1. Most voters still favor repealing the presidents national health care law and think that would give the economy a boost. Unlike the economy, however, voters overwhelmingly believe the man who is elected president will make a difference. Eighty percent (80%) say repeal is likely if Romney is elected and Republicans win control of Congress.
2. Obamas on safer ground with his proposal this week to extend the so-called Bush tax cuts for a year but only for those who earn less than $250,000 annually. Sixty-three percent (63%) favor extending the tax cuts, but voters are almost evenly divided on how far those cuts should go: 44% believe they should be extended for all Americans, while 46% say they should be extended for everyone except the wealthy. Its important to note, however, that the question did not define wealthy.
3. While voters prefer the presidents plan over the Republican effort to extend the tax cuts permanently for all Americans, it remains close when they have to choose one over another with a dollar figure attached. Forty-seven percent (47%) would prefer a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. But nearly as many (41%) favor instead a permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts for all Americans
4. The economy remains a tough nut for the president to crack. The recent dismal jobs report led to a slight decline in the Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes. At the beginning of 2012, 37% of investors thought the economy was getting better, while 45% thought it was getting worse. Now, just 30% believe the economy is getting better, and 52% hold the opposite view.
5. One thing most voters continue to agree on, though: As the country searches for solutions to the federal budget crisis, spending cuts should be considered in every program of the federal government
6. Yet while the presidents ratings on the economy are at the lowest level since last November, a strong plurality (47%) of voters continues to give him positive marks for his leadership
7. Another area of disagreement is the administrations legal challenge of Texas new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Attorney General Eric Holder told the NAACP this past week that such laws are like the poll taxes of old intended to keep blacks from voting. But only 21% of Likely U.S. Voters nationwide think its discriminatory to require all voters to prove their identity before being allowed to vote. Theres been overwhelming voters support for showing photo ID prior to voting in recent years.
8. National security has been a strong suit for the president since the killing of Osama bin Laden in May of last year, but confidence in how the United States is doing in the War on Terror has fallen to its lowest level this year.
9. Americans have more trust in local government than any other level in our federalist system
10. Voters continue to be more conservative about fiscal issues than about social ones. Twenty-six percent (26%) say they are both fiscal and social conservatives. Just 10% say they are liberal in both areas, while 63% are some other combination.
11. Voters have a slightly more favorable view of the Tea Party than they did at the first of the year, but that support is still well below where it was three years ago when the grass roots movement came into existence to protest President Obamas growth of government.
12. Voters continue to lack faith in the Social Security system and do not believe they will see all they've been promised
13. Nearly half (49%) of voters believe the Constitution should be strictly interpreted as written. Forty-three percent (43%) disagree and say they are more inclined to view it as a living document subject to constant reinterpretation depending on the changing times. But only 21% believe the U.S. Supreme Court has strictly interpreted the original words of the Constitution over the years.\
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week
2. Obamas on safer ground with his proposal this week to extend the so-called Bush tax cuts for a year but only for those who earn less than $250,000 annually. Sixty-three percent (63%) favor extending the tax cuts, but voters are almost evenly divided on how far those cuts should go: 44% believe they should be extended for all Americans, while 46% say they should be extended for everyone except the wealthy. Its important to note, however, that the question did not define wealthy.
3. While voters prefer the presidents plan over the Republican effort to extend the tax cuts permanently for all Americans, it remains close when they have to choose one over another with a dollar figure attached. Forty-seven percent (47%) would prefer a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. But nearly as many (41%) favor instead a permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts for all Americans
4. The economy remains a tough nut for the president to crack. The recent dismal jobs report led to a slight decline in the Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes. At the beginning of 2012, 37% of investors thought the economy was getting better, while 45% thought it was getting worse. Now, just 30% believe the economy is getting better, and 52% hold the opposite view.
5. One thing most voters continue to agree on, though: As the country searches for solutions to the federal budget crisis, spending cuts should be considered in every program of the federal government
6. Yet while the presidents ratings on the economy are at the lowest level since last November, a strong plurality (47%) of voters continues to give him positive marks for his leadership
7. Another area of disagreement is the administrations legal challenge of Texas new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Attorney General Eric Holder told the NAACP this past week that such laws are like the poll taxes of old intended to keep blacks from voting. But only 21% of Likely U.S. Voters nationwide think its discriminatory to require all voters to prove their identity before being allowed to vote. Theres been overwhelming voters support for showing photo ID prior to voting in recent years.
8. National security has been a strong suit for the president since the killing of Osama bin Laden in May of last year, but confidence in how the United States is doing in the War on Terror has fallen to its lowest level this year.
9. Americans have more trust in local government than any other level in our federalist system
10. Voters continue to be more conservative about fiscal issues than about social ones. Twenty-six percent (26%) say they are both fiscal and social conservatives. Just 10% say they are liberal in both areas, while 63% are some other combination.
11. Voters have a slightly more favorable view of the Tea Party than they did at the first of the year, but that support is still well below where it was three years ago when the grass roots movement came into existence to protest President Obamas growth of government.
12. Voters continue to lack faith in the Social Security system and do not believe they will see all they've been promised
13. Nearly half (49%) of voters believe the Constitution should be strictly interpreted as written. Forty-three percent (43%) disagree and say they are more inclined to view it as a living document subject to constant reinterpretation depending on the changing times. But only 21% believe the U.S. Supreme Court has strictly interpreted the original words of the Constitution over the years.\
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week