Rasmussen...
What They Told Us:
Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, May 14, 2011
President Obama received a bounce in the polls following the bin Laden
news, but over this past week, the bounce has largely faded. The
Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the
president’s ratings have slipped back into the high 40s, right where
they’ve been for most of the past year-and-a-half. The number who
Strongly Disapprove of the president remains a bit lower than it was
before the big news and enthusiasm for the president is up among his
base voters.
The reason for such a modest bounce is the economy. Sixty-three percent
(63%) of the nation’s adults believe the country is still in a
recession. While the president is enjoying good reviews for his
handling of national security matters, just 34% give him positive marks
for handling the economy.
President Obama also spoke on the immigration issue this week and only
30% of voters share his view that the border with Mexico is secure.
Most voters favor cutting off funds to sanctuary cities that shelter
illegal immigrants.
On another topic with strong economic implications, most voters still
favor repeal of the health care law passed a year ago.
In a match-up against a Generic Republican, the president holds a
modest edge. Forty-five percent (45%) pick the president while 43% say
they’d vote for the GOP candidate. Rasmussen Reports will provide new
data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective
Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders. On the Generic
Congressional Ballot, Republicans have a similarly modest
advantage.
All this comes against a backdrop of skepticism about both political
parties in Washington. Just 29% believe the U.S. is heading in the
right direction. Only 23% say the Federal Government has the Consent of
the Governed. Most (53%) believe that Elections Are Rigged To Help
Incumbents in Congress. Among Republican Primary Voters, 64%
Believe the gap between the American people and the political elites is
bigger than at any time since the American Revolution.
One big reason for this disconnect is that just 25% of voter believe
the bailouts were good for the nation.
Other polling this week found that:
56% Favor Bringing Troops Home From Afghanistan Within A Year
65% Want U.S. To Stay Out of Syrian Crisis
50% Are At Least Somewhat Confident in U.S. Banking System
51% Blame Extreme Weather on Long-Term Planetary Trends, 19% Blame
Human Activity
50% Give Government Positive Marks for Response to Weather Disasters
20% of workers Classify Themselves As the Working Poor
Also, please check out the benefits of Platinum Membership and visit
the Rasmussen Reports home page for the latest current events polling.
Don’t forget Scott’s books, In Search of Self
Governance and Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party
Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System ,
co-written with Doug Schoen. Both can be purchased at all major book
sellers including Amazon.com , Barnes and Noble, Borders and other
outlets.
A Wall Street Journal profile called Scott Rasmussen “America’s
Insurgent Pollster.” The Washington Post described him as “a driving
force in American politics.” If you’d like Scott to speak at your
conference or event, contact Premiere Speakers Bureau.
Remember, if it’s in the news, it’s in our polls.
Read it with links at Rasmussen
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