Some Surprising Opinions On Tax Day

April 17th, 2012

Here we are again. That most "dreaded" of "terrible" days has arrived. We have reached the annual deadline to collectively pay for our civilization. What's interesting is that, in spite of the ubiquitous hand-wringing in most media outlets, a vast majority of Americans actually believe they are taxed fairly.
Via Gallup

Obama's Numbers Hold Steady

March 12th, 2012

As The GOP presidential hopefuls (and the "conservative" movement in general) continue to alienate voters with their social issues obsession, Obama's numbers are stabilizing following months of fluctuation.

Obama & The GOP War On Birth Control

Feb 16th, 2012

The GOP has terribly misfired. There is little discernible damage to Obama even among American Catholics.

Via Gallup

What Newt Winning South Carolina Will Mean

Jan 20th, 2012
by F. Grey Parker

I think it's clear that Newt is going to win the South Carolina Primary.

There you go. I am all in. I thought there was every reason to believe Santorum could take Iowa and, now, it's been reported that he actually did.

(I would love to see that kind of vote counting mix-up in an interparty contest met by so many GOP yawns. But, that is another story.)

In the first Public Policy Polling score ahead of the South Carolina primary, Newt was beating Romney by 6 points. After last night's "debate" and Romney's mind-blowingly poor performance, those numbers have pretty much held.

Obama's Numbers Are Up

Dec 27th, 2011

For the first time since July, Gallup's daily Presidential approval polling has Obama's positives outweighing the negatives, 47% to 45%. A couple of other prominent polls put the approval number slightly higher. It seems fairly obvious that the payroll tax cut fiasco has helped his position.

Screenshot - original, interactive version available at Gallup

Over It

Dec 18th, 2011

Via Gallup 12/16/2011

"With the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses serving as the kickoff of voting in the 2012 presidential election campaign, Americans would likely prefer to fast-forward to the end of the campaign than watch it unfold. Given a choice, 70% of Americans say they can't wait for the campaign to be over, while 26% can't wait for it to begin."

The results strike me as odd on one level; How anyone could be under the impression that campaign season had not already begun is a mystery to me. However, that nearly 3/4 of those polled are ready for it to be over comes as no surprise.

The Public's Opinion On The Public's Opinions

Sept 26th, 2011

I suppose you could call it a poll about polls. In an recent sampling by Gallup, a larger majority of self-identified Republicans than Democrats feel the country would be better off "if the leaders of our nation followed the views of the public more closely." How that squares with the fact that vast majorities are consistently opposed to specific Republican policy positions when asked is anybody's guess. What's more, the higher the level of education completed by those sampled directly correlates to lower agreement with the supposition.

Bachmann Watch - It's Over

Sept 20th, 2011

If Rep Michele Bachmann (R-MINN) stays in the race for very much longer it is for no other reason than to position herself, Palin-like, for a better share of market in future money making schemes. She has no chance of receiving the nomination. It is over.

It's Getting Better

May 20th, 2011

The journey towards true equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters contiues slowly but surely. Good news today from Gallup:

"For the first time in Gallup's tracking of the issue, a majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. The increase since last year came exclusively among political independents and Democrats. Republicans' views did not change."

Gallup: New Low For Tea Party

April 28th, 2011

I am not sure to take heart in the solid "disapprove" numbers or be alarmed that such a high percentage of Americans in times like these still have "no opinion."

From Gallup:
"About half of Americans, 47%, now have an unfavorable image of the Tea Party movement, the highest since it emerged on the national scene."