Month: June 2015
GOP Conservative Base Is Shrinking
42%
The percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who describe themselves as both social and economic conservatives, the lowest level Gallup has measured since 2005. The second-largest group of Republicans (24%) see themselves as moderate or liberal on both social and economic issues, while 20% of all Republicans are moderate or liberal on social issues but conservative on economic ones.
Most Americans are Morally OK with Death Penalty
60%
Of Americans say the death penalty is morally acceptable, while 34% say it is not. While this measure has remained relatively stable over time, the current 60% is on the lower end of acceptance of the death penalty nationwide since Gallup began measuring it in 2001. When Gallup began asking this question in 2001, 63% said it was morally acceptable, while 27% said it was morally wrong. The biggest wave of support for its acceptability came in 2006, at 71%, while the low mark was in 2012, at 58%.
Cruz Not Gaining Traction with Hispanics
Sen. Ted Cruz “finds himself in a strange position as he sees himself eclipsed both by Senator Marco Rubio, also a Cuban-American, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a fluent Spanish-speaker married to a Mexican-American, as early favorites among Hispanic Republicans who could play an increasingly influential role in the nomination process. … To Latinos, Cruz often feels more like an afterthought. And while that’s largely attributed to his hard-right stance on immigration reform, prominent Hispanic conservatives offered insight as to why his problems with Latinos run deeper. Rubio, they said, has embraced his ethnic identity in a way that Cruz, who speaks little Spanish, has not or will not.
— Reuters
Bush’s Prez Prospects Dim
With each passing day, Jeb Bush looks weaker and weaker. While he has a top notch political team and (reportedly) tons of cash, he is dropping, not, rising in the polls. For a party desperate to win back the White House, Bush is looking more and more like a risky bet. … The latest Washington Post/ABC and CNN/ORC polls paint a grim picture of Bush’s general election hopes. In the CNN poll, Bush is the only candidate tested – besides Ted Cruz – that Hillary beats handily. She leads Bush 51 percent to 43 percent.
— Amy Walter, for the Cook Political Report.
Rubio Explains the Nuances of Our Iraq Policy
It’s not nation-building. We are assisting them in building their nation.
— Sen. Marco Rubio, quoted by Business Insider, on his vision for Iraq.
Straw-Poll Apathy Running Rampant in Iowa
51%
Of likely Republican caucus-goers say they think it’s important for a candidate to attend the party fundraiser, a customary marker in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, according to the latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll. “Republican presidential candidates who skip the Iowa Straw Poll in August aren’t likely to pay much of a price for their decisions.”
Income Inequality Shaping Up to Be a Real Issue in 2016
6 in 10
Americans said government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, but they split sharply along partisan lines, a new New York Times/CBS News poll finds. “Only one-third of Republicans supported a more active government role, versus eight in 10 of Democrats.”A Americans “are broadly concerned about inequality of wealth and income despite an economy that has improved by most measures, a sentiment that is already driving the 2016 presidential contest.”
Is One Too!
Jeb Bush’s presidential potential is looking great,
And he’s collecting donations at an astounding rate.
But he’s still maintaining
That he’s still not running,
Though if it walks, talks and takes money like one, it’s a candidate.
