Tea Party 48, Obama 44.

Scott Rasmussen has a new poll out showing that a more people support the Tea Party view than that of Barack Obama...

On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.

Not surprisingly, Republicans overwhelmingly feel closer to the Tea Party and most Democrats say that their views are more like Obama’s. Among voters not affiliated with either major political party, 50% say they’re closer to the Tea Party while 38% side with the President.

This is supported in my own observations around my suburban Baltimore, MD area.  When I talk to people around Pikesville, I get pretty much the same response.  Mr. Obama ran a campaign as a moderate...and won large slices of moderates and independents...after the election he turned on those who elected and has attempted to implement policies that these small business people see as contrary to their interests.  My Congressional district is MD-3 and hasn't had a serious GOP challenger in 3 decades, now there are two.   These guys are running on an anti-government platform...reducing the size and scope of government and eliminating whole departments that really are nothing more than Democratic jobs programs as they really contribute nothing...

Obama's Poll Numbers Since SOTU Address

Someone who has even more time on their hands has taken the time to put together this graph showing agregate polls on Mr. Obama and his policies since the State of teh Union address. The "bounce" he got from the address has vanished. Now we're able to see just what the country thinks about his policies...and it's not pretty. From what I can see, it's basically a repudiation of this agenda. We won't know for sure until this November. If the Democratic Party loses as badly at the polls as I expect, then it's a complete repudiation. 9 months will give us the answer.

As it is, Dem's in leadership positions have been spending a lot of time trying to reasure their minions that they won't be hurt at the polls trying to "stay the course" which is what Mr. Obama intends to do.

Deficit of Trust

A new poll is showing what most people have known for years. Most American's don't trust their politicians. Politicians aren't trusted to tell either the truth or are believed to be corrupt.

“Americans are united in the belief that our political system is broken, that politicians are corrupt, and that neither major political party has the answers,” according to Scott Rasmussen in his new book, In Search of Self-Governance,

Additionally, when Mr. Obama stated that taxes had gone down for 95% of all Americans, a significan't majority believe that is false. just 21% of voters nationwide believe that taxes have been cut for 95% of Americans.

Most (53%) say it has not happened, and 26% are not sure. Other polling shows that nearly half the nation’s voters expect their own taxes to go up during the Obama years.

The president also asserted that “after two years of recession, the economy is growing again.” Just 35% of voters believe that statement is true, while 50% say it is false.

Obama claimed that steps taken by his team are responsible for putting two million people to work “who would otherwise be unemployed.” Just 27% of voters say that statement is true. Fifty-one percent (51%) say it's false.

Personally, last year, when I got a $2K per year raise...actually saw my net income go down as that put me into a higher tax bracket. You might say that sounds like a big raise, but when you consider that I was only making $38K AFTER the raise...to have a negative impact was significant. So, personally, I don't believe any politician when they say "your taxes are going to go down". I think they're lying.

Poll In MA Heralds Election Disaster for Dem's in November

The Washington Post's new poll shows just how angry middle class voters are. They are pissed that the Obama Administration has utterly ignored the recession and attempted to ram through a government seizure of health care that only the far left of the Democratic Party desires. The "stimulus package" that was supposed to keep unemployment down below 8% has utterly failed, and is now recognized as being a political pay off of Democratic Party constituencies. A significant majority in the most liberal state in America now believe that the direction this government has chosen is the wrong one.

Voter remorse has increased among moderates to an extraordinary degree. Conrad Black, in a scathing column, calls Mr. Obama, incompetent and says that many are recognizing this as well.

Peggy Noonan, Ronald Reagan's leading speech-writer, and now one of the leaders of the Obama Buyers' Remorse Movement, wrote, 'cold and faux eloquent.' He is fluent and sonorous, but rather vapid. And now, Maureen Dowd, foxy doyenne of New York Times columnists and pin-up girl of the D.C. Democratic establishment, niece of FDR's top fixer, former co-leader, with Michelle, Caroline Kennedy and Oprah Winfrey, of the Obama massed, synchronized cheerleaders, has apostacized and reviled the president as a nasty egotist.

A poll taken this week and sponsored by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University's School of Public Health shows just how significant voter anger is, and how it has turned against Democrats in Washington, D.C. as well as demonstrating how dramatically the political landscape has fundamentally shifted during Mr. Obama's freshman year in office.

The findings do not provide a political portrait of the entire country in the opening weeks of the 2010 election year. But given that Massachusetts has been reliably Democratic in presidential elections, the results of Tuesday's special Senate election and the reasons voters sided with Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley speak to broader shifts that have taken place across the country over the past year.

These changes were echoed in national polling and helped elect Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey in November. Democrats have been put squarely on the defensive. Obama and Democratic leaders are looking for ways to alter the political dynamics in the hope of heading off potentially sizable losses in their congressional majorities in this November's elections

--63% of Massachusetts special election voters think the country is seriously off-track.
--Brown got two-thirds of them.
--Almost two-out-of-three Brown supporters intended their vote as an opposition message to Democrats in D.C.
--47% say the federal government is doing too many things better left to individuals and business.
--75% of Brown voters want him to work with both parties.
--58% of Tuesday's voters don't like what Republicans are doing either, whatever that is.
--43% of Massachusetts' Tuesday voters like the Obama-congressional healthcare bills. But 48% don't..

Yet Mr. Obama insists that he will "double down" on his agenda and continue to try and ram though an increasingly unpopular health care bill. Furthermore, he has signalled that he will have the "Cap & Trade" on his desk by fall, no matter how much damage that bill will do to an already distressed economy. If Mr. Obama continues with his attack on the US economy, Democrats in may see the loss of more than 100 seats in the US Congress as well as the loss of 16 of the 17 Senators up for reelection.

Michael Barone, in the Washington Examiner has echoed this prediction with some statistical evidence that show only 103 Democratically held seats in the House can be considered "safe." His research shows that,

there’s a pattern here: Coakley carries districts where Obama got 65% or more of the vote and runs essentially even in the district where he got 64%, and Scott Brown runs ahead in districts where Obama got less than 64% of the vote.

Let’s extrapolate those numbers to the nation as a whole and assume that a district that voted 64% or more for Obama is safe for Democrats even under the most dire of circumstances. How many such districts are there? Answer, according to this source: 103. The other 332 districts voted 63% or less for Obama. Interestingly, there are more 64%+ Obama districts in the West (36) than in the East (27) and more in the South (21) than in the Midwest (19).

All but two of the 103 Obama 64%+ districts are represented by Democrats. The two exceptions are Louisiana 2, where Republican An Joseph Cao beat Democrat William “Cold Cash” Jefferson in a December 2008 runoff, and Florida 19, whose incumbent Robert Wexler resigned and a special election will be held in April...
So that means that 101 of the 256 House Democrats represent 64%+ Obama districts and that 155 House Democrats represent districts which might, according to the Massachusetts metric, be vulnerable in some circumstances to Republican capture. No wonder so many House Democrats refused to vote for the Senate health care bill—enough to prompt Speaker Nancy Pelosi to say publicly that “unease would be a gentle word” to describe their attitude toward doing that.

So it would seem that Mr. Obama is intent on political suicide and desires to take the Democratic Party with him...

45% Say Random Group From Phone Book Better Than Current Congress

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 45% of likely U.S. voters now think a group of people selected at random from the phone book would do a better job addressing the nation’s problems than the current Congress. That’s up 12 points from October 2008, just before the last congressional elections. Thirty-six percent (36%) disagree, and another 19% are not sure.

Sixty percent (60%) of voters continue to believe those in Congress are paid too much. This is virtually identical to findings last August. but in October 2008, only 49% felt that way.

Nebraska Poll

Rasmussen Reports has just released it'a newest poll for Nebraska. The news isn't good for Ben Nelson, Nebraska's Democratic Senator. His numbers are abysmal. In fact his numbers are so bad, that his chances right now for reelection appear to be very slim.

The good news for Senator Ben Nelson is that he doesn’t have to face Nebraska voters until 2012.

If Governor Dave Heineman challenges Nelson for the Senate job, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows the Republican would get 61% of the vote while Nelson would get just 30%. Nelson was reelected to a second Senate term in 2006 with 64% of the vote.

Nelson's health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his vote in support of the plan. Overall, 64% oppose the health care legislation, including 53% who are Strongly Opposed. In Nebraska, opposition is even stronger than it is nationally.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters in the state believe that passage of the legislation will hurt the quality of care, and 62% say it will raise costs.

Obama Sinks Further In Polls

Rasmussen Reports has posted their most recent tracking poll. Mr. Obama has sunk to a -21 on the approval index. This is the difference between those who strongly support his policies and the job he's doing (25%) and those who strongly disapprove (46%) hence the high negative rating.

Obama, A New Low In Polls

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18.

...

As the health care plan struggles in the Senate, public opposition remains stable. Fifty-six percent (56% ) oppose the plan working its way through Congress while just 40% favor it.

...

Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That’s the lowest level yet measured for this president. Previously, his overall approval rating had fallen to 45% twice, once in early September and once in late November. Fifty-five percent (55%) now disapprove.

Mr. Obama's numbers have fallen faster than any other President since tracking pols were started 70 years ago. At this rate, Democrats will probably lose heavily next November at the polls. From my point of view, that's not necessarily a bad thing. This Congress has seriously endangered the ability of the Country to recover from the current recession by spending, spending and spending some more...

At current spending levels, the debt/deficit will achieve WW2 levels in 10 years...that doesn't include either the "Cap & Trade" bill nor the bills to seize control of health care...who's only way of being "deficit neutral" is by taxing the country heavily for four years prior to implementation of any of the plans. "which cup is the ball under"...


UPDATE: He's realclearpolitics.com agregate poll numbers:

Excluding the Rasmussen and Gallup overnight tracking polls, there have been seven major national surveys released this week. President Obama has recorded an all-time low job approval rating in six of the seven:

Quinnipiac 46%
Marist 46%
CNN/Opinion Research 48%
Ipsos/McClatchy 49%
CBS News/NY Times 50%
Bloomberg* 54%

Obama Grades Himself: B+

In an unscientific poll, AOL users say something very different:

What grade would you give the president?
F range 43%
D range 29%
B range 11%
C range 10%
A range 7%

Total Votes: 74,875

It just goes to show you that this administration is losing touch with the rest of the country.

Obama's Plunging Poll Numbes

This week Mr. Obama's Approval/Disapproval rates crossed. With an approval rate of 47% and a disapproval rate of 51%, his numbers are the worst for the past 11 presidents. Additionally, his numbers have hit the lowest point of any president at this point in his administration since polling of this nature began in 1936. His spokesman, Robert Gibbs had this to say in response to Jake Tapper now of Fox News,

"If I was a heart patient and Gallup was my EKG, I'd visit my doctor," Gibbs said in response to questions from Fox. "I'm sure a six-year-old with a Crayon could do something not unlike that. I don't put a lot of stake in, never have, in the EKG that is daily Gallup trend. I don't pay a lot of attention to the meaninglessness of it."

On the other hand, during that last campaign, his advisor,

David Plouffe, trumpeted "the latest Gallup poll" to reporters because it showed that 53 percent of Americans did not find Obama Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, "trustworthy."

Here are the Gallup Poll numbers after 10 1/2 months in office for the previous 11 President in reverse order:

-- George W. Bush, 86 percent
-- Bill Clinton, 52 percent
-- George H.W. Bush, 71 percent
-- Ronald Reagan, 49 percent
-- Jimmy Carter, 57 percent
-- Gerald Ford, 52 percent
-- Richard Nixon, 59 percent
-- Lyndon Johnson, 74 percent
-- John Kennedy, 77 percent
-- Dwight Eisenhower, 69 percent
-- Harry Truman, 49 percent

Obama's Polls Slide South As Palins Rise

A reported earlier a recent poll shows Mr. Obama's popularity slipped below 50% in the past week. Meanwhile, Mrs. Palins numbers have shown a stark rise in her popularity. Last week, in a Fox News poll, she is shown as having hit the 47% mark...this week, in a CNN (yeah, CNN! Imagine that) poll, she is shown as having 46% approval rating. That puts her within 1 point of Mr. Obama's CNN numbers (47%). That's in a new organization that traditionally has an unfavorable bias against conservatives in general and Mrs. Palin, in particular.

The very same polarization now holds true for Obama, the fresh fellow from the old Chicago Democratic machine who was supposed to bring hope and change to a nation tired of divisive politics and the harsh partisan tone of Washington. Fully 83% of Democrats approve of him, but only 14% of Republicans do. Among independents, who provided the crucial winning boost for the Democratic ticket in November 2008, Obama's support has melted to 42% today, in large part over immense spending and deficit concerns.

That's a fairly accurate showing of just how unpopular Mr. Obama's agenda for this year has been with voters. Additionally, it goes to show WHY Democratic Congressmen in marginal districts have begun to show great concern for their own poll numbers heading into next years campaign season.

If Congress is successful in passing the very unpopular government seizure of health care, as well as the measures for "Cap & Trade" many of the Blue Dog Dem's face defeat. Additionally, the GOP (or Tea Party Movement) may make considerable gains. Especially if the unemployment rate continues to rise (despite temporary seasonal decreaces due to the holiday shopping season). My prediction of Dem losses of 60-100 seats next fall I believe is accurate as well as the loss of as many as 16 seats in the US Senate. We will I believe see GOP/Tea Party gains in various state legislatures as well. However, this doesn't necessarily bode well for the GOP in 2012, as recent history has shown that the GOP leadership seems to have forgotten what the party stands for (out of control spending in 2002-2006). If they have learned the lesson of this past decade...it will be well for them, but if the GOP returns to "Dem Lite", then they will again lose seats in 2012.

Tea Party Overtakes GOP in Polling

It looks like the Tea Party is here to stay. In a recent Rasmussen poll the Tea Party passed the GOP in popularity. This indicates a very serious problem within the base of the Republican Party. It does however tie in with another recent poll where in 73% of Republicans believe that their leadership in Washington has lost touch with them.

In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.

For this survey, the respondents were asked to assume that the Tea Party movement organized as a new political party. In practical terms, it is unlikely that a true third-party option would perform as well as the polling data indicates. The rules of the election process—written by Republicans and Democrats--provide substantial advantages for the two established major parties. The more conventional route in the United States is for a potential third-party force to overtake one of the existing parties.

This isn't good news for the GOP leadership. They've been very busy trying to take over leadership of the Tea Party movement, but haven't been very successful in doing so. A large reason for that IS the lack of communication GOP leaders have had outside the DC Beltway. It doesn't help when "leaders" like Newt Gingrich back candidates who are Republican in name only (RINO), such as Dede Scozzafava of NY-23 fame.

Ms. Scozzafava, a very liberal member of the New York Senate, ran for the NY-23 seat. She gained the GOP nomination through back room deals over the first choice of the various County GOP leaders. Billed by the MSM as a "moderate" but her support of the economy killing "Stimulus Package", Government Seizure of Health Care, Card Check (a measure that would permit unionization without a secret ballot), Gay Marriage and Abortion, easily put her in a very liberal political framework.

"Social stands might make people unsettled, but it's the economic issues that are really driving people and donations away. She's alienated the conservative, free enterprise wing of the party," said one prominent New York Republican. "Card check? The stimulus? I can't make a call to anyone on her behalf because of those things."

But when challenged by a fiscal conservative, Doug Hoffman, her base of support melted away and she began polling a distant 3rd. Then finally, withdrawing from the race, one of her supporters, said,

"Dede Scozzafava has placed her Party and her principles over politics and position for years," said Cox, whose spokesman on Thursday insisted he was working hard to support her.

Except that she cast her support to the Democrat Bill Owens, this is seen by most people as what tipped the balance his way to a very meagre victory.

This sort of support by many in Washington leadership circles is seen as what is disaffecting the GOP base and eroding the support of the party from within. Additionally, this is why so many conservatives no long identify with the GOP.

Data from the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that just 55% of conservatives nationwide consider themselves Republicans. Republican voters are paying a lot more attention to the Tea Party movement than anyone else. Forty-three percent (43%) of GOP voters are following news about the movement Very Closely. Another 30% are following it Somewhat Closely.

If this trend continues, as it seems likely, the rise of a third party is not just likely, but this could very well be the genesis of that party. The GOP formed in the last 1840's and early 1850's as the Whig Party began to founder and lose direction. After only 2 presidential election cycles 1852 & '56, the Republican Party was able to capture seats in state legislatures, but in Congress as well as electing Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860. It was just the sort of disaffection within party ranks that gave birth to the GOP...and could very well be it's dissolution as well.

Polls Approval Tracking Chart: Heading Toward Negative Territory

Pollster.com's new tracking chart is showing that Mr. Obama's job performance polls have pretty much dipped into negative territory all across the board. It's rather an interesting, highly interactive chart. Follow the link, and by clicking on any of the dots on the chart, you can follow that polling organization's polls for the past year. Nifty stuff.

American's Who Oppose Government Siezure of Health Care Increasing

Gallop's new poll on ObamaCare is yet another round of depressing news for this Administration:

Americans currently tilt against Congress’ passing health care legislation, with 49% saying they would advise their member to vote against a bill (or they lean that way) and 44% saying they would advocate a vote in favor of the bill (or lean toward advising a yes vote). …

Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to new health care legislation — 86% would advise their member of Congress to vote against it, while 12% would want their member to support it. Democrats, on the other hand, favor it by a 76% to 17% margin. Independents oppose passage of a bill by 53% to 37%.

Support among all three party groups has declined since the early October high — falling by 6 points among Democrats, 8 among independents, and 12 among Republicans. However, Democratic support recovered somewhat from early November (71%) to late November (76%).

The only way I could possibly support any of the bills under consideration, would be if Congress had NOT SPECIFICALLY EXEMPTED ITSELF from coverage of those bills. If it's good enough for us peons, then WTF isn't it good enough for them?

Health Care Polls, Consolidated

Here's a link to a number of different polls on the popularity of government seizure of health care from various sources, such as CNN, Fox, ABC, etc.

Palin Passes Obama In Approval Ratings

Palin Approval Rating: 47%

Obama Approval Rating: 46%

Good news/bad news...good for Palin, bad for Obama

As Sarah Palin blankets the media on a whirlwind book promotion tour, the former vice-presidential contender is clearly back on America’s radar screen. Despite being characterized by many as a divisive force in her party and the nation, Americans are much more likely to give Palin a positive rating (47 percent favorable) than another prominent female leader — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (28 percent favorable). Moreover, about six in 10 Americans (61 percent) think Palin has been treated unfairly by the press, according to the latest Fox News poll.

My view is that the press in general has been extraordinarily antagonistic towards ALL women seeking high office. The only exception is Nancy Pelosi, who has been treated by the MSM to a favorable degree that highlights the poor treatment of Mrs. Palin, Mrs. Clinton and others.

Obama's Approval Slides...

An excellent article in RCP on Mr. Obama's slide in approval ratings. As that graph shows, all 8 polls show roughly the same RATE of downward slope. The only real difference is in their polling samples. All show the virtually the same decline. Jay Cost believes that the GOP will be able to hammer Mr. Obama even further down.

What will be interesting to watch next year is whether the President's job approval slides further as the campaign begins in earnest. Will the Republican argument against Obama and the Democrats - once it hits the airwaves - damage the President's standing further?

Personally, I believe that Mr. Obama, with the able assistance of Mr. Reid in the Senate, and Mrs. Pelosi in the House will be able to vastly reduce his approval rating down by at least 10 points. If the Democrats are successful in seizing control of health care as well as passing the very destructive "Cap & Trade" bill, I suspect that this years sliding numbers will be considered "the good old days."

A Majority Now Say Country Is Going In The Wrong Direction

According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News (remember THAT network anyone?) a majority of American say that the US is heading in the wrong direction. First politics and the economy:

3. All in all, do you think that things in the nation are generally headed in the right direction, or do you feel that
things are off on the wrong track?
Headed in the right direction...... 26
Off on the wrong track ............... 59
Mixed (VOL)............................ 9
Not sure..................................6

5. In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job that Congress is doing?
Approve........................ 24
Disapprove ................... 65
Not sure...................... 11

6a. Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing in handling the issue of health care reform?
Approve.......................................... 43
Disapprove ..................................... 48
Not sure........................................ 9

9. In the next election for U.S. Congress, do you feel that your representative deserves to be reelected, or do you think that it is time to give a new person a chance?
Deserves to be reelected .......... 41
Give new person a chance........ 49
Not sure ................................. 10

10. I’m going to read you two statements about the role of government, and I’d like to know which one comes closer to your point of view.
Statement A: Government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people, OR
Statement B: Government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals.
A/Government should do more ................... 46
B/Government is doing too many things...... 48
Some of both (VOL).................................. 5
Not sure................................................... 1

11. How much of the time do you trust the government in Washington to do what is right––just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?
Just about always............................ 4
Most of the time............................... 19
Only some of the time...................... 65
Never (VOL).................................. 11
Not sure........................................ 1

15. Would you strongly favor, mildly favor, feel neutral about, mildly oppose, or strongly oppose building a new independent political party to run a credible candidate for president in the next presidential election?
Strongly favor ................................. 30
Mildly favor ..................................... 16
Feel neutral .................................... 20
Mildly oppose ................................. 10
Strongly oppose.............................. 20
Not sure ....................................... 4

16. As you know, the president and Congress are dealing with many issues facing our country such as the economy and health care reform. I’m going to read you two statements about these and please tell me which one comes closer to your point of view.
Statement A: When considering issues facing our country, it is important to have unity and compromise between the two political parties to ensure that the country comes together.
Statement B: When considering issues facing our country, it is important to have debate and differences between the two political parties to ensure that all options are considered.
Statement A/unity and compromise ........ 38
Statement B/debate and differences ...... 56
Depends (VOL) ..................................... 5
Not sure ................................................ 1

17. When it comes to the partisanship going on in Washington, do you feel that this is mainly due to an unwillingness of the Republicans to compromise and find a middle ground to work with the Democrats, or that this is due to an unwillingness of the Democrats to compromise and find a middle ground to work with the Republicans, or do you feel that it is equally the fault of both parties?
Due to unwillingness of Republicans......... 24
Due to unwillingness of Democrats........... 17
Equally the fault of both parties................. 57
Not sure................................................. 2

22. Which of the following two statements comes closer to your point of view?
Statement A: The president and the Congress should worry more about boosting the economy even though it may mean larger budget deficits now and in the future.
Statement B: The president and the Congress should worry more about keeping the budget deficit down, even though it may mean it will take longer for the economy to recover.
Statement A/Worry more about boosting the economy ............. 31
Statement B/Worry more about keeping budget deficit down .... 62
Depends (VOL) ...................................................................... 3
Not sure................................................................................. 4

Now we move onto to Mr. Obama's Atttempt to seize/nationalize Health Insurance/Health Care:

26. From what you have heard about Barack Obama’s health care plan, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.
Good idea....................................... 38
Bad idea ......................................... 42
No opinion ...................................... 16
Not sure........................................ 4

27a. And from what you have heard about Barack Obama’s health care plan, do you believe it will result in the quality of your health care getting better, worse, or staying about the same as now? If you do not have an opinion, please just say so.
Quality will get better ....................... 21
Quality will get worse....................... 40
Quality will stay the same ................ 27
Do not have an opinion.................... 10
Not sure........................................ 2
* Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM A).

27b. And from what you have heard about Barack Obama’s health care plan, do you believe it will result in the cost of your health care going up, down, or staying about the same as now? If you do not have an opinion, please just say so. **
Cost will go up................................. 47
Cost will go down ............................ 13
Cost will stay the same.................... 25
Do not have an opinion.................... 11
Not sure........................................ 4
** Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM B).

28. Thinking about efforts to reform the health care system, which would concern you more?
Not doing enough to make the health care system better than it is now by lowering costs and covering the uninsured. OR
Going too far and making the health care system worse than it is now in terms of quality of care and choice of doctor.
Not doing enough ............................ 44
Going too far ................................... 51
Not sure ........................................ 5

Switching again...to the War in Afghanistan:

39. When it comes to making major decisions on overall military strategy and the number of troops needed, such as in Afghanistan, who do you have more confidence in to make the right decisions––the president and secretary of defense OR the generals running operations in the country? **
The president and secretary of defense............... 25
The generals running operations in the country.... 62
Some of both (VOL) .......................................... 9
Neither (VOL) ................................................... 2

40. And now, thinking about Iran, if Iran continues with its nuclear research and is close to developing a nuclear weapon, do you believe that the United States should or should not initiate military action to destroy Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons? And do you feel strongly about that, or not?

Should Initiate Military Action
Feel strongly........................................ 45
Do not feel strongly .............................. 7
Should NOT Initiate Military Action
Do not feel strongly .............................. 10
Feel strongly........................................ 27
Depends (VOL).................................. NA
Not sure............................................. 11

It's pretty obvious that a fairly strong majority don't approve of the agenda/direction that Mr. Obama has chosen to take this country...after running as a "pragmatic moderate".

Rasmussen Poll: 54% Oppose Health Care Overhaul

From Rasmussen Poll:

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has passed its version of health care reform, 42% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and down four from the week before.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% are opposed to the plan.