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Public Opinion

The Big Confusion: "Moderates" and "Independents" Are Not the Same Thing

John Zogby | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Dede Scozzafava, Moderates, David Brooks, Public Opinion Polls, Independent Voters, Public Opinion, Ny-23, Democrats, David Hoffman, Republicans, Politics News
John Zogby

In a recent New York Times piece, David Brooks divided the electorate into liberals, conservatives and independents. This view mistakes a lack of party affiliation for ideological innocence.

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Why Majority Support Does Not Guarantee Health Reform (and Why This Isn't All Bad)

Elizabeth Rigby | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Fear, Public Fears, House, Health, Public Opinion, Congress, Health Care, Health Reform, Obama Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Senate, Public Option, Barack Obama, Politics News
Elizabeth Rigby

A full defense of the public option requires moving beyond the basic arguments for reform. It requires reform proponents to take seriously the fears of opponents, even if they make up only a minority of the American public.

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The American People: Smarter Than They Look on TV

Eric Lotke | Posted 10.14.2009 | Business

Read More: Polls, Investments, Public Opinion, Deficit, Economy, Business News
Eric Lotke

If we ask the right questions or push in the right direction, the American people might come with us. Long range investments. It's work but we can get there.

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Much Good Is Done By Government Workers

Max Stier | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Veterans Affairs, Don Burke, Multiple Sclerosis, Cia, Beijing Olympics, Public Opinion Polls, Thomas Waldmann, Public Opinion, Mumbai Attacks, Iraq, Janet Kemp, Michael German, Sean Dennehy, Gallup, Patricia Guery, Aids, Anti-Government, Intellipedia, Campylobacter, Politics News
Max Stier

Lost in the inflammatory rhetoric is what our government and its dedicated public servants accomplish every day -- the delivery of vital services to deal with seemingly intractable problems.

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What the Battle Over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Tells Us about Public Opinion and Climate Change Legislation

Levi Novey | Posted 09.20.2009 | Green

Read More: Research, Social Science, Public Opinion, Climate Change, Messaging, American Clean Energy and Security Act, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Climate Bill, Communication, Energy, Green Jobs, Clean Energy, Green News
Levi Novey

The sales pitch for legislation needs to focus on America obtaining cheaper long-term energy from our own sources, creating steady jobs for Americans that pay well, and giving Americans a less polluted country.

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Health Care Poll: Opposition to Obama's Plan Is High, But Easing

Washington Post | Jon Cohen and Dan Balz | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Abc, Washingotn Post, Health Care Reform, Public Opinion, Congress, Poll, Health Care, Obamacare, Politics News

President Obama continues to face significant public resistance to his drive to initiate far-reaching changes to the country's health-care system, wit...

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Stephanopoulos Offers "How To Lose The Presidency In Four Years"

David Dayen | Posted 10.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Opinion, Coverage Subsidies, Community Rating, Medicaid, Dc Establishment, Public Option, George Stephanopoulos, Class, Health Care Reform, Politics News
David Dayen

There's this notion that bloggers and progressives don't care about the poor, but we're not kowtowing to the lunatic moderates who put a price tag above morality except when talking about war.

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Little Gordon Gekkos

Dan Collins | Posted 09.18.2009 | New York

Read More: Pensions Legislature Double Dipping, Quinnipiac New York State Senate Poll, Pedro G. Espada, New York State Senate Dysfunctional, Pedro Espada Son, Pensions Legislature, Quinnipiac University Poll, Quinnipiac Polls, Quinnipiac Poll, Pedro Espada, 000 Job, Quinnipiac Institute, John Sampson Pedro Espada, Legislature Double Dipping, New York State Senate, New York Voters Public Opinion, Public Opinion, Pedo Espada $120, New York News, New York News
Dan Collins

The worst news from Albany is that things are exactly what they seem. With the obvious exception of a virtuous minority, the people who serve are there out of greed, and greed of the most depressingly base nature.

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Poll: New York State Government Broken

Posted 09.18.2009 | New York

Read More: Quinnipiac New York State Senate Poll, Quinnipiac Polls, New York State Senate, Quinnipiac Poll, Public Opinion, New York Voters Public Opinion, New York State Senate Dysfunctional, Quinnipiac University Poll, Quinnipiac Institute, New York News

A Quinnipiac Poll released today reveals that a large majority of New Yorkers believe that the state government is the worst or among the worst in the...

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Are We Arguing While Our World Falls Apart?

Paul David Walker | Posted 09.10.2009 | Media

Read More: Public Opinion, Leadership, Politics, Living, Spirituality, Media News
Paul David Walker

The need to be right feeds our adrenaline rushes while it blinds us from seeing reality. What makes it worse is our media feeds the whole cycle.

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Is Obama Losing Health Care Reform?

Darrell West | Posted 09.04.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Public Opinion, Congress, Obama, Clinton, Republicans Health Care Reform, Obama Health Care Reform, Politics News
Darrell West

Ultimately, Democrats will succeed in passing health care reform because the risks of failure are too high.

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The Poll Is Dead; Long Live the Poll

Adam Rose | Posted 11.02.2009 | Media

Read More: Polls, urtak.com, Polling, Collaborative Public Opinion, Collaborative Poll, Public Opinion, Urtak, Crowdsource Poll, Media News
Adam Rose

Pollsters treat polling more like a science, when it's really an art. The question is, why pretend it's something it isn't?

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I'd Like Them to 'Just Do It' in Public

Candy Spelling | Posted 07.25.2009 | Green

Read More: Business Week, Nike, Tiger Woods, Public Opinion, Eco-Friendly, Marketing, Green, Shoes, LeBron James, Green News
Candy Spelling

Come on, Nike. Just do it, and say it, too. Your superstar endorsers are good with green. You should be, too.

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How "Harry and Louise" Could Still Take Down Health Care Reform

Elizabeth Rigby | Posted 07.23.2009 | Media

Read More: Bill Clinton, Harry and Louise, Politics, Congress, Clinton Health Care Plan, Health, Health Care Reform, Obama Administration, Public Opinion, Hillary Clinton, Obama Health Care, Kaiser Family Foundation, Barack Obama, Political Support, Media News
Elizabeth Rigby

Harry-and-Louise-style ads are powerful, not because they tell ignorant Americans what to worry about, but because they remind well-meaning Americans of what could be lost in the name of progress.

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Obama Hits The Wall

Eric Schmeltzer | Posted 07.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Polls, Politics, President Obama, Public Option, Health Care Reform, Public Opinion, Poll, Health Insurance, Health Care, Politics News
Eric Schmeltzer

In the era of instant gratification, letting the President's economic plans take root and grow doesn't lend itself to an immediate impact

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Jason Linkins

Poll: Pelosi Gets More Support Than CIA In Dispute

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 06.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Torture Investigation, Cia, Nancy Pelosi, Public Opinion Polls, Truth Commission, Public Opinion, Central Intelligence Agency, Torture Memos, Politics News

Greg Sargent highlights a Rasmussen poll today that indicates that after several days of the media flogging Nancy Pelosi's inept press conference and ...

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Ryan Grim

Majority Of Americans Want Pot Legalized: Zogby Poll

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 06.06.2009 | Politics

Read More: Marijuana, Public Opinion, Marijuana Legalization, Zogby Poll, Opinion Polling, Politics News

A majority of Americans, in a poll released Wednesday, say it "makes sense to tax and regulate" marijuana. The Zogby poll, commissioned by the conserv...

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Digging In To Obama's (And Republicans') Poll Numbers

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Gop, Moderate, President Obama, 2010 Election, Public Opinion, Poll, Obama, Republican, Base, Right Track, 2010, Obstructionism, Washington Post, Poll Numbers, Abc, House, Obama's Approval Numbers, Democrat, Congress, Conservative, Democrats, Wrong Track, Election, Barack Obama, Job Approval, Elections, Approval, Pollster, First 100 Days, Chris Weigant, Obstructionist, Republicans, Senate, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Barack Obama continues to ride a wave of public support as we approach the magic "100th day" of his presidency. Since I wrote about his 100 days (94 ...

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Democratic & Republican Views Diverge on Israeli-Arab Peace

James Zogby | Posted 05.25.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Opinion, US Foreign Policy, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Politics News
James Zogby

A new survey found that, while favorable attitudes toward Israel remain strong, pluralities of Americans believe that Obama should pursue a policy less supportive of Israel than his predecessor.

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The Truthiness of Political Polling

Andrew Sargus Klein | Posted 05.15.2009 | Politics

Read More: Polls, Politics, Marc Ambinder, Polling, Public Opinion Polls, Public Opinion, New York Times, Media Coverage, Media, Barack Obama Polls, Poll, Barack Obama, Politics News
Andrew Sargus Klein

Barack Obama has been in office less than the totemic 100 days, and yet we are bombarded by public approval polls almost every day.

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Obama Should Be Ashamed Only Two-Thirds Approve of Him

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: President Obama, Polarize, Msm, Michael Gersen, Democrat, Public Opinion, Democratic, Obama, Poll, Media, Approval Rating, Democrats, Agenda, Republican, Mainstream Media, Approval, Polarizing, Opinion Poll, Chris Weigant, Inside the Beltway, Polarized, Republican Party, Partisan, Barack Obama, Gersen, Politics News
Chris Weigant

People are weighing their own impressions of our new president with what the media is telling them to believe. For the most part, they are deciding that the media's take is wrong.

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Energy: What Americans Don't Know Can Hurt Us

Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson | Posted 05.09.2009 | Green

Read More: Energy, Fossil Fuels, Alternative Energy, Environment, Renewable Energy, Oil, Public Opinion, Natural Gas, Climate Change, Coal, Global Warming, Global-Warming, Oil Dependency, U.S. Oil, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, Renewable-Energy, Green News
Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson

A lot of the political debate on energy is blowing right past most Americans.

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How Democrats Can Win the Climate Debate

Teryn Norris | Posted 05.07.2009 | Green

Read More: Clean Energy, 111th Congress, Democratic Congress, Climate Policy, President Obama, Energy Policy, Political Strategy, Public Opinion, Green News
Teryn Norris

Last week was the opening round of the national climate fight, and the Democratic Congress was nearly knocked out.

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Obama or FDR: Whose Strategy Will Work Better?

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 02.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, White House, Rescue Package, Inauguration Day, Economic Crisis, Public Opinion, Banking Crisis, Obama, Barack Obama, Presidential Transition, Bush, Fdr, Bailout, Economic Rescue Package, The Defining Moment, Jonathan Alter, Inauguration, Bank Holiday, Obama Transition, 1929 Crash, Banks, Financial Crisis, Stock Market, Presidency, Roosevelt, Great Depression, Herbert Hoover, Politics News
Hoyt Hilsman

One significant difference between the Roosevelt transition and that of Barack Obama is the swiftness with which the Obama transition team has moved to address the nation's economic crisis.

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Stimulus Is Favored By Most Americans: Poll

FiveThirtyEight | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Green Infrastructure, Economic Stimulus Package, Public Opinion Polls, Public Opinion, Green Economy, Economic Stimulus, Obama Economic Recovery Plan, Politics News

A new poll from Politico suggests that the public does not see Barack Obama's stimulus package in the same category as one of the myriad number of bai...

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