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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 20, 2009
/ 26 Shevat 5769
Obama Is High in Polls, But Issues Like Mortgage and Auto Crises Help Republicans
By
Michael Barone
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Some interesting results from pollster Scott Rasmussen.
On the one hand, job approval of Barack Obama continues to be high: most recently 60 percent approve and 39 percent disapprove. Since his inauguration, his approval numbers has fluttered within a narrow range, from 59 percent to 63 percent, in Rasmussen's daily polling. His disapproval numbers have risen, from 29 percent on January 22 and 23, up to a range of 37 percent-39 percent starting February 7. I think that's to be expected: Republicans were less inclined to express disapproval in the afterglow of the inauguration and, as time went on and partisan differences began to be aired, more inclined to do so later. Obama might have kept those numbers low by a more bipartisan approach on the stimulus package, but sooner or later they were likely to go up.
Long-term implication: We can expect a solid majority of the public to continue to approve of the new president's performance
On the other hand, we see that the public is at odds with Obama and his party on several issues which are in the spotlight now or are likely to be in the months ahead.
ENERGY
Rasmussen finds that 60 percent of Americans believe that finding new energy sources is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume, while only 32 percent believe the opposite. And 51 percent believe that more nuclear plants should be built in the United States, while 31 percent disagree. Some 45 percent believe that global warming is caused primarily by long-term planetary effects, while 38 percent believe that human activity is to blame. Anthropogenetic global warming may be the consensus view of the elite (including corporate leaders who are scrambling to make money off cap-and-trade systems), but there is no such consensus among the public. Rather to the contrary; most Americans think the media is portraying global warming as worse than it is.
MORTGAGE RELIEF
Similarly, as Obama unveiled his mortgage refinancing plan, 45 percent of Americans oppose government subsidization of home mortgage payments, while 38 percent favor it.
THE GM AND CHRYSLER BAILOUTS
By a 57 percent to 38 percent margin, Americans believe that it's likely that General Motors and Chrysler will go out of business in the next few years. Also, 44 percent believe it's better for companies like General Motors go out of business rather than have government subsidize them, while 33 percent disagree. And 64 percent are opposed to any more government loans to General Motors and Chrysler, while 24 percent favor them.
Long-term implication: To the extent that these issues remain in the spotlight, they have the potential to erode Obama ' s support or support for Democratic candidates. In my view, it is Democratic candidates who are the more vulnerable, and the damage is already showing up in response to the generic vote question-which party's candidates for Congress do you favor?
Rasmussen's most recent poll finds Democrats ahead of Republicans by just 41 percent-39 percent. There's a big split here between investors (Republican 44 percent-36 percent) and non-investors (Democratic 50 percent-30 percent). Last week Rasmussen reported the Democratic edge on the generic vote as just 40 percent-39 percent, which I called "astonishing." This week's nearly identical result suggests that this is not just statistical noise, but something real. Rasmussen notes that over the past year, Democrats have received between 40 percent and 50 percent on the generic vote question, while Republicans have received between 34 percent and 41 percent. Which is to say, that Democrats are now at the low end of their range, while Republicans are near the high end of theirs. In the 1990s and the early years of this decade, Republicans tended to outperform their generic vote percentages in actual elections; that seemed not to be the case in 2006 and 2008.
Long-term implication: Even if Obama continues to enjoy approval ratings well above 50 percent over the next 21 months, Democratic candidates could be on weaker ground in the 2009 and 2010 elections than they were in 2006 or 2008. Which suggests that Democrats should try to run on Obama's coattails, while Republicans should run against congressional (or state) Democrats rather than against Obama. Democrats will hope that the goodwill toward the president will kindle the enthusiasm that brought so many young and black voters to the polls in 2008. Republicans will hope that voters' tendency to oppose statist policies will depress turnout among Democrats and convert some of those who voted against Republicans in 2006 and 2008 to vote for them in these new political circumstances.
There has been much speculation that we may be reaching an inflection point in opinion on the balance between government and markets. One inflection point came in the 1930s, when Americans came to mistrust markets and trust government; another came in the 1970s, when Americans came to mistrust government and trust markets. The financial crisis and recession we have been passing through has many believing that we're reaching an inflection point like the 1930s, the reversal of the inflection point of the 1970s. The results I've cited on energy, mortgage relief and the GM and Chrysler bailouts suggest we're not there yet.
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JWR contributor Michael Barone is a columnist at U.S. News & World Report. Comment by clicking here.
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