[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Repeal, replace, tweak or do nothing at all? The fate of Obamacare seems more uncertain than ever.

After another failed attempt by Senate Republicans earlier this week to bring their latest health care replacement bill to the floor for a vote, President Trump announced a new plan to “let Obamacare fail” and come up with a new plan later.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Likely Voters say it would be better to leave Obamacare alone rather than repealing it completely if Congress and the president can’t make the fixes they want to it. Forty-one percent (41%) want repeal.

Voters feel this way despite the fact that only 27% consider the law a success.

Just 13% of voters in May said they want to leave the health care law as is, while 31% want repeal. Most (54%) feel that Congress and the president should go through Obamacare piece by piece to improve it.

More voters than ever view Obamacare favorably and fewer expect the quality of care to suffer, but most still predict health care costs will keep rising.

Despite their control of both chambers of Congress, Republicans have been unable to agree on any significant legislation this year and have failed to advance any of President Trump's reform agenda. While voters continue to favor major spending cuts, they are now much less confident than they were earlier in the year that those cuts are coming.

Most voters still support thoughtful spending cuts in every area of the federal government, but differ across partisan lines over proposals to leave some cuts off the table.

Democrats feel more strongly than others do that entitlement programs should be left off the table when it comes to spending cuts. Despite news from the newly released Social Security trustee’s report that the Social Security trust fund will be depleted by 2034, voters like the program more than ever before and have more faith that they will receive their promised benefits.

Voters still place preference on a smaller, more hands-off government than on a larger, more hands-on one.

But then only one-in-four voters think the American government today has the consent of the governed.

Despite wall-to-wall media coverage of the Trump-Russia allegations, just 26% of voters rate them as the most serious problem facing the nation. Eighteen percent (18%) say that of the economy, while 16% see Obamacare as the biggest problem.

Here’s some good news to end the week on: Americans are feeling better about their own lives than they have in over a decade.

In other surveys this week:

-- Just 33% say the United States is heading in the right direction.

-- Voters don’t think Vice President Mike Pence would do a better job than Trump and say even if he did become chief executive, the media would be nearly as biased against him as they are against Trump.

-- Kid Rock, Kanye West and The Rock are among the recent celebrities who have announced an interest in running for political office. But only seven percent (7%) say they would be more likely to vote for a prominent entertainer who runs for public office.

-- Most Americans still believe it’s important for young people to participate in sports, though that number’s been slightly on the decline over the past five years.

-- More than half of Americans are avid sports fans, but most would rather enjoy sporting events in the comfort of their own home than in the stadium.

[Doug64]

How do you rate your own life today?

• Excellent 29%
• Good 45%
• Fair 21%
• Poor 5%
• Not sure 1%

Republicans

• Excellent 34%
• Good 46%
• Fair 16%
• Poor 3%
• Not sure 1%

Independents

• Excellent 26%
• Good 44%
• Fair 22%
• Poor 6%
• Not sure 1%

Democrats

• Excellent 27%
• Good 43%
• Fair 23%
• Poor 5%
• Not sure 1%

[Excellent + Good] is up 7% from 2014 and 13% from 2010. This has been an increase for all three political divisions in people's satisfaction with their lives, not just a jump for Republicans.

[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

So much for one-party rule. President Trump ended the week with his job approval rating down to a new low of 41%, while GOP Senator John McCain late Thursday killed the Republican effort to change Obamacare and was hugged by a prominent Democratic senator in thanks.

GOP voters overwhelmingly support repealing and replacing the health care law, and Trump is echoing that call. The Republican-led Senate, however, has failed to deliver. Most Republicans once again say GOP members of Congress have lost touch with the party's voters.

Voters are now more likely to believe Republicans in Congress are the bigger problem for Trump than Democrats are.

Earlier this year, 68% of Republicans said their party should be more like Trump than like McCain. Among Democrats, those numbers were reversed: 68% said the Republican Party should be more like McCain.

Over six months into the Trump presidency, Republican voters still say they relate more to the president’s political views than those of their party's representatives in Congress.

Just 15% of all voters give Congress positive marks for its job performance. Most have an unfavorable opinion of the top congressional leaders of both major parties.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of voters say what the media thinks matters more to the average member of Congress than what voters think. Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party believe this more strongly than Democrats do.

But then 76% of Republicans and 51% of unaffiliateds also think most reporters are biased against Trump, a view shared by only 24% of Democrats.

Most Republicans (68%) and unaffiliated voters (52%) believe the media holds too much power and influence over government decisions in general. Just 32% of Democrats agree.

Voters are evenly divided over Trump’s decision to prohibit from military service those who want to live openly as the opposite sex. Republicans welcome the decision; Democrats don’t.

Just 23% of all voters think President Obama's decision to allow open transgenders to serve is good for the military.

Voters tend to believe the body politic is becoming more liberal on social issues but still leans conservative in fiscal areas.

The president last week called Attorney General Jeff Sessions “beleaguered” and said he would have picked someone else if he knew Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Still, voters see Sessions more favorably than either of President Obama's attorneys general.

Congress wants to turn up the heat on Iran, North Korea and Russia with more economic sanctions, and voters tend to think that’s a good idea.

Following actress Meryl Streep's Golden Globes speech criticizing Trump in January, most Americans said Hollywood celebrities are politically to the left of them.

In other surveys this week:

-- Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters say the country is headed in the right direction.

-- Most Americans say their health hasn't changed in recent years, but nearly half are paying more for health care.

-- Seventy-four percent (74%) have seen a doctor for a general physical exam in the last 12 months, and 46% of these adults say their doctor recommended lifestyle changes in the way they eat, drink or exercise.

-- Stand back, LeBron. Move over, Patriots. Americans by a better than two-to-one margin have their eye more on politics than on sports these days.

[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Positive economic news continues to roll in, but voters aren’t giving President Trump any credit and gave him lower approval ratings this week than they did during his predecessor’s entire presidency.

With unemployment at a 16-year low and the Dow reaching record highs, Americans are more confident than they have been in years that it’s possible for just about anyone to find a job - and even get rich - in America.

But just 39% of voters give Trump good or excellent marks for the way he is handling economic issues.

The number of voters who approve of Trump’s job performance sunk to a new low of 38% on Wednesday, a lower rating than any Barack Obama received during his time in office.

Trump earned a monthly job approval of 43% in July, a three-point drop from 46% in June.

Voters also are not giving Trump much credit for his efforts in stopping illegal immigration. Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border has fallen to a 17-year low, but voters don’t think he’s doing any better than Obama handling the nation’s immigration situation in general.

Most voters now oppose Trump’s proposed border wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.

On legal immigration, Trump this week backed a bill that establishes a merit-based system in which potential immigrants are judged on such criteria as job skills and education level. An April survey found that most Republicans are supportive of such a system, while voters in general are more evenly divided.

Trump often criticizes the media for what he considers unfair treatment of his administration, but 55% of voters think Trump is his own worst political enemy. In distant second is the national media, cited as his worst enemy by 25%. Still, as nearly always in surveys involving Trump, there’s a sharp partisan difference of opinion.

Voters have plenty of criticism to go around, however. Over half of voters in both major political parties continue to say that they are moving away from the positions of their party's leaders.

Forty-six percent (46%) think it’s fair to say that neither party in Congress is the party of the American people.

For the third week in a row, 33% think the country is heading in the right direction.

In other surveys this week:

-- Most voters continue to oppose licenses for illegal immigrants in the state they live in.

-- Americans feel more strongly that raising the minimum wage is a good economic move and are more likely to believe it should be a living wage.

-- Despite the criticism surrounding Trump’s speech at their jamboree last month, the Boy Scouts of America are viewed more favorably among Americans, but still remain slightly less popular than the Girl Scouts.

-- Exercising remains an important part of most Americans’ lives, and most report getting active at least once a week.

[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

As tensions with North Korea continue to rise, President Trump’s job approval also turned back up at week’s end.

Most voters think it’s likely the United States will soon be at war with North Korea as the rogue communist nation keeps blustering threats of nuclear annihilation in our direction.

A month ago, 45% already believed the United States should use military force to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Seventy-five percent (75%) said the United Nations and the international community should do more – up to and including military action.

The UN has just increased economic sanctions on North Korea. Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters believe, generally speaking, that economic sanctions against a country are an effective way to make it change policies that the United States does not approve of, but the North Korean government has shown itself more than willing to starve its people to feed the country’s war machine.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday showed that 45% of voters approve of the president’s job performance. A week ago, only 39% approved of the job Trump is doing.

With the stock market continuing to reach all-time highs and unemployment at its lowest level in years, consumers aren’t just feeling better about the economy and their own personal finances. They’re starting to feel better about spending, too.

But most Americans remain on edge that the stock market could collapse again.

Unemployment is trending down, and Americans are more upbeat about their job prospects than they have been in years. That doesn't mean they expect a bigger paycheck.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Americans now believe it's possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job, the highest level of confidence in over eight years.

Voters, especially Democrats, don’t believe Trump or his policies have anything to do with the economic rebound, though.

Trump often acts like a third-party president, battling with the leaders of both major political parties. Voters are more receptive to a political third party than they have been in recent years, and more than half now say they have voted for a candidate independent of the two major parties.

Thirteen percent (13%) now say they’ve changed the party they identify with in recent months.

Democratic and liberal groups are challenging the president's commission to investigate voter fraud, but most voters still see voter fraud as a serious problem.

Most also continue to favor laws that require voters to show photo identification before being allowing to vote and don't believe such laws discriminate against some voters.

A sizable majority still opposes giving illegal immigrants the vote, even in local elections. Democrats remain much more supportive of the idea than other voters do, however.

California, one of 12 U.S. states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, is on track to issue nearly a million such licenses by the end of the year. Most voters also continue to oppose licenses for illegals in the state they live in.

Fewer voters think the terrorists have the upper hand in the ongoing War on Terror, although they don’t believe the U.S. relationship with the Islamic world is getting any better.

Most voters continue to think highly of the U.S. military and feel its primary role is to fight enemies. Just one percent (1%) say setting an example of gender and sexual equality for the rest of U.S. society is the most important mission of the military.

In other surveys last week:

-- Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters say the country is heading in the right direction.

-- The Trump administration plans to investigate affirmative action policies at major universities to see whether they discriminate against white and Asian-American students. Americans still tend to favor accepting the most qualified students over ensuring racial diversity at colleges and universities, but the gap is much narrower than it used to be.

-- Just 32% of voters think union leaders do a good job representing union members.

[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Multiple attacks by terrorists in Spain capped a tumultuous week in which President Trump faced sustained attacks from the media and even his own party. But Republican voters are getting pretty unhappy with their leaders in Congress.

The president has criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over the Senate’s failure to pass a health care repeal bill before the August recess, and more than a third of likely Republican voters now think McConnell should step down. Nearly as many GOP voters want House Speaker Paul Ryan to go.

McConnell is now the most unpopular of the top congressional leaders, an honor House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had previously held for years.

At the same time, 63% of Republicans - and 50% of all voters - believe that it is impossible for Trump to do anything that the media will approve of.

Nearly half of voters are following the news more closely these days, but Trump supporters and those in his party are starting to tune the news out more.

However, maybe Republicans in Congress who won’t work with the president are on to something. Voters, for now at least, say they’re more likely to reward the anti-Trumpers at the polls.

The president still isn't getting credit for the increasingly good economic news. A million new jobs have been added to the economy since he took office, but just 42% give him positive marks for job creation. Nearly as many (37%) say he's doing a poor job.

Voters consider Trump less ethical than President Obama, and many still suspect that he has less ethics that other politicians.

Despite the media furor over what the president did and did not say following last weekend's incident in Virginia, his approval ratings appear little changed.

In the United States earlier this month, the number of voters who said the terrorists are winning the war on terror fell to a five-year low. But in April, just 10% of Americans believed Europe was winning the war on terror.

Few Americans consider China an ally, and most think Beijing should be making more of an effort to curb the nuclear threat from North Korea.

Most voters continue to believe newcomers to America should adopt our culture, language and heritage. Sixty percent (60%) rate U.S. society as fair and decent.

In other surveys last week:

-- Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters say the country is heading in the right direction.

-- Forty-four percent (44%) of American Adults say abuse of opioid drugs is a major problem in the area where they live.

-- The president is considering pardoning former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was recently found guilty of criminal contempt for ignoring a judge’s order to stop traffic patrols targeting illegal immigrants. But most voters don’t think the president should pardon Arpaio.

[Doug64]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

The battle over America’s history is likely to grow even more heated in the months ahead, with one side arguing that we can learn from the mistakes of the past and the other intent on erasing the parts they don’t like.

Despite calls by protesters, politicians and the media for removing those connected to slavery from U.S. history, it looks like Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are going to be with us awhile longer. Voters strongly believe it’s better to learn from the past than erase it.

Only 40% think the Founding Fathers would consider the United States a success today.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans believe their fellow countrymen should be proud of the history of the United States, but 66% think most don’t know much about America's past. Thirty-seven percent (37%) don’t know when the Civil War took place.

Voters thought President Obama identified more with the protesters in places like Charlotte and Baltimore when they challenged the police. The media sides with the protesters, too, Americans say, but few think President Trump feels that way.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Republicans - and 50% of all voters - believe it is impossible for Trump to do anything that the media will approve of.

Nearly half of voters feel the media is actively trying to block Trump’s agenda – a stark contrast to how voters felt about most reporters in the Obama years.

Just 28% of Americans believe they have true freedom of speech today, and most think the country is too politically correct.

Seventy-three percent (73%) insist that they are prepared to defend freedom of speech even at the cost of their lives if necessary.

After conservative pundit Ann Coulter was forced to cancel a planned speech at University of California, Berkeley, in the late spring following protests and threats of violence by some students. 44% of Americans said there is less freedom of speech on U.S. college campuses today than there has been in the past. Nearly half (47%) also believe most college administrators and professors are more interested in getting students to agree with certain politically correct points of view rather than in a free exchange of ideas.

The president in a speech to the nation Monday night announced that he is sending more troops to Afghanistan, America’s longest running war. But voters remain skeptical that victory in Afghanistan is possible.

After the United States dropped its biggest non-nuclear bomb on an ISIS terror camp there in May, 45% of voters agreed Afghanistan remains a vital U.S. national security interest. By comparison, 75% see North Korea as a vital national security interest for the United States.

At week’s end, the president’s daily job approval rating remains in the low 40s.

In other surveys last week:

-- Thirty percent (30%) of voters say the country is headed in the right direction.

-- Voters are closely divided over whether the U.S. Navy is actually experiencing more mishaps these days or if the media is just drawing more attention to them now.

-- As parents gear up to send their children back to the classroom, most still think highly of their local schools but not nearly as much as they did a year ago.

-- Americans for years have thought more of their own local schools than of U.S. schools in general. Only 30% of voters rate the performance of elementary and secondary schools in America today as good or excellent. Just 24% think most high school graduates have the skills needed for college.

-- Americans with school-age children are evenly divided over whether the opening of school should be delayed until after Labor Day.

[Pants-of-dog]

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

The battle over America’s history is likely to grow even more heated in the months ahead, with one side arguing that we can learn from the mistakes of the past and the other intent on erasing the parts they don’t like.

Despite calls by protesters, politicians and the media for removing those connected to slavery from U.S. history, it looks like Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are going to be with us awhile longer. Voters strongly believe it’s better to learn from the past than erase it.

Only 40% think the Founding Fathers would consider the United States a success today.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans believe their fellow countrymen should be proud of the history of the United States, but 66% think most don’t know much about America's past. Thirty-seven percent (37%) don’t know when the Civil War took place.

Please note the complete lack of discussion on racism by Rasmussen. This lie by omission is a way of strawmanning the position of the anti-racist activists who want the statues moved to museums, making them seem like people who just want to erase history.

Also note the lack of any mention about how the white supremacists were using the statue debate as a way of uniting their racist movement with mainstream conservatives, which was also opposed by the progressives and leftists, and which should have been protested by the right and conservatives.

Voters thought President Obama identified more with the protesters in places like Charlotte and Baltimore when they challenged the police. The media sides with the protesters, too, Americans say, but few think President Trump feels that way.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Republicans - and 50% of all voters - believe it is impossible for Trump to do anything that the media will approve of.

Nearly half of voters feel the media is actively trying to block Trump’s agenda – a stark contrast to how voters felt about most reporters in the Obama years.

Please note the complete lack of any mention of the fact that Trump deliberately chooses to tweet things that he knows will cause a media outrage and that Trump does this specifically to cause controversy. It is his way of controlling what the media focuses on.

I guess Rasmussen wants us to think it is all the big bad media's fault.

Just 28% of Americans believe they have true freedom of speech today, and most think the country is too politically correct.

Seventy-three percent (73%) insist that they are prepared to defend freedom of speech even at the cost of their lives if necessary.

After conservative pundit Ann Coulter was forced to cancel a planned speech at University of California, Berkeley, in the late spring following protests and threats of violence by some students. 44% of Americans said there is less freedom of speech on U.S. college campuses today than there has been in the past. Nearly half (47%) also believe most college administrators and professors are more interested in getting students to agree with certain politically correct points of view rather than in a free exchange of ideas.

...and now we move to the myth that political correctnees is anti-free speech.

It seems clear that this is what Rasmussen wants us to think.

The president in a speech to the nation Monday night announced that he is sending more troops to Afghanistan, America’s longest running war. But voters remain skeptical that victory in Afghanistan is possible.

After the United States dropped its biggest non-nuclear bomb on an ISIS terror camp there in May, 45% of voters agreed Afghanistan remains a vital U.S. national security interest. By comparison, 75% see North Korea as a vital national security interest for the United States.

The USA always needs an enemy. When was the last time you guys were not shooting at people?

[Doug64]

Progress is being made! Pants-of-dog posts one of his usual anti-Rasmussen attacks and doesn't once say that the polls themselves are inaccurate.

Everyone in the US, enjoy the Labor Day weekend and drive safe!

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Rolling off a tumultuous news week, Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas and Louisiana dropping record rains in the continental United States and causing widespread flooding, the effects of which will be felt across the South and up the Atlantic coast for months.

Although hurricane Harvey packed a punch not seen since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, voters are happy with the emergency response so far.

As the effects from Harvey become more apparent inside and outside of Texas and Louisiana, most Americans are following the weather news intently, and many are doing so through their local TV news stations.

More voters than ever now think the clean-up and recovery efforts following major bad-weather events should be the federal government’s responsibility and nearly half (49%) say federal funds should not have to be offset by other federal spending cuts before that money is approved.

Calls for a united response to Harvey’s devastation came amid voter perceptions that America today is a more divided place. Trump supporters overwhelmingly agree with the president that the media is to blame, but Trump opponents just as strongly disagree.

Calls for unity notwithstanding, fifty percent (50%) say it’s better for the country when different parties control the House and Senate. Just 30% think it’s better when one party controls both houses of Congress, as is currently the case with the Republicans.

In fact, recent polling shows that most Republicans think GOP members of Congress have lost touch with their party's voters from throughout the nation.

Just 11% think the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate is doing a good or excellent job.

Republican voters approve of President Trump’s criticism of GOP senators. Democrats don’t.

President Trump late last Friday night pardoned former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his criminal contempt conviction for ignoring a federal judge’s order to stop traffic patrols targeting illegal immigrants. Forty-six percent (46%) of Republicans expressed support for an Arpaio pardon, but just 17% of Democrats and 31% of unaffiliated voters agreed.

The Arpaio pardon led to a rash of opposition criticism and accusations of racism, but 72% of voters continue to believe most politicians raise racial issues just to get elected, not to address real problems.

In other surveys last week:

-- Most Americans Adults continue to believe the quality of life for children today is worse than it was a generation ago.

-- However, most parents still think highly of their local schools but not nearly as much as they did a year ago.

-- Eighty-nine percent (89%) think young people spend too much time on their cell phones.

--Twenty-nine percent (29%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction, the lowest number since the week ending October 13.

--Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, perhaps best known for taking a knee during the national anthem as an anti-police protest, remains unsigned by any team as the football season gets under way. But Americans say Kaepernick's job status will have little impact on whether they tune into NFL games.

[Pants-of-dog]

Progress is being made! Pants-of-dog posts one of his usual anti-Rasmussen attacks and doesn't once say that the polls themselves are inaccurate.

No one cares if they are accurate if they ask loaded questions.

Maybe it is factually correct that 34% of US citizens think that the mayor of Charlottesville is influenced by ZOG. That doesn't change the fact that such a question would be perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes and supporting the racist right.

Calls for a united response to Harvey’s devastation came amid voter perceptions that America today is a more divided place. Trump supporters overwhelmingly agree with the president that the media is to blame, but Trump opponents just as strongly disagree.

And now Rasmussen again ignores the fact that Trump deliberately tweets things that he knows will antagonise the press. He does this on purpose just so he can play the victim, and the press loves it because they always have a sensational story to cover. This is not a conflict between the media and the POTUS. Both sides are deliberately trying to look like they are in conflict becuase people lap it up.

[Doug64]

No one cares if they are accurate if they ask loaded questions.

Maybe it is factually correct that 34% of US citizens think that the mayor of Charlottesville is influenced by ZOG. That doesn't change the fact that such a question would be perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes and supporting the racist right.

If the result is factually correct it doesn't perpetuate, it reveals. If the Charlottesville mayor is indeed influenced by ZOG, then that needs to be factored in going forward. If he isn't, then those in a position to act need to decide whether educating the mis-informed is worth the effort. Either way, knowing what people actually think is not a bad thing.

And now Rasmussen again ignores the fact that Trump deliberately tweets things that he knows will antagonise the press. He does this on purpose just so he can play the victim, and the press loves it because they always have a sensational story to cover. This is not a conflict between the media and the POTUS. Both sides are deliberately trying to look like they are in conflict becuase people lap it up.

Here's the actual question from the poll:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement - “If you wanted to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media which would rather get ratings and clicks than tell the truth”?

IIRC, that came from Trump's speech in Arizona, and our own Daily Prophets blew up at him singling them out for responsibility for venal purposes -- even accused him of painting a bull's-eye on their backs. But the question itself doesn't name the source of the quote, the language is inflammatory (enough that many of those polled that didn't recognize the source probably guessed just from the tone, but some at least wouldn't have), and if you'd followed the links you would have found that 43% still agreed with the statement while only 51% disagreed. Think about that -- barely half the country doesn't think the media won't push false stories/narratives for personal gain. If I worked for one of those Daiy Prophets, I'd be considering what that kind of result says about my ability to influence public opinion. It'll be a little tough for them to convince voters -- especially white voters -- not to vote for Trump in 2020 if they're no longer listening.

And for the record, I would have answered that question in the negative -- when the "crooked media" dispense their "fake news," for the most part their reasons aren't venal.

[Pants-of-dog]

If the result is factually correct it doesn't perpetuate, it reveals.

These options are not mutually exclusive. It can perpetuate Nazi conspiracies and at the same time reveal how many people in the US believe this crap.

If the Charlottesville mayor is indeed influenced by ZOG, then that needs to be factored in going forward. If he isn't, then those in a position to act need to decide whether educating the mis-informed is worth the effort. Either way, knowing what people actually think is not a bad thing.

It is the equivalent of asking "how many children do you think were tradficked in Hillary Clinton's favourite pizza joint?".

Do we really need to know how many people in the US think "more than 17" before going forward with ignoring or refuting conspiracy theories?

Here's the actual question from the poll:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement - “If you wanted to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media which would rather get ratings and clicks than tell the truth”?

IIRC, that came from Trump's speech in Arizona, and our own Daily Prophets blew up at him singling them out for responsibility for venal purposes -- even accused him of painting a bull's-eye on their backs. But the question itself doesn't name the source of the quote, the language is inflammatory (enough that many of those polled that didn't recognize the source probably guessed just from the tone, but some at least wouldn't have), and if you'd followed the links you would have found that 43% still agreed with the statement while only 51% disagreed. Think about that -- barely half the country doesn't think the media won't push false stories/narratives for personal gain. If I worked for one of those Daiy Prophets, I'd be considering what that kind of result says about my ability to influence public opinion. It'll be a little tough for them to convince voters -- especially white voters -- not to vote for Trump in 2020 if they're no longer listening.

All this tells me is that 43% of the people in the US are dumb enough to fall for the idea that the media is a sinister conspiracy that is trying to lie to everyone.

Considering how many people in the US believe in Creationism, and re-elected Bush Jr, and elected Trump, it does not surprise me that such a large percentage are not that politically savvy.

And for the record, I would have answered that question in the negative -- when the "crooked media" dispense their "fake news," for the most part their reasons aren't venal.

Why would they need to make up fake news when Trump tweets something outrageous about the media or minorities on an almost daily basis? Both sides (i.e. Trump and the media) love this supposed conflict.

[Doug64]

These options are not mutually exclusive. It can perpetuate Nazi conspiracies and at the same time reveal how many people in the US believe this crap.

No, "perpetuate" would require continuing to harp an the same issue even when it isn't in the news.

It is the equivalent of asking "how many children do you think were tradficked in Hillary Clinton's favourite pizza joint?".

Do we really need to know how many people in the US think "more than 17" before going forward with ignoring or refuting conspiracy theories?

No, it's the equivalent of asking whether you believe "children were trafficked in Clinton's favorite pizza joint."

All this tells me is that 43% of the people in the US are dumb enough to fall for the idea that the media is a sinister conspiracy that is trying to lie to everyone.

A willingness to do whatever it takes to get readers to click on your story out of greed does not a "sinister conspiracy" make.

Considering how many people in the US believe in Creationism, and re-elected Bush Jr, and elected Trump, it does not surprise me that such a large percentage are not that politically savvy.

As opposed to all those that believe that minimum wage doesn't decrease jobs, that the modern-day civil rights movement isn't racist, and voted for Clinton?

[Pants-of-dog]

No, "perpetuate" would require continuing to harp an the same issue even when it isn't in the news.

No. One can perpetuate racist stereotypes regardless of whether or not the issue is in the news.

No, it's the equivalent of asking whether you believe "children were trafficked in Clinton's favorite pizza joint."

No. My point was that Rasmusen has implied accusations in their questions.

A willingness to do whatever it takes to get readers to click on your story out of greed does not a "sinister conspiracy" make.

No, but assuming that the media is being divisive and deliberately lying in order to attack the POTUS is a conspiracy theory.

As opposed to all those that believe that minimum wage doesn't decrease jobs, that the modern-day civil rights movement isn't racist, and voted for Clinton?

Okay. Let us examine this claim of yours.

First of all, who exactly is the media that is conspiring to lie and divide the country?

Secondly, how do they profit from this?

[Drlee]

Why are you debating stuff here? I was told by a mod that I could not do that.

[Doug64]

Okay. Let us examine this claim of yours.

First of all, who exactly is the media that is conspiring to lie and divide the country?

Secondly, how do they profit from this?

First, I'm not claiming anything. Beyond that, you're assuming more than Trump's original statement allows: “If you wanted to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media which would rather get ratings and clicks than tell the truth.” You'll note that the word "conspiracy" isn't in there. Nor is there any claim that our Daily Prophets intend to divide the country. What it does claim is that for our Daily Prophets ratings, and therefore profits, are more important than reporting the truth and that pursuit of ratings above truth is dividing the country. That is what 43% agreed with. And if that is what they believe, they have no reason to take seriously anything those Daily Prophets report.

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Massive blows from Hurricane Harvey, which caused record rains and flooding in coastal Texas and Louisiana, and the impending threat of Hurricane Irma on Florida, sandwiched big political news this week.

On Friday, Congress passed a $15 billion disaster relief package for Hurricane Harvey and in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. More voters than ever now agree the clean-up and recovery efforts in situations like these should be the federal government’s responsibility.

Voters are happy with the emergency response to Harvey so far.

President Trump’s job approval rating has risen for most of the week despite a monthly job approval of 42% in August, down slightly from 43% the month before.

The Trump Administration on Tuesday announced an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the so-called “Dreamers” program, and gave Congress until March to provide a legislative solution to the problem of undocumented adults who arrived in the United States illegally as children.

Critics claim illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans, but voters tend to favor the continuation of the Obama-era program that protects from deportation illegal immigrants who came here as children.

The majority of voters still say newcomers to America should adopt our culture, language and heritage.

Trump this week expressed his desire to slash the U.S. corporate tax rate from a high of 35% to 15% in order to boost job growth and help middle-class Americans. A majority of Republicans are on board with that idea, but Democrats aren’t convinced that cutting the rates will help. The United States currently has the highest corporate tax rate in the industrial world.

Despite a month-over-month drop in economic confidence, consumers continue to look more favorably upon the economy and their own personal finances than they have in years past, but their enthusiasm for spending may have hit a plateau.

Tension continues to rise in Asia after North Korea detonated its first hydrogen bomb Sunday and reports Friday morning say the country is readying yet another intercontinental ballistic missile launch. Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters last month considered it likely the United States would be at war with North Korea within six months.

China last month announced that it would not intervene if North Korea initiates an attack against the United States, but would step in to prevent an attack on North Korea if the United States initiates.

-- Most voters still think Hillary Clinton is likely to have broken the law in her handling of classified information and disagree with the FBI’s decision to keep secret its files on last year’s Clinton probe.

In other surveys last week:

-- Voters have long believed there’s a natural tension between government power and individual freedom, but while most think there’s too much government power, they’re less inclined to say so than in the past.

-- President Ronald Reagan said in his first inaugural address in 1981 that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Voters still agree and hope Congress and the president don't blunt the cutting knife. But if you really want a stable, well-paying gig, Americans say a government job is the place to be.

-- Canada is now the first nation in the Americas to allow citizens to list themselves as a third gender on their passports, and California is poised to be the first state to do the same when it comes to drivers’ licenses. But Americans overall aren’t quite ready to go that far.

-- Thirty-two percent (32%) of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction, up three points from last week, the lowest point in the Trump administration so far.

-- Americans don’t attach a lot of importance to Labor Day, although just over half think it signals the end of summer.

[Pants-of-dog]

First, I'm not claiming anything. Beyond that, you're assuming more than Trump's original statement allows: “If you wanted to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media which would rather get ratings and clicks than tell the truth.” You'll note that the word "conspiracy" isn't in there. Nor is there any claim that our Daily Prophets intend to divide the country. What it does claim is that for our Daily Prophets ratings, and therefore profits, are more important than reporting the truth and that pursuit of ratings above truth is dividing the country. That is what 43% agreed with. And if that is what they believe, they have no reason to take seriously anything those Daily Prophets report.

How exactly is the pursuit of ratings and profits keeping them from telling the truth?

How is this dividing the country?

Who are these Daily Prophets? I am not familiar with conservative conspiracy slang.

[Doug64]

Been awhile since I've posted any of these, so I have a few piled up. With the whole DACA thing going on, this one is more immediately relevant:

Do you favor or oppose a federal government program that now shields from deportation nearly 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to this country illegally as children?

• Favor 48%
• Oppose 37%
• Not sure 16%

Republicans

• Favor 37%
• Oppose 47%
• Not sure 16%

Independents

• Favor 43%
• Oppose 38%
• Not sure 19%

Democrats

• Favor 62%
• Oppose 26%
• Not sure 13%

Do illegal immigrants take jobs away from U.S. citizens?

• Yes 45%
• No 45%
• Not sure 9%

Republicans

• Yes 68%
• No 23%
• Not sure 8%

Independent

• Yes 45%
• No 42%
• Not sure 13%

Democrat

• Yes 25%
• No 67%
• Not sure 7%

[Pants-of-dog]

Yes, I also cannot imagine why they would need to choose between telling the truth and trying to keep their ratings up, with Trump saying and doing outrageous things every day.

What confuses me is why conservatives think this is happening, and why they think this is dividing the country.

[Doug64]

What confuses me is why conservatives think this is happening, and why they think this is dividing the country.

Oh, I don't know, maybe little things like the Daily Prophets' attempt to create a vast Russia/Trump conspiracy out of thin air, or its meltdown because the First Lady wore heels onto the airplane taking the Trumps to see the Texas devastation, or the way the Daily Prophets have whitewashed the fascist Antifa violence when they haven't outright ignored it while focusing like a laser on the powerless White racist fringe. Little things like that.

Here's this week's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Democrats and President Trump have been sparring publicly ever since a White House dinner on Wednesday evening over what consensus had been reached on how to handle immigration policy and border security.

President Trump last week ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the so-called Obama-era “Dreamers” program, and has given Congress six months to develop an immigration reform package if it wants to protect “Dreamers" from deportation. But most voters think passage of such legislation is unlikely in the near future. In a Tweet Thursday, Trump said “No deal was made on DACA” and that “Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent.”

In fact, voters remain skeptical that real border control is on the way.

Voters are also not convinced that illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans and tend to favor the continuation of DACA, which protects from deportation the illegal immigrants who came here as children.

Despite their failure to advance President Trump’s agenda, congressional Republicans aren’t happy about his outreach to Democrats in the House and Senate, but most voters think it’s a great idea.

Meanwhile, Democrats are beginning to line up to challenge President Trump in 2020, and many now embrace Senator Bernie Sanders’ plan to offer taxpayer-funded Medicare to all Americans. Voters are evenly divided over whether Medicare for all is the way to go, even though they expect it to drive up health care costs.

A majority of voters lack faith they’ll receive all their promised Medicare benefits, but they remain conflicted over how to ensure the program stays afloat.

President Trump on September 8 signed a $15 billion disaster relief package for Hurricane Harvey and in anticipation of Hurricane Irma, and more voters than ever now agree the clean-up and recovery efforts in situations like these should be the federal government’s responsibility. However, voters are leery of other types of relief.

Hartford, the state capital of Connecticut, is close to declaring bankruptcy, saying it won't be able to pay all its bills within 60 days. But just as they did when Detroit was nearing bankruptcy in 2013, Americans oppose bailout funding for cities with serious financial problems.

The president and Congress are also focusing on tax reform.

Congress is currently debating whether online retailers like Amazon should charge sales tax on purchases, even if the seller and buyer aren’t in the same state. A majority of Americans do at least some shopping online, and 66% of American Adults oppose such a sales tax.

Americans still think sales tax is the fairest type of tax they pay, but they’re nearly as likely to see income tax as both the most and least fair type of tax today.

President Trump has promised to cut taxes, and voters are generally on board, with 45% of voters say tax cuts help the economy.

Fewer voters think the president will raise taxes compared to when he was on the campaign trail. But slightly more voters see a Trump White House with more government spending.

Trump last week expressed his desire to slash the U.S. corporate tax rate from a high of 35% to 15% in order to boost job growth and help middle-class Americans. A majority of Republicans are on board with that idea, but Democrats aren’t convinced that cutting the rates will help. The United States currently has the highest corporate tax rate in the industrial world.

In other surveys last week:

-- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a speech last week that "every survivor of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously. Every student accused of sexual misconduct must know that guilt is not predetermined.” Despite an outcry from some activists that looking out for both the victim and the accused sweeps the issue of sexual assault under the rug, a strong majority of Americans agrees with DeVos’ statement.

-- Hillary Clinton is back with a new book, “What Happened,” to further explain why Donald Trump is president instead of her. But most voters still don’t buy her excuses, and 61% think it’s time for Mrs. Clinton to retire.

-- Most voters still think Hillary Clinton is likely to have broken the law in her handling of classified information and disagree with the FBI’s decision to keep secret its files on last year’s Clinton probe.

-- Government employees aren't always the model of perfection and have been the subject of many a scandal. Most recently, in February of this year, a handful of Transportation Security Agency agents were arrested for allegedly smuggling massive amounts of cocaine in through the TSA airport security system in Puerto Rico for decades.

-- Thirty-four percent (34%) of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction, up five points from two weeks ago.