues.
February 4, 2011
Our Continuing Focus on State Legislatures By Larry J. Sabato
Thanks to Tim Storey and his colleagues at the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Crystal Ball can share with you the most up-to-date picture of power control in the states. It is summed up nicely in the two maps and one graph, below.
February 4, 2011
ElBaradei a Bad Guy? Don't Listen to the American Right By Joe Conason
To his fellow Egyptians and to most observers across the world, Mohamed ElBaradei looks like a hero -- an international diplomat who might well have lived out his days in the comforts of Geneva and New York, but returned home to provide leadership despite serious personal peril. But to leading figures on the American right, ElBaradei is a figure to be mocked, scorned and dismissed as a stooge of darker forces in Egyptian politics and the Mideast.
February 3, 2011
When It Comes to Military Strategy, Voters Put American Interests Ahead of World Peace
Most U.S. voters believe the country’s military strategy should focus on defending the United States and its interests, but a sizable number thinks the strategy should concentrate on keeping the world peaceful instead. Either way, voters see economic challenges as a much bigger threat to the United States than challenges on the military front.
February 3, 2011
Most Adults Think Movies Hurt Society, Lead To More Violence
Most Americans believe movies have a negative impact on society and lead to an increase in violence.
February 3, 2011
Health Care Law Makes Sebelius A Power, But Many Voters Seem Unaware of Her
The new national health care law has made her one of the most powerful women in America, but nearly half the country’s voters don’t seem to know who she is.
February 3, 2011
Do-gooders Mobilize Against Free Speech By Debra J. Saunders
Forget all that talk about bipartisan civility. When some 200 conservatives showed up for a weekend conference hosted by the libertarian-leaning industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch in Rancho Mirage, Calif., there was no welcome wagon. Instead, seminar attendees were met by close to 1,000 activists protesting the meeting and waving banners. News reports showed a swastika and cute slogans like: "Quarantine the Kochs" and "Koch kills."
February 3, 2011
“Winning the Future” Requires Real Choice By Howard Rich
In his State of the Union address last week, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged that America’s “free enterprise system is what drives innovation.” He also said that if America is to “win the future,” then it must first “win the race to educate our kids.”
February 3, 2011
Obama and Reelection: One Term or Two? By Rhodes Cook
When it comes to presidents and reelection, two things seem clear. If they appear to be in control of events, they win. If events seem to be controlling them, they lose.
February 3, 2011
81% Worry Egypt’s Problems Will Push Up Price of Gas
Voters are worried that they’ll pay a lot more at the pump because of the ongoing political unrest in Egypt.
February 3, 2011
39% Say U.S. Winning War on Terror
There's little change in the number of U.S. voters who think the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror, but the number who feel the terrorists are winning has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years.
February 2, 2011
32% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-two percent (32%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, January 30. That’s up three points from last week and the highest finding since mid-October.
February 2, 2011
Discover (R) U.S. Spending Monitor (SM) Consumer Confidence Jumps 5.6 Points in January to Three-Year High
Consumers' confidence sharply rebounded in January, fueled by a surge in the number of middle-income consumers who see improvement in the U.S. economy and in their personal finances are improving, according to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor.
February 2, 2011
65% Say U.S. Has World's Most Powerful Military
Most U.S. voters believe America's military is the most powerful in the world.
