Anthony Weiner Shrinks in latest Quinnipiac poll to fourth place

By Albert N. Milliron

Anthony Weiner, was once the top contender in the campaign bid for New York City mayor. Following another sexting scandal, Weiner has shrunk in two polls since the scandal came to light. Weiner now finds himself in fourth place.

The Quinnipiac University Poll says that Weiner should withdraw from the race altogether.

This from the latest Quinnipiac University poll: 

Congressman Anthony Weiner drops to fourth place among likely Democratic primary voters in the race for New York City mayor as these likely voters say 53 - 40 percent he should drop out, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

There is almost no gender gap, but a wide racial gap on this question: Women say 54 - 42 percent that Weiner should drop out, compared to men at 52 - 37 percent. But black voters say 53 - 42 percent that Weiner should stay in the race, while white voters say 64 - 25 percent he should get out.

Weiner gets 16 percent of likely Democratic primary voters today, compared to his first- place position with 26 percent in a July 24 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe- ack) University.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn leads the Democratic pack with 27 percent, with 21 percent for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, 20 percent for former Comptroller William Thompson, 6 percent for Comptroller John Liu and 2 percent for former Council member Sal Albanese, the poll finds. Seven percent of likely Democratic primary voters remain undecided.

If Weiner drops out, Quinn gets 30 percent, with 25 percent each for Thompson and de Blasio and 9 percent for Liu.

"With six weeks to go, anything can happen, but it looks like former Congressman Anthony Weiner may have sexted himself right out of the race for New York City mayor," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"And with Weiner in free-fall, it begins to look like a three-way race again."

Read More:  Quinnipiac University Poll

Scandals Catch Up To Obama, Approval Ratings Take A Nosedive

By Susan Duclos

CNN released the results of their most recent CNN/ORC poll and find that as the recent variety of Obama administration scandals filter down from headlines to discussions around kitchen tables in America, Barack Obama's approval ratings take a nosedive.

The findings include, but are not limited to;

•  54% say they disapprove of how Obama's handling his job, up nine points from last month- The drop in Obama's support is fueled by a dramatic 17-point decline over the past month among people under 30, who, along with black Americans, had been the most loyal part of the Obama coalition," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland

•  61% of Independents disapprove of Obama's job performance.

• Six in 10 disapprove of how Obama is handling government surveillance of U.S. citizens.

• Half of the public says they don't believe Obama is honest and trustworthy.

• Just over six in 10 believe that government is so large and powerful that it threatens the rights and freedoms of ordinary Americans.

• 57% of those questioned say they disagree with Obama's views on the size and power of the federal government.

• 53% say Obama cannot manage the government effectively.

• Obama's approval rating on terrorism, although still above 50%, has taken a 13-point hit since mid-May.

The importance of this specific poll can be seen when you look at the Real Clear Politics, Obama Job Approval page, scroll down to the CNN/ORC polling and compare them to the findings of the polls from other organizations conducted at the same time.

CNN's numbers often give Obama a higher approval rating  and a lower disapproval rating than other polls.

Examples: (Organization/Dates poll conducted/Type of voter surveyed/Approval/Disapproval/Spread)

Mid-May:

Early April:

According to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland, "It is clear that revelations about NSA surveillance programs have damaged Obama's standing with the public, although older controversies like the IRS matter may have begun to take their toll as well."

 I disagree. I believe the IRS, Benghazi, and DOJ attack on the media scandals are finally filtering through to ordinary Americans, but the NSA scandal is still relatively new, information is still being revealed on the extent of the domestic spying, and these numbers will fall considerably more before all is said and done.

On May 21, 2013, I said:

While some recent polls show the same type of distrust, they assert that Obama's overall approval rating hasn't suffered, but since the IRS and AP scandals were brought to light just a couple weeks ago and there have been continuous new revelations each week, sometimes daily revelations, that approval will undoubtedly start dwindling when the public becomes more aware of  those newly revealed details.

I was right and I was wrong, Obama's approval rating is not "dwindling" it has taken a huge nosedive as more information has been revealed about what the Obama administration has been secretly up to.

Majority Of Americans Suspicious Of Government, Believe NSA Spying Will Be Used Against Political Enemies

By Susan Duclos

As was shown yesterday, here at Wake up America, majorities and pluralities believe the Obama administration was involved in the decision making process that resulted in Obama's political opponents, conservatives, being targeted by the IRS. Those results were found in a variety of polls conducted by multiple organizations.

Rasmussen finds the distrust of the Obama administration crosses agency lines as 57 percent of voters nationwide "fear government will use NSA data to punish political opponents."

There is little public support for the sweeping and unaccountable nature of the National Security Agency surveillance program along with concerns about how the data will be used.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide believe it is likely the NSA data will be used by other government agencies to harass political opponents. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 30% consider it unlikely and 14% are not sure.

As congressional investigations continue to reveal more information on the IRS targeting of conservatives, pro-life, pro-marriage, Tea Party and Patriot groups as well as Mitt Romney donors, and whistle-blowers continue to expose invasive government spying on Americans by the NSA, the Obama administration is losing more and more support of the American people, and the level of distrust for his administration continues to rise.

Full Wake up America coverage on the IRS scandal can be found here.

Full Wake up America NSA scandal coverage found here.

Pew: Plurality Believe Obama Administration Involved In IRS Decision To Target Conservatives

By Susan Duclos

Pew Research polled the different controversies rocking the Obama administration, including the AP phone record seizure and the Benghazi investigation, but the numbers on the IRS scandal where IRS officials deliberately and systematically targeted conservatives groups like the Tea Party, Patriot groups and 9/12 groups, among others,  show that a plurality of those paying attention to the scandal, believe the Obama administration was "involved in the decision to target conservative groups."

Overall, 42% say the Obama administration was involved in the decision to target conservative groups. Fewer (31%) say that the decision to target conservative groups was made by IRS employees without administration involvement, while 27% offer no opinion.

Not surprisingly, opinions about this are highly partisan. Nearly seven-in-ten Republicans (69%) say the administration was involved in the IRS’s decision to target conservative groups, compared with just 12% who say the decision was made by IRS employees. By contrast, just 21% of Democrats say the administration was involved, while 54% say IRS employees made the decision to target conservative groups. By a 44% to 28% margin, more independents say the administration was involved in the IRS decision than say it was not.

Those who followed the IRS story at least fairly closely (50% of the public) express similar views about the administration’s involvement: 49% say the administration was involved while 35% say it was not. But partisan differences are wider among this attentive segment of the population; fully 78% of Republicans who have followed the story believe the administration was involved in the decision to target conservative groups, while 63% of attentive Democrats say the decision came from IRS employees.

One would expect the level of distrust for the Obama administration by Republicans to be as high as it is, as they would also expect the level to be as low from Obama's own party, the Democrats.

The level of distrust by Independents who believe the Obama administration was involved in the decision to target conservatives, 44 percent overall and 48 percent among Independents following the story very or fairly closely, is quite high.

While some recent polls show the same type of distrust, they assert that Obama's overall approval rating hasn't suffered, but since the IRS and AP scandals were brought to light just a couple weeks ago and there have been continuous new revelations each week, sometimes daily revelations, that approval will undoubtedly start dwindling when the public becomes more aware of  those newly revealed details.

HuffPost-YouGov Poll Finds Fox News Most Believable Of News Networks On Boston Bombing Coverage

By Susan Duclos

A Huffington Post-YouGov poll conducted April19-20,2013, finds Fox News was the most believable in their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing,, CNN ranked as the least believable.

Furthermore,  more people said they do not watch CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, ABC News, and NBC News, than those that say they don't watch Fox News.

Fox News was the only media outlet that reached the 50 percent mark in being very or somewhat believable.

Poll embedded below:

Huffpost YouGov Media Poll uploaded by Susan Duclos

Gallup: Nancy Pelosi Least Liked And Most Polarizing Congressional Leader

By Susan Duclos

House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi takes first place once again being distinguished by Gallup as the best known and least liked congressional leader in either the House or the Senate. On top of that, Pelosi is also the most polarizing congressional leader.

Via Gallup: 

The top Republican and Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate are a generally unpopular foursome, with Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi being the most well-known, but also the least well-liked. Thirty-one percent of Americans view Pelosi favorably and 48% unfavorably. Her resulting net -17 image score compares with -11 for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, -10 for Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, and -8 for Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Gallup- April 24, 2013

Pelsoi's polarization numbers are even worse according to Gallup:

Pelosi also rates as the most polarizing of the four congressional leaders, a distinction she also held the last time all four were rated, in May 2010. This is based on the finding that, compared with Boehner, Reid, and McConnell, she receives the highest favorable reviews from members of her own party as well as the highest unfavorable reviews from members of the opposing party.

More specifically, 62% of Democrats view Pelosi favorably, while 83% of Republicans view her unfavorably -- a 145-percentage-point spread. This compares with a 109-point spread for Reid, a 102-point spread for Boehner, and a 90-point spread for McConnell.

Over two years after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives with the larges turnover of seats from Democrat to Republican in over 60 years,  removing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and replacing her with John Boehner, she is still better known, least liked and more polarizing.

The implication for the 2014 elections is that neither congressional caucus has a strong front man or woman to lead its party's midterm campaign. Given her popularity among fellow Democrats, Pelosi would appear to be the best messenger to help bring Democrats to the polls, but, if too visible, she might be even more effective at turning out Republicans, as may have been the case in 2010.

Republicans would be wise to highlight Pelosi when campaigning for the2014midterms when all House sets are on the ballot, and ask Americans if they want her as Speaker of the House again.

With Pelosi's dismal likability ratings, that should be very effective in turning out Republicans and turning off Independent voters that lean towards the Democrats.

Wapo/Pew Poll Shows Second Amendment Supporters More Passionate Than Gun Control Supporters

By Susan Duclos

 A Washington Post- Pew Research poll finds that Americans are far less "angry" than Barack Obama,  gun control liberal politicians and pundits over the Senate's rejection of expanded background checks, gun bans and large capacity ammunition and other gun control measures.

Not so much, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll. Yes, a plurality (47 percent) describe themselves as either “angry” or “disappointed” about the failure of the gun legislation, but 39 percent call themselves “relieved” or “happy” about what happened. That’s a far cry from the 90-ish percent support that expanding background checks — the centerpiece of the proposed legislation — enjoyed.

And, among those who said they were “very closely” keeping tabs on the vote, the split was even closer; 48 percent said they were angry/disappointed while 47 percent were relieved or happy. (That piece of data is indicative of the passion gap on the issue between those supporting gun rights and those pushing for more restrictions.)

The two charts below show what segments of the voting population are the most angry and most happy over the gun control legislation's failure to pass the Senate.

Breakdown by Party:

Democrats:  22 percent very happy/relieved, 67 percent were disappointed/angry, 9 percent none/other and 3 percent with no opinion.

Independents: 48 percent very happy/relieved, 41 percent disappointed/angry, 8 percent none/other and 3 percent with no opinion.

Republicans: 51 percent very happy/relieved, 34 percent disappointed/angry, 11 percent none/other and 4 percent with no opinion.

Bottom line, Americans were more passionate about protecting their constitutional right to bear arms than those that wanted to infringe on those rights with gun control.

Charts- Wapo/ABC News Poll: Reversal: Now More Americans Say Gun In Home Makes It Safer

By Susan Duclos

In the midst of Barack Obama and liberal Democrats' gun control proposals going down in flames in the Senate, resulting in Senate majority leader Harry Reid pulling the entire gun control bill off the schedule, a Washington Post/ABC News poll shows the majority of Americans, by a wide 51 to 29 percent margin, say a gun in the house makes it safer rather than more dangerous.

The two charts below tell the whole story:

 The Breakdown:

 Once again Obama, and liberal Democrats are the minority in political ideology, shining a new light on why Senate Republicans and many Senate Democrats rejected the gun control proposals in the Senate.

Their jobs are to represent their constituents and that is exactly what they did.

Tax Day In America- Lowest Percentage of Americans Since 2001 Say Taxes Are Fair- See How That Money Is Spent

By Susan Duclos

According to Gallup, half of Americans believe what they pay in income tax is too high and those that view their income taxes as fair, 55 percent, is the lowest seen since 2001.

 

 Via Gallup:

Implications
Although a majority of Americans still believe the income taxes they pay are fair, the 55% who say so is the lowest Gallup has measured since 2001, before the first of two rounds of federal income tax cuts went into effect. Since the second round of tax cuts in 2003, income taxes have held at about the same level, though Congress and the president did agree to raise income taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of the agreement to avoid the "fiscal cliff" tax increases that were scheduled to go into effect this year.

It is possible that this tax increase affected how Americans perceive their own federal income taxes, even though very few Americans on a percentage basis would likely have seen an increase. However, nearly all working Americans are now getting less take-home pay since the Social Security payroll tax holiday expired at the beginning of this year.

The percentage of Americans who say their federal income taxes are too high is on the low end of what Gallup has measured historically, but more Americans than in 2012 expect their taxes to go up this year. It is unclear whether taxes will change this year, given that President Obama and the Republicans in Congress disagree on the need for, and the desirability of, tax increases.

 Where are your tax dollars being spend? Well Heritage provides a handy infographic breaking it all down. (H/T Hot Air)

Washington spends $1.1 trillion more than it brings in, yet Barack Obama and Democrats claim the nation doesn't have a spending problem and there is no debt crisis?

Obama's answer is not to cut spending, evidenced by the recent sequester battle where the GOP had to fight tooth and nail just to force Obama to reduce the amount of automatic increases to projected spending by 2.4 percent. but to increase taxes even more, by $1 trillion according to his latest budget proposal.

“Of the more than $1 trillion in new taxes, about $800 billion is raised through the individual income tax system, about $125 billion comes from new excise taxes — including new taxes on tobacco and financial companies,” a source familiar with the president’s budget explained. “The remainder comes from reverting back to the 2009 estate tax parameters and other miscellaneous tax increases.”

The national debt as of today is national debt

Debt has increased by more than $6 trillion since Obama took office, which is the largest increase to date under any U.S. president. During the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush, the debt soared by $4.9 trillion. (Source- CBS News, March 2, 2013)

Furthermore, in November 2012, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported the United States incurred a budget deficit of over $1 trillion for the fourth consecutive fiscal year.

This all occurred despite the fact that tax revenue also increased.

According to the CBO, "receipts from individual income taxes grew by $41 billion (or 4 percent), and remained at 7.3 percent of GDP in 2012." More than half of the increase came from withheld taxes.
Further, corporate income taxes rose by 34% and accounted for about 40% of the increase in total revenues, rising by $61 billion and increasing from 1.2% to 1.6% of GDP. (Source- Breitbart and CBO)

The U.S. does not have a revenue problem, it has a massive spending problem, and if Barack Obama is successful in increasing taxes yet again, those believing their income taxes are "fair" will fall below the 2001 levels.

Gallup's Party Positives: GOP Fiscal Conservatism And Views- Dems Middle/Working Class

By Susan Duclos

Gallup released a poll dealing with party negatives and positives for both the Republican and Democratic parties and while most the headlines highlight what is seen as negatives for both parties, the positives are just as indicative of how Americans view their political leaders and what each party needs to focus on.

For Republicans, two positive statements made it to double digits. Better fiscal management/Budget cuts/Less debt with 11 percent and Conservative views with 10 percent.

For Democrats, one positive statement made it to double digits. Care about middle/working class with 14 percent saying it about the Democratic party.

Gallup also finds that Republicans are more willing to disagree or criticize their own party than Democrats.


Via MediaIte:

Gallup identifies a trend in this survey: “Republicans are much more likely to criticize their own party for its style or approach than for its substance.” Just 33 percent of Republican respondents found nothing about their party worthy of criticism.

Compare this to self-identified Democrats who, following President Barack Obama’s reelection victory, find little to criticize within their own party. 51 percent of Democrats either found nothing worth criticizing in their own party or expressed no opinion on the question. Just 6 percent of Democrats found their party “inflexible” or “unwilling to compromise.”

Which brings us to the negaitive views Americans see in each party.

For the GOP the top negative is they are seen as Inflexible/Unwilling to compromise. For Democrats, the top fault named is Spend too much/Increase the budget deficit.

The second negative listed for Republicans is For the rich/ Protecting the wealthy, not the middle class.

The second negative listed for Democrats is Inflexible/Unwilling to compromise.

 Polls like this give both parties a chance to improve in areas where they are viewed negatively and highlight areas where they are viewed positively.

Democrats have to show a willingness to deal with the debt, deficit and overspending to counter their negatives and the findings of the poll will encourage them to continue the class warfare campaign they have been waging over the last four years.

To counter that Republicans have to better state how their policies will help the middle/working class  and continue to focus on fiscal issues, spending, debt and deficit to highlight the positive views.

Pew: 53% View Government As Threat To Personal Rights

By Susan Duclos

Via Pew Research: As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in the federal government remains mired near a historic low, while frustration with government remains high. And for the first time, a majority of the public says that the federal government threatens their personal rights and freedoms.

53 percent of Americans feel the federal government are a threat to personal rights and 43 percent do not.

Up until 2010, it was 50/47 on the flip side, so within the last nearly three years of Obama being president, those opinions have changed.

In March 2010, opinions were divided over whether the government represented a threat to personal freedom; 47% said it did while 50% disagreed. In surveys between 1995 and 2003, majorities rejected the idea that the government threatened people’s rights and freedoms.

 Also a direct quote from Pew: As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in federal government remains mired near a historic low and frustration with government remains high.

Since liberal gun grabbers and Obama are just starting with their push for gun bans and gun laws, which many see as an attempt to violate their constitutional Second Amendment right to bear arms, these numbers have the potential to rise over the course of the next few months.

Poll: American's Priorities Not Washington's, Immigration/Gun Control Single Digit Support

By Susan Duclos

Reason-Rupe polled Americans and confirms other polling organization's findings that American's priorities are not the priorities being expressed by Barack Obama.

Recently Obama has been pushing for gun control and also spent $1.5 million plus on his latest push for immigration reform, but according to yet another poll, Immigration reform is thought to be a priority by just two percent and gun control/violence by only three percent.

As with other polls from a variety of organizations, the economy; jobs; and Federal Deficit/Cut Spending/Balance Budget are the only issues that hit double digits, 29 percent, 19 percent and 13 percent, respectively, in the Reason-Rupe poll.

 Other findings:

• 75 percent of Americans believe the federal budget deficit should be addressed now.

• 64 percent feel Congress should not allow Obama to raise the debt ceiling, with 29 percent believing they should

• 40 percent believe that federal government spending has reduced the quality of life, 39 percent say it hasn't made much of a difference and only 17 percent believe it has helped.

• 49 percent say it would help the economy if federal government spending were down to the levels of the 1990's, 12 percent think that would hurt the economy and  31 percent do not think it would make a difference.

Gun Control and Second Amendment Issues

• 52 percent of Americans believe that elected officials are exploiting the  Sandy Hook tragedy for political gain, while 41 percent feel elected officials are acting responsibly.

• 51 percent, of Americans say people “should be allowed to own assault weapons,” while 44 percent say people “should be prohibited from owning assault weapons.

 • The public is split on what might have helped prevent the Newtown tragedy. When asked what might have helped prevent the shooting, 24 percent proposed better mental health treatment, 19 percent said stricter gun laws, 18 percent stressed better parenting and 17 percent suggested armed guards.

Poll break down by political affiliation:

Democrats- 36%
Independent- 32%
Republican- 22%
Other- 9%

The disconnect between what Washington politicians are focusing on, and what Americans find to be priorities and want to see addressed, is astounding in it's scope, and why Americans do not think their elected officials are listening to them.

CNN Poll Can't Even Get An Obama Lead With An 11 Percent Democratic Advantage In Sample

By Susan Duclos

CNN headlines with "Dead heat between Obama and Romney" announcing breathlessly that each candidate receives 49 percent support in their latest poll.

That is a three point gain for Romney since CNN's previous poll.

Good news for Romney, right?

Here is better news for Team Romney.  The CNN poll that shows a "dead heat" sampled 11 percent more Democrats than Republicans and 12 percent more Democrats than Independents, and still couldn't get Obama ahead.

Yet there is something odd--and even ridiculous--in the poll's sample: of the 693 likely voters in the total sample of 1,010 adults polled, "41% described themselves as Democrats, 29% described themselves as Independents, and 30% described themselves as Republicans."

In other words, the poll is a D+11 outlier. It presents a picture of an electorate that is far more pro-Obama than it was in the historic 2008 election.

Perhaps it is this type of result that had CNN anchor Candy Crowley flustered enough to refer to Romney as "President Romney."

Romney Takes A 5 Pt Lead Over Obama In Swing State Poll- Hits 50% Mark

By Susan Duclos

In the 11 states Obama won in 2008 that Rasmussen finds competitive in 2012, which collectively hold 146 Electoral College votes, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, Mitt Romney has hit the 50 percent mark and holds a five percent lead over Barack Obama, 50 to 45 percent..

In the 11 swing states, Mitt Romney earns 50% of the vote to Obama’s 45%. Two percent (2%) like another candidate in the race, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

This is now the third time Romney has hit the 50% mark in the combined swing states in the past four days and is the biggest lead either candidate has held in nearly three weeks. This survey is conducted on a rolling seven-day basis, and as a result, virtually all of the interviews for today’s update were completed before the end of last night’s presidential debate. Romney has now held a modest lead for 12 of the last 15 days; Obama was ahead twice, and the candidates ran even once.

In 2008, Obama won these states by a combined margin of 53% to 46%, virtually identical to his national margin.

Romney now leads by 16 points among male voters in the swing states and trails by three points among female voters.

 In the Rasmussen daily tracking poll, Romney holds a four point lead over Obama nationally, 50 to 46 percent.

Gallup's daily tracking poll has had Romney leading by six and seven points for the last six days (Today's release will be at 1pm ET)

Gallup Has Romney Leading Obama By Six Percent

By Susan Duclos

Gallup has Mitt Romney leading Barack Obama among likely voters by six percentage points.

Mitt's momentum continues.

[Udate] Via The Hill:

Polls in the battleground states that will be critical in determining the outcome of the election favored Obama earlier in the cycle, but have tightened along with the national surveys.

Republicans are increasingly optimistic that Romney will win Virginia, Florida and North Carolina.
And Real Clear Politics recently moved Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from “lean Obama” to “toss-up,” although Romney still has his work cut out for him in those states.

Other states, such as Iowa, Colorado and Ohio, are true toss-ups right now.

FL. Early 1st Reaction to Speeches at Republican Convention, Movement Towards Romney Among Persuadable

By Susan Duclos

Via Survey USA News poll:

Two-thirds of those who watched Thursday night's speeches at the Republican National Convention already had decided who they would vote for before anyone opened their mouth, but among the small but important group of persuadable speech watchers, there is 2:1 movement towards Romney, according to a SurveyUSA poll of the state of Florida conducted for WFLA-TV in Tampa.

1,211 adults were interviewed statewide 08/31/12, after Romney, Florida's Marco Rubio and Clint Eastwood spoke to the convention 08/30/12. Of the adults, 1,100 were registered to vote in Florida. Of the registered voters, 754 heard the convention speeches. Of the convention speech watchers:

* 66% did not change their mind.
* 16% switched from "undecided" to Romney.
* 6% switched from Obama to Romney.
* Adding those 2 together, that's 22% who switched TO Romney.
* 10% switched from "undecided" to Obama.
* 2% switched from Romney to Obama.
* Adding those 2 together, that's 12% who switched TO Obama.
* Comparing the 2 aggregate numbers: 22% switched TO Romney, 12% switched TO Obama.

 H/t Hot Air who points out some interesting findings on Clint Eastwood's speech, which liberals and many liberal media personalities massively criticized:

 Here’s another data point, too: the split among Florida voters to Eastwood’s speech was 49% positive to only 24% negative by the next day — presumably even after the avalanche of criticism for it.  The overall split is positive in almost all demos except Democrats (30/45) and liberals (26/58).  Majorities of independents (51/26), seniors (54/20), men (54/24) approved of it, but the biggest positive response came from Hispanics, 62/21 — even better than Republicans (58/12).  Even women (44/25) and black voters (43/37) liked Eastwood’s extemporaneous riff on President Obama.

Seems an overwhelming majority of speech watchers enjoyed Eastwood's performance, all but Democrats and Liberals, which was predictable.

There was one high profile far left liberal progressive who enjoyed Eastwood's speech..... Bill Maher.

Economic Growth Beats Out Obama's Class Warfare Rhetoric 62% to 30%

By Susan Duclos

Obama's class warfare speeches, campaigning and rhetoric is a losing battle in the eyes of U.S. likely voters.

Rasmussen:

Voters view economic growth as much more important than economic fairness and think Mitt Romney favors growth while President Obama is more focused on fairness.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Likely U.S. Voters consider encouraging economic growth as a more important role for the government than ensuring economic fairness. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of voters believe it’s more important for the government to ensure economic fairness.

 Note- Economic fairness is the reference to Obama's continuous tax hike pitch.

'Nuff said.

It is The Economy. It Has Been The Economy. It Is Going To Be The Economy In November

By Susan Duclos

Screen Shot via Daily Dish, showing Obama approval on economy at 37.6%, disapproval at 53.7%

There is a reason Barack Obama has been throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at Mitt Romney and that is to distract from and distort his own economic record using any method, including continued attacks that almost every fact check organization has debunked, giving him 4 Pinocchio's, called his attacks misleading and outright lies.

From now until November the general public can expect more of the same, but polling is showing that those distractions may work for a week or two here and there, but the public always goes back to what they are concerned about..... jobs and the economy.

That is what Americans want to discuss and that is what Barack Obama cannot discuss.

 In 2009 Obama said his  focus was on jobs. In 2010 Obama said his singular focus was on jobs. In 2011 Obama promised his singular focus was on jobs, the RNC actually compiled a video montage back in September 2011 showing those statements and asking "sound familiar?

June 2012 marked the 41st straight month that unemployment has been over 8 percent.

Priority polling shows that jobs and the economy are first and foremost on voter's minds, has been, still is and will continue to be the number one issue by a large margin.

Yesterday CBS News reported on a CBS News/New York Times poll, showing that Republican enthusiasm was up and Democratic enthusiasm is down as well as 64 percent of registered voters believing the country is on the wrong track.

Today, the New York Times published their report on the poll (PDF of poll here), finding that if the election was held today, 45 percent would vote for Romney, 43 percent for Obama.

The most worrisome finding for Obama is that on the two top issues, jobs and the economy, Romney is ahead by 8 percentage points.

As the focus of the campaign trail shifts to speculation over Mr. Romney’s choice of a running mate, only a quarter of voters say that choice matters a lot to their decision for November. Far more important, those surveyed said, are issues like the economy and jobs, health care, taxes, the deficit and national security — most of them areas in which Mr. Romney is roughly tied or has an advantage in the poll. 

Voters gave Mr. Obama an advantage when it came to foreign policy and social issues. 

Asked which candidate they believed would do a better job handling the economy and unemployment, 49 percent said Mr. Romney, 41 percent Mr. Obama.

While polls are snap shots in time and a variety of issues can cause a bounce, a drop or even turn around election prospects, other indicators are just as concerning to the Obama reelection team, such as consumer confidence which places Obama in the same group as the first President Bush and Jimmy Carter, both of which lost their reelection campaigns.

Chart via American Enterprise Institute

The bottom line is that while Obama, liberals and the Obama media continue to focus on Romney's taxes or when he did or did not leave Bain Capitial, the American people continue to focus on jobs and the economy.

It is the economy. It has been the economy. It is going to be the economy in November and no amount of distraction is going to change that.

[Update] Take a look at the new report from the Government Accountability Institute showing how much time Obama actually focuses on the economy. (Report embedded at the link)

CBS News/New York Times Poll: Republican Enthusiasm Up, Democratic Enthusiasm Down

By Susan Duclos

According to a new CBS News/New York Times poll, 64 percent  believe the country  is on the wrong track with only 30 percent thinking the country is heading in the right direction. 74 percent of registered voters also say that a candidate's running mate will matter a lot or somewhat for the November presidential election.

CBS News reports the poll also found a significant rise in Republican enthusiasm in the same time frame that Democratic enthusiasm has dropped.

Meantime, three and a half months before election day, Republican enthusiasm about voting this year has shot up since Mitt Romney clinched the nomination in April, from 36 percent of Republicans saying they were more enthusiastic in March to 49 percent now.

President Obama was helped to election in 2008 by a wave of voter enthusiasm among Democrats, however this year, Democratic enthusiasm is down a bit since March. Twenty-seven percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic about voting this year than they were in past elections, compared to 30 percent four months ago. And 48 percent of Democrats say their enthusiasm this year is the same as past elections, compared to 39 percent who answered the same question in March.

Independent voters' enthusiasm is also up with 29 percent saying they're more enthusiastic now from 22 percent four months ago.

Republican enthusiasm has seen a 13 percentage point jump and Democratic enthusiasm has seen a three percent drop, which gives Republicans a net gain of 16 points since March.

Majority Trusts Venture Capital Firms To Create Jobs More Than Government Programs

By Susan Duclos

As Barack Obama's attacks against Mitt Romney for his work at Bain Capital continue, Rasmussen has found that 57 percent of U.S. likely voters trust companies like the one Romney ran, to create jobs more than they trust government programs like what Obama favors.

The Obama campaign’s attack on Mitt Romney’s business record hasn’t changed the belief that venture capital firms like the one Romney worked for are better job creators than government programs like the ones championed by the president.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters believe venture capital companies are better at creating jobs than government programs are. Just 27% think government programs are a better way to create jobs. Seventeen percent (17%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

 With national unemployment still at 8.2 percent for 41 straight months and the real unemployment, the U6, nearly at 15 percent, jobs and the economy promise to be the driving force behind most voter's decisions in the November 2012 presidential election.

While Obama's Bain attacks have not resonated among Independents or Conservatives and has not harmed Romney in the polls, knowing that the majority of likely voters feel companies like Bain, which Romney ran, are better job creators than government programs like Obama champions, may very cause Obama's attacks to backfire and help Mitt Romney in the long run.

In short, Obama is highlighting Romney's strength.