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25 Oct 2011 23:16

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Politics: People like Occupy Wall Street…for now

  • +16% Occupy Wall Street’s net favorability. 43% approve of the movement, while just 27% disapprove.
  • 30% of people are still undecided on Occupy Wall Street, according to the same CBS/NYT poll.  source
  • » What this means: While the movement does enjoy a plurality of support (in this poll, at this moment in time), a huge percentage of people haven’t yet made up their minds about it. This means there’s a lot of room for public opinion to swing either way, so decisions on the part of OWS’s still-emerging leadership over the next couple of months will be crucial in solidifying public support or rejection of the movement. This, in turn, will help determine whether or not OWS’s message actually ends up affecting legislation that comes out of Washington. Will Occupy Wall Street become the next Tea Party, which has had a huge impact on national politicians, or is it just a passing fad? According to this poll, the answer to that question is “to be determined.”

24 May 2011 16:40

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Politics: New Jersey Gov. Christie’s poll numbers looking worse

  • 40% of New Jerseyites view Gov. Chris Christie favorably source
  • » Is the grass just looking greener from here? So, something seems to be happening. Even as Governor Chris Christie’s national profile has expanded, and his frequent denial of national ambition can barely beat back the GOP clamoring for him to enter the 2012 race, his poll numbers back in the Garden State aren’t looking so hot. We’re wondering if this might have to do with the difference between how it looks from outside to see a “tough” leader calling the shots, versus how it feels to be the constituents under that thumb. Strident austerity measures, YouTube videos of Christie verbally sparring with public employees, and his generally bombastic personality may play like a GOP action movie in Oklahoma, but could it be wearing thin on those closest to it?

10 Feb 2011 13:36

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World: Might all this Muslim Brotherhood hand-wringing be overdone?

  • 15% reported support for Muslim Brotherhood, poll claims source

28 Dec 2010 21:31

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Politics: Obama, Huckabee looking good, Palin failin’ in early 2012 poll

  • So, CNN just released this poll on the 2012 race. Because it’s never too early to talk about this sort of thing, right? Anyway, the big winner in this whole thing is Barack Obama. He’s doing better in this poll than he has at any point in the last nine months, suggesting that he’s still feeling the love from most Democrats, even if he does get labeled a weak, wimpy something-or-other. The loser? Sarah Palin. This poll just sucks for her. But it looks really good for Mike Huckabee and a couple other GOP candidates. The details:
  • 78% of Democrats want Obama to run again in 2012
  • 49% of Republicanswould vote for Sarah Palin as president in 2012
  • 18% the decline in that particular number from late 2008; uh-oh
  • 67% of Republicans would support Mike Huckabee in 2012 – more than any other GOP candidate
  • 59% of GOP kids would go for Mitt Romney in 2012, which is still pretty darn solid, guys
  • 54% of GOPers are okay with Newt Gingrich in 2012; we personally think he smells funny source
  • » Did the tax deal hurt Obama? In the short-term, it did, with 72 percent of self-described progressives approving of Obama after the deal, down from 79 percent before the deal. However, in the long-term, 85 percent of progressives would vote for Obama again, suggesting that the tax compromise thang is something he can bounce back from.

27 Sep 2010 19:54

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Politics: Rand Paul’s support (finally) slipping in Kentucky

  • 15% Rand Paul’s lead in the KY Senate race as of two weeks ago
  • 2% Paul’s lead now, according to the same SurveyUSA poll
  • +/-4% Margin of error in said poll source

25 Sep 2010 10:32

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Politics: Obama’s approval rating hits a brand-new low

  • 56% think Obama isn’t a very good president and sucks and stuff
  • 42%think Obama is in fact still a good president – this specific number is at an all-time low
  • 2%don’t really think about the news that much, apparently source

16 Sep 2010 10:46

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Politics: Poll: Sarah Palin and Tea Party not all that well-liked

  • 46% of Americans don’t really like Sarah Palin all that much
  • 33%don’t know what to think about the ultra-influential Palin
  • 21% of Americans have a favorable view of Sarah Palin source
  • » The Tea Party’s in a similar boat: In fact, the Modern Tea Party has an even smaller favorability rating, with just 19 percent of people giving them a thumbs-up. But as proven this week, they have the power to win primaries. And it’s not like Congress has spectacularly high approval ratings, either, guys.
 

08 Sep 2010 14:09

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Politics: Why we ought to take polling numbers with a grain of salt

  • 10%The GOP’s lead over Democrats in a Gallup poll taken last week
  • 0% That same lead, from that same Gallup poll, as of this week source

16 Jul 2010 11:12

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Politics: As Obama begins his vacation in Maine today, three things

  • one You got financial reform through both Houses, ready to sign, but nobody knows what it is.
  • two You’re polling at some of the lowest levels of your presidency right now, so don’t get too comfy.
  • three The oil spill is at a very critical juncture, so you better be ready to get back down there. source

08 Sep 2009 10:28

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World: Afghanistan’s election results are officially a bad joke

  • 54.1% Hamid Karzai’s share of the vote with 92% of all votes counted – enough for him to avoid a runoff source