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Populist Focus, Not Ego, Was Needed

Reuters photo It could have been different. In an alternate presidency, one that was led less by ego and more by hard-boiled political pragmatism, the incoming administration would have quickly accepted the pile of sh*t left behind by their...

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on July 23, 2009 12:57 AM

The Death of Dr. Tiller and Anti-abortion Fanaticism

Dr. Tiller's death has evoked deep sadness in his community and throughout the United States. As so many testimonials say, he was a humane, kind, and deeply caring man who showed tremendous bravery in the face of death threats, harassment...

Posted by Mary in The Left Coaster on June 1, 2009 02:52 PM

Staying Right Down The Middle

A couple of quick notes to follow up on what everyone else has been saying of late. First, everyone needs to understand that Specter's decision was made purely out of political self-interest, and is not some seismic shift in our...

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on April 29, 2009 06:29 AM

The Second Least Popular President in the History of the Universe

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at the thin gruel that passes off as enlightened commentary. In a post titled, "Oh, Get Real" Glenn Reynolds cites this Washington Times editorial published today, titled "Barack's in the Basement" - the thrust...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on April 28, 2009 09:38 PM

Squandered Political Capital

One of the unnerving things about watching Barack Obama deal with the economic difficulties we face is his willingness to squander his large political capital and follow the lead of Tim Geithner and Larry Summers in dealing with Wall Street...

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on April 13, 2009 07:32 AM

Evening Update

Several items for your consideration tonight. Chris Dodd did not put the exemption clause for contract bonuses into the stimulus bill; Tim Geithner’s Treasury Department did. They asked Dodd to amend his existing language limiting such compensation to allow contract...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 18, 2009 07:23 PM

Hitting 'Em Where It Hurts

Several items for your consideration tonight: State AGs, aided by the Obama Justice Department, are about to rain down a storm of payback upon the mortgage banking and financial services industries, including a major staffing increase for a reinvigorated SEC....

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on March 11, 2009 09:16 PM

No More GOP Cabinet Choices - Please

Judd Gregg, February 3rd: "This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. This is a time to govern and govern well. It was my obligation to say yes." Judd Gregg,...

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on February 12, 2009 05:12 PM

Two Thirds Want Investigations

The USAT runs with two stories today on the subject of the public's willingness to investigate Bush administration illegalities. Our friends at Gallup asked over a thousand respondents at the end of January about their support for three different options...

Posted by Deacon Blues in The Left Coaster on February 12, 2009 09:34 AM

It's Time To Talk Numbers

Nearly a month ago, Nouriel Roubini said we need a $400-500 billion stimulus package before the end of the Bush Administration. Clearly, that's not going to happen. Nor will Bush do something dramatic, such as appointing Barack Obama's economic team,...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on November 24, 2008 10:16 AM

Daily Polling Report: Election Eve

Today is the Grand Finale of polling, with 33 polls of 10 competitive states. The big picture is that Barack Obama is overwhelmingly likely to be elected President of the United States tomorrow. National polls give Obama leads of 5-11...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on November 3, 2008 04:39 PM

Daily Polling Report 11/2

A batch of Mason-Dixon polls are out with what appears to be good news for John McCain: narrow leads in Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri and a 3 point Obama margin in Virginia. Since Mason-Dixon has a house effect of...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on November 2, 2008 02:27 PM

Daily Polling Report 11/1

Sorry for the tardy post. It's pretty much status quo, assuming you ignore the Obama +16 outlier from Ohio University. I better not hear anybody stress over Pennsylvania - Nate Silver explains. In 3 days we make history! What did...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on November 1, 2008 08:47 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/31

Today must set a new record: 17 polls in competitive states without any for Florida or Ohio! I am very glad the map has been shaken up this year and we aren't just fighting on the same turf as the...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 31, 2008 05:21 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/30

Several sets of polls came out today, giving Obama leads of about 5 points in Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, and North Carolina. Marist and National Journal haven't done extensive polling to it's hard to tell if they favor one candidate...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 30, 2008 03:42 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/29

Barack Obama got yet another day of great state polling. Quinnipiac, AP/GfK, and CNN/Time released multiple polls in competitive states. Obama has strong leads in Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, and Nevada while Florida, North Carolina, and Missouri remain very close. The...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 29, 2008 03:47 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/28

Today was about the 43rd consecutive bad day for John McCain. While the national trackers have bumped his way the last two days, the state polls are showing status quo or movement toward Obama. Obama got an eye-popping 10 point...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 28, 2008 03:52 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/27

The dominant news of the day is that the race in Virginia is over. Five polls from Virginia were released today giving Obama leads of 7, 8, 9, 104, and 11 points. The Kerry states + Iowa + New Mexico...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 27, 2008 03:51 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/26

Welcome to the competitive states club, Arizona! We have two Democratic polls saying the margin is 2 or 4 points. A neutral poll by Arizona State University will be out in the next day or two which is expected to...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 26, 2008 03:30 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/25

Obama gets all good news in the polls today, with an obscene 12 point lead in Colorado and two polls showing him improving in Ohio. Something has happened in Ohio and Indiana, as Obama has had multiple polls give him...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 25, 2008 04:31 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/24

John McCain got some good news from polls today. Republican pollster Strategic Vision had been showing alot of states looking very good for Obama, but their latest series of polls shows movement toward McCain. Rasmussen also gave the lead back...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 24, 2008 03:46 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/23

Today's polls would make a McCain supporter want to crawl under a rock and hide until it's all over. Yesterday, we had the CNN/Time series basically report a continuation of an Obama-friendly status quo, but with Obama building up a...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 23, 2008 04:03 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/22

Today's polling report is early and abbreviated because real life is intruding upon my polling addiction. We have two new polls out from Mason-Dixon. One shows movement of 5 points in Obama's direction in Virginia and the other has 3...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 22, 2008 10:06 AM

Daily Polling Report 10/21

Many polls were released today, and the consensus among them is that McCain has gained about a point since the last time the polls were conducted 1-2 weeks ago. That is pretty much in line with the change in the...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 21, 2008 03:15 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/20

Today we have The Battle of the Pollsters where they smack each other with competing statistics and remind us that the "margin of error" isn't even the most important error in public opinion surveying. In Missouri, Obama is either ahead...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 20, 2008 03:53 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/19

The tide has turned back against John McCain in the national polls: Obama has gained 2 points in the Rasmussen and 3 points in the Gallup tracking polls. Although I am skeptical that many people will vote for Barack Obama...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 19, 2008 04:51 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/17

The Survey USA poll from Florida giving McCain a 2 point lead would appear to be good news for him, except that it's not much changed from two weeks ago and Survey USA has had chronic problems polling in the...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2008 03:11 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/16

With ample cash and ample leads in what were formerly competitive states, Barack Obama's campaign is considering moving some resources into North Dakota, Georgia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Kentucky seems pretty far-fetched, but the rest might be better investments than...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 16, 2008 03:07 PM

Daily Polling report 10/15

The presidential race is very stable right now. Of 5 CNN/Time polls in competitive states, only one had moved as much as 2 points compared to their previous poll from 2-3 weeks ago. Two Insider Advantage polls showed 1 point...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 15, 2008 03:57 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/14

Today's polls reinforced the status quo in several states. While Quinnipiac reported a 9 point Obama lead in Colorado, it was balanced out by a 4 point Obama lead in the Suffolk poll. PPP showed Obama's lead being cut to...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 14, 2008 03:41 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/13

One of the central assumptions of the magic spreadsheet - that changes in national polls can be applied to state polls - was supported again today by the first poll out of North Dakota in almost a month. The spreadsheet...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 13, 2008 03:44 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/12

Election day is 23 days away, but for alot of Americans it's already over. About one third of voters will have already voted by election day. Missouri and Virginia are the only competitive states which do not allow early or...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 12, 2008 05:05 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/10

I have a few guilty pleasures in life. As a Democrat and political junkie, one of those pleasures is getting good news from a Republican poll. First, it is extra good news for the Democrat since partisan polls tend to...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 10, 2008 03:26 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/9

Our favorite random pollster ARG came out with seven new state polls today including four from competitive states. Although ARG polls tend to swing wildly and be poorly correlated to other polls, the shocker was their claim that Obama is...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 9, 2008 03:21 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/8

Last night wasn't a good night to be surveying voters, so the only new state poll in today's update is from Survey USA showing John McCain ahead by 3 points in North Carolina. In their write-up, they mentioned the 800...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 8, 2008 07:31 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/7

John McCain actually got some mildly good news from the CNN/Time series of polls. They gave him a 5 point lead in Indiana and have the race all tied up in North Carolina. On the other hand, a Research 2000...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 7, 2008 02:59 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/6

Despite the profound illogic of anyone voting for John McCain, it seems like Barack Obama's poll numbers shouldn't be able to defy gravity forever and the race will tighten. It's sure not happening yet, though. We have two (!) jaw-dropping...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 6, 2008 03:27 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/5

In the last three weeks, Barack Obama has improved in national polling by about 9 points. State polling followed along so that if the election were held today, Barack Obama would win an electoral landslide. The problem is that we...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 5, 2008 02:42 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/3

At first blush, Survey USA's new poll out of Minnesota would appear to be a game-changer, showing John McCain ahead by a point: Minnesota behaves unlike other states in some respects. Among women, there is movement to McCain, at a...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 3, 2008 03:49 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/2

It has been a quiet but happy day for Obama supporters in the polls today. Yesterday's report of an 11 point Obama lead in Minnesota was followed up by polls today giving Obama leads of 9 points in Wisconsin and...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 2, 2008 03:03 PM

Daily Polling Report 10/1

Oh my, do we have some polly goodness today! A fleet of polls out today from CNN/Time, Insider Advantage, and Quinnipiac look good for Obama and the magic predictive spreadsheet. The spreadsheet shifts state polls based on the change in...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 1, 2008 03:47 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/30

The national polls have stabilized with about a 6 point lead for Barack Obama. The state polls are still catching up. Survey USA polls from Indiana and Ohio show Obama making up ground there, even if he is still trailing...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 30, 2008 04:11 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/29

Everyone might be wishing they put their 401(k) under their mattress on January 20, 2001 but the polls go on even as Washington and Wall Street put their dysfunction on display. A PPP poll out of North Carolina was the...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 29, 2008 04:30 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/28

No new state polls came out in any competitive state this weekend, but the national tracking polls have shown strong gains for Obama over the last 3 days. The magic spreadsheet softens the swings in the daily tracking polls but...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2008 03:44 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/26

Today was New Hampshire day, with three polls showing narrow leads for Obama. It's pretty clear that unlike Kerry, Obama is underperforming in New Hampshire relative to his national average. Two polls in Missouri agreed with the polling projection that...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 26, 2008 04:31 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/25

In Michigan, we had five (!) dueling pollsters giving Obama leads of 13, 10, 8, 3, and 0 points. Something tells me there are sources of error besides the famed "margin of error". Three pollsters were more reasonably clustered in...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 25, 2008 04:16 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/24

Today, we have triple confirmation that Obama leads in Colorado by mid-single digits. We also have clashing polls in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. A new poll in West Virginia places it about where expected: a small McCain lead, and...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 24, 2008 05:05 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/23

Today's polls mostly followed the current poll averages. This includes two polls showing an Obama lead in Colorado and one showing a comfortable lead in Wisconsin. Interesting results include a Mason-Dixon poll putting Obama up 2 in Florida and a...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 23, 2008 04:45 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/22

A blizzard of polls came out today, mostly favorable to Obama as the state polls are catching up with the national polls. Some polls put space between Obama and McCain in New Mexico, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Virginia. A...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 22, 2008 04:30 PM

Daily Polling Report 9/21

The weekend has been pretty quiet as there are only 6 new polls to report. Two polls from Michigan show Obama with a 1-2 point lead. A poll from Ohio looks discouraging at first glance, having McCain leading by 6,...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 21, 2008 04:24 PM

Mostly Daily Polling Report 9/19

Today, we got polls from ARG which were in-line with current predictions in Washington, Indiana, and North Dakota. Marist polls in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania improve Obama's poll average in each state. Rasmussen and Elon University have polls out in...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 19, 2008 04:09 PM

Mostly Daily Polling Report 9/18

It's becoming clear that the Palin bounce is not only ending, but ending hard. The last few days have seen precipitous changes in the tracking polls, which will be followed by equivalent changes in the state polls. Many of the...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 18, 2008 08:07 PM

Back On Track

A bunch of new polls show the momentum is back with Barack Obama. ">Political Wire had this, yesterday: Three of the four major daily tracking polls now show Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain. As Gallup notes, 'from a...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on September 18, 2008 08:40 AM

Weekly Polling Report: On to November!

This was a really boring week in polling, and with good reason: all the polls will be obsolete by Thursday or so, at which time McCain's convention bounce will have faded and the fight will be on until November 4th....

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on September 7, 2008 02:46 PM

Bouncy, Bouncy (Thanks, Hillary!)

The Gallup Daily Tracking Poll is basically crack for polling junkies and Obama campaign manager David Plouffe calls it "the worst thing that's happened in journalism in 10 years" but for what it's worth it's fun to play around with....

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on August 28, 2008 02:16 PM

Weekly Polling Report: The Dog Days of Summer

People who follow politics closely don't generally vacillate about who will get our vote. We won't be swayed by what the ads say or even the convention speeches since we alraedy know far ahead of the election about each candidate,...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on August 1, 2008 08:03 AM

Embarrassing

Although the polls remain mixed, the absurdity of John McCain's candidacy is now so obvious that even Joke Line is weighing in. From his Time blog, we get this assessment of McCain's latest ad: This is the sort of thing...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on July 28, 2008 03:01 PM

Evasions and Facts

It's hard to tell whether Markos is willfully dishonest or simply clueless, but his continual attempts to frame Obama's problems with white working-class voters as specific to Appalachia continue to be unsupportable and/or factually inaccurate. Last night, his post was...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on May 28, 2008 01:57 PM

The Last Dead Enders

...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on May 8, 2008 11:26 AM

Numbers

This is what I love about this campaign season. Not this issue, but how it's polling, and how supporters of each candidate can pick the poll that best comforts them. Two polls that came out on the same day! USA...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on May 5, 2008 10:14 AM

71%

CNN: A new poll suggests that George W. Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush his handling his...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on May 1, 2008 12:41 PM

Soft

The Democratic House "leadership" is soft on terror. The Bush Administration openly and unapologetically flouts international strictures against torture, and the Democratic Congress does nothing. The Bush Administration lied the country into a war that didn't need to be fought,...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on April 29, 2008 02:18 PM

Exit poll thread

At Open Left, Dreaminonempty compiled exit polls from all previous states. I found this to be the most interesting section: Partisanship Democrat: 77%- Clinton 49%, Obama 47% Republican: 3%- Clinton 29%, Obama 64% Independent: 19%- Clinton 36%, Obama 56% As...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on March 4, 2008 03:02 PM

Results thread

MSNBC has called Wisconsin for Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton has two weeks to turn things around. Today's Gallup daily tracker has her closing, nationally. Tonight will probably give Obama a bump, but that will level out. Obama's been closing in...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on February 19, 2008 06:21 PM

BREAKING!!! Dukakis surges to huge lead!!!

I loathe electability arguments, and I loathe when people hyperventilate over polls of elections that are months in the future. So, I just thought I'd share this, from the New York Times. From July, 1988. In the aftermath of the...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on February 18, 2008 12:44 PM

The Genius of Frank Rich

Over the weekend, Frank Rich, the Resident GeniusTM on the New York Times Op-Ed Page (I don't mean to offend the nearly equally BrilliantTM Maureen Dowd) published one of his trademark columns (I'm not including a link to the column...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on February 12, 2008 12:24 AM

As reality fades on some far horizon

Hillary Clinton's fundraising woes are being spun in the blogs as proof of her candidacy's imminent demise. Act surprised. Huffington Post has an ominous banner headline, and it's the top story at both Talking Points Memo and Politico, but smintheus,...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on February 6, 2008 07:28 PM

The State of the Race

The polls are ridiculously all over the place. In the national trackers, either Clinton's surging, or the race is essentially tied. In California, both lead or the race is tied. Even the California gold standard Field Poll is impossible to...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on February 3, 2008 10:53 AM

How About a Republican Meme Contest for Sen. Obama's Next Speech?

Since Sen. Obama is clearly not done framing progressives using Republican talking points - he is now calling out Sen. Edwards' "trial lawyer" background (I'm sure Andrew Sullivan, Karl Rove and the GOP are jumping up in joy) - maybe...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on December 31, 2007 12:46 PM

Senator Clinton's quietly good week

Less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, and Sen. Hillary Clinton is again the one to beat, for the Democratic nomination. A week ago, Sen. Barack Obama was surging, and Sen. Clinton was stumbling, but things have stabilized. His...

Posted by Turkana in The Left Coaster on December 21, 2007 09:13 PM

Getting The Race Refocused

The impact of last week's Democratic debate in Philly has been analyzed to death, but between that and the endorsements yesterday on the GOP side, several things have become clear. First, Hillary did take a hit after the debate, but...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 8, 2007 07:07 AM

GOP Whistling Past The Graveyard On SCHIP

The House and Senate will hold override votes this week on Bush’s veto of the bipartisan SCHIP expansion, and while the House GOP's effort to sustain Bush’s veto is expected to succeed, that will only be a temporary setback to...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2007 10:45 AM

Open Thread

Andrew Leonard reviewed Paul Krugman's new book and found some very good news about our society. Beyond the blunt, crude fact that America is getting less white, there's a more uplifting reason to believe that the political exploitation of race...

Posted by Mary in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2007 12:00 AM

Afternoon Update - McConnell Spills The Beans

Domestic Spying Why does Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell hate America, AT&T, and Verizon so much? How does a guy who says any public debate about FISA in the Congress helps terrorists, who welched on a deal he made...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 22, 2007 04:01 PM

2008 in Perspective

Charlie Cook's latest at The National Journal is worth a look. He talks about the state of the 2008 election race as well as trends in voter affiliation and what that might imply in terms of who has the edge...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on August 6, 2007 08:16 PM

More Than 70% Want Troops Home By April

On the six-month anniversary of Bush’s escalation announcement, his tumble in the polls post-Scooter continues today with the latest USAT Gallup poll showing his approval rating falling to 29%. The poll, which had an oversample of independents (43%) shows that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 10, 2007 01:13 PM

Senate GOP Kills Immigration Reform, Helping Hillary

MSNBC image The Senate killed immigration reform today when Bush’s own party rejected his last minute appeals and failed to muster enough votes to overcome a bipartisan bloc of conservative senators lined up against this bill. The Post's Jonathan...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 28, 2007 09:45 AM

Obama Slides A Little In Gallup Poll

Gallup graphic Gallup’s latest poll, taken from June 11-15 with a sample of 34% Democrats, 27% Republicans, and 38% independents, shows that Hillary has regained a double-digit lead over Obama, who has fallen back to barely above 20%. Al...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 18, 2007 03:07 PM

The Non-Candidates Are Doing Pretty Well

Pew graphic On the heels of two new polls, one a Pew poll and the other a USAT/Gallup poll, I have several questions. What does it say about the GOP field when a guy who isn’t very well known...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 5, 2007 03:08 PM

Afternoon Grab Bag

Bush’s efforts to get his immigration reform proposal through this Congress are harming him with his GOP base, as they get a taste of the rhetoric that Bush and Rove have used against Democrats these last six years. And it...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 30, 2007 12:48 PM

Open Thread

Earlier this week, the Gallup poll showed that Congress had the same in the gutter rating as President Bush. But I've not seen much analysis of what exactly why the public is unhappy with Congress (with a drop of 5...

Posted by Mary in The Left Coaster on May 18, 2007 12:00 AM

Congressional Approval Falls To 29%

Gallup image According to the latest Gallup poll over the weekend, the approval rating for Congress fell four points in the last month, down to 29%. Bush’s approval rating stayed at 33%. Gallup provided no data on why congressional...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 15, 2007 09:25 AM

A Futile Suggestion

This is a gimmick, or Hillary’s version of “I voted for it before I voted against it.” It is sophomoric to suggest a cut-off of Bush’s authorization to use force on the five-year anniversary of that 2002 AUMF, and then...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 4, 2007 03:34 PM

Half As Popular As Slick Willie

Gallup image In explaining Bush’s declining popularity with the voters, some of his defenders point out that it is expected that a second-term president in his seventh year will see a drop off in public support, even if Bush...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 17, 2007 04:12 PM

Goodling May Get Immunity This Week

If he can get enough committee Republicans to support it, House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers plans to offer former Gonzales counsel Monica Goodling immunity so that she would be forced to testify to his committee about the sacking of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 17, 2007 01:30 PM

GOP Tipping Points Near On Iraq And Gonzales?

"We have toed the line enough for the president, and we have gotten no thanks or gratitude. By and large, Republicans are sick of defending an ungrateful president." --Annonymous Republican House member to the Post Some poll results today make...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 26, 2007 10:18 PM

The Post-50 Monday Grab Bag

After a weekend where I survived turning the big Five-Oh, let’s jump back into the fray with several stories this morning for you to comment on. Mary mentioned it over the weekend, but the real agenda behind the firing of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 26, 2007 08:15 AM

Gallup: Bush Drops To 33%; Nearly 6 In 10 Want Out In One Year

Gallup graphic Gallup’s latest poll, taken March 2-4, which had a sample comprised of 37% independents, 35% Democrats, and only 27% self-identified Republicans, finds the following, in addition to Bush’s approval rating falling back to 33%: A record-tying number...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 6, 2007 06:02 AM

More Than Half Of Public Would Defund The Surge

As the House debates a simply-worded nonbinding resolution on Bush's surge this morning, consider this: a Fox News poll done through Wednesday of this week of registered voters with an acceptable MOE of +/- 3% finds that 54% of those...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 16, 2007 08:23 AM

Early 2008 Coverage Has A Silver Lining

Since I was in travel mode yesterday, Atrios beat me to the punch. Yes, it is way too early to have this much coverage on the 2008 presidential campaign, but the silver lining is this: the media is spending all...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 13, 2007 09:28 AM

Now Warner And Hagel Want A Second Chance

First, Warner and the other GOP senators talked a tough game about the need to send a message of disapproval to the president over his surge. Then, these same spineless weasels abandoned their principles and credibility and took orders from...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 7, 2007 09:41 PM

Gallup: 61% Support Nonbinding Resolution

For those of you looking at public opinion on what Democrats should do in response to Bush’s surge, Gallup’s latest poll out today for the USA Today indicates that the public is far more supportive of a Democratic nonbinding resolution...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 16, 2007 09:25 AM

61% Are Against Escalation

From NYC In a poll with an abnormally large number of independents in its sample (42%) as compared to Democrats (31%), the latest USAT/Gallup poll out today shows that 61% disapprove of Bush’s escalation, with only 36% approving. Bush’s approval...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 9, 2007 08:02 AM

Second Place Already?

AP photo There's a reason why Hillary already stepped down from the Democratic Steering Committee and kept her campaign staffers on the payroll until at least December 31st: Barack Obama. As I predicted over three weeks ago, Obama will...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 15, 2006 01:19 PM

Bush Might Make It Easier For Democrats

With their newfound power Democrats face expectations and obligations. The first two post-election polls, by Newsweek and now by Gallup, show that the public is granting the Democrats a honeymoon to set a different tone and get things done in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 14, 2006 09:13 AM

Gallup Says Bush's Post-Election Support Has Collapsed

Gallup's first post-election poll for the USAT finds a similar result that the Newsweek poll found late last week: the bottom has fallen out of the Bush presidency, as his approval rating fell over the weekend to only 33%, with...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 13, 2006 10:09 PM

Gallup Says 35-Seat Democratic House Pickup Is "Likely"

"There are no signs that the wave is ebbing. The reality is, the list of vulnerable Republican seats continues to grow." --Amy Walter, senior editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report today As we wind down to this election, I...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 6, 2006 09:35 AM

Ignore The ABC/Post Poll: Time Says There's Trouble In The GOP Base

ABC News and the Washington Post released their final poll this morning before the election and as Peter said it shows the generic ballot question down to only a six-point advantage for the Democrats among likely voters. It also shows...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 5, 2006 12:05 PM

Why The GOP Doesn't Care About Election Fraud

Well, it’s started already: the reports of faulty voting machines registering Republican votes instead of the Democratic votes intended by the voters. In Texas and Florida, there are reports of voting machines seemingly preprogrammed to register GOP votes in instances...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 30, 2006 04:46 PM

Gallup Tests A Winning Democratic Message

As I was returning from a business trip these last two days, I noted the Gallup story out today, a project of theirs which apparently was designed to test not only the Democrats’ possible agenda if and when they take...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 26, 2006 01:17 PM

Morning Update

"Well, I've been talking about a change in tactics ever since I — ever since we went in, because the role of the commander in chief is to say to our generals, `You adjust to the enemy on the battlefield.'"...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 24, 2006 08:38 AM

Newsweek, CNN Polls Show Democrats With Double-Digit Leads Among Likely Voters

The latest Newsweek poll over the weekend shows that Nancy Pelosi’s “100 Hours Agenda” has large public support. In this poll, Democrats have an 18-point edge over Republicans next month among likely voters, echoing results from a CNN poll that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 23, 2006 03:34 PM

Gallup Says Congressional Approval Falls To 1994 Levels

Gallup image Gallup noted today that public approval of Congress is at its lowest level since the days before the 1994 election that changed control of Congress. As the midterm elections approach, members of Congress understandably can be nervous...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2006 11:22 AM

Gallup Says Democrats Have 23-Point Lead Amongst Likely Voters Next Month

As we get more distance from the initial Foley revelations, it seems to be getting worse and worse for the GOP. We find out today that both Gallup and now CNN are reporting that the generic ballot question amongst likely...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 9, 2006 03:43 PM

GOP Wants To Change The Subject - Pelosi Says "Drain The Swamp"

"The Chicago Tribune interview last night—the George Soros defense—was viewed as incredibly inept. It could have been written by [comedian] Jon Stewart." --A national GOP official ridiculing Hastert’s “blame the media and Democrats” defense Most of the GOP leadership feel...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 6, 2006 09:39 AM

Even Gallup, With A GOP-Heavy Sample, Says Bush Vulnerable On Bin Laden

Gallup graphic If you are looking for proof that focusing on Osama Bin Laden and 9/11 is fertile ground for Democrats, I give you this: The recent firestorm over former President Bill Clinton's culpability for the Sept. 11 terrorist...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 27, 2006 08:09 AM

Media Keeps Looking For Ponies

Graphic courtesy of PollingReport.com One of the reasons the GOP enjoys their hammerlock on our government is because of the poor analytical skills and the outright laziness of our political media. It's easy to stay in power when you...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 21, 2006 07:50 AM

CBS News/New York Times Poll Finds No Bounce For Bush

37%. Well, you can flush yesterday’s Gallup poll down the toilet as just another outlier. Tonight, the latest CBS News/New York Times poll came out, showing that Bush’s approval rating is still at 37%, where it has been stuck since...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 20, 2006 11:02 PM

Rasmussen Says Bush Bubble Is Popping Already

Earlier today, there was a lot of attention given to the most recent Gallup poll taken September 15-17, which showed Bush’s approval rating climbing to 44%. Before anyone gets too worked up over this poll, please note that the GOP’s...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 19, 2006 10:52 PM

Democrats Need To Fight For Every News Cycle

Gallup’s latest poll out today, with a sample comprised of 34% Democrats, 34% independents, and 31% Republicans, shows Bush’s approval rating climbing again to 44%. Gallup is the only pollster that is showing Bush’s approval rating back in the mid-forties,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 19, 2006 01:11 PM

45% Blame Bush Administration For 9/11

Don't despair too much over the Disney propaganda on behalf of the White House. They have their work cut out for them: The percentage of Americans who blame the Bush administration for the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 11, 2006 10:17 AM

Afternoon Quick Hits - Another Shot At Hillary From A 90's Mudslinger

Image courtesy of Time Magazine As many of you suspected he would, McCain put the kneepads back on for Bush today after Rove bitchslapped him. Tell me Senator, does he leave a mark? Retired general John Baptiste just blasted...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 25, 2006 03:24 PM

We Don't Make It Here Anymore - But We Can

Kenneth Janda, a professor emeritus of political science at Northwestern University, asks in the August 14, 2006 Chicago Tribune, Why has Iraq war lasted nearly as long as WWII? Already, the war in Iraq has gone on as long as...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on August 15, 2006 07:51 PM

A Lieberman Loss Will Change Behavior

After seeing the possibility that Joe Lieberman will lose the Democratic primary next Tuesday largely over his support for the Iraq war, it seems that both the media and national Democrats suddenly are taking notice that the anti-war portion of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 4, 2006 12:59 PM

Mid-Day Summary: Majority Leader Hillary?

Here’s a sampling of the stories of interest today to keep an eye on: The latest Quinnipiac poll on the Lieberman-Lamont race shows that Ned has shot to a 54-41 lead amongst Democrats in next Tuesday’s primary, primarily on the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 3, 2006 12:16 PM

Rasmussen Says Bush Dropped Five Points Overnight

Based on a tip from commenter Tano, I checked the Rasmussen website this morning in the aftermath of the Gallup poll showing a three-point drop for Bush in the last two weeks. Sure enough, as Tano said, Scott Rasmussen is...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 25, 2006 12:13 PM

Gallup Dismisses 3-Point Drop In Bush's Approval From Just Two Weeks Ago

Gallup graphic The latest USAT/Gallup poll out today shows Bush’s approval rating falling 3 points since reaching its recent high of 40% just two weeks ago. Gallup reports that his disapproval rating is now back up 4 points in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 25, 2006 10:50 AM

Ripping At The Seams

It's looking like the wheels are coming off the GOP bandwagon, and the vote thieves at Diebold, Sequioa, and ES&S are going to be very busy this fall, based on the recent primary elections all across the nation (even in...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on July 20, 2006 03:51 AM

MId-Afternoon Update: Bush Is Always Right

The Government Accountability Office reported yesterday that Bush’s occupation of Iraq and his whole policy was a failure. The media largely didn’t pay any attention to the report, but I give credit to the Washington Times. Remember all the good...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 12, 2006 04:32 PM

We Has ARRIVED!

Want to know when you have made the Big Time? It's when people begin to try to knock you down for being there! It is a given that when a person or group achieves a measure of success and insularity...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on July 11, 2006 06:47 PM

Public Just As Divided As Democrats On Iraq

One of the staples of a lazy, White House-fed press corps is the ongoing drumbeat of “Democrats are divided about Iraq” stories that pop up every week or so in the media. The latest installment comes from Liz Sedoti of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 7, 2006 04:16 PM

Democrats Need To Push Their Advantages And Seize Iraq Debate

Iraqi insurgent groups said today they would join reconciliation talks only if the government committed to withdrawing all US and British forces from Iraq in two years, thereby putting al-Maliki in the tough spot of having to offer the insurgents...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 28, 2006 10:54 AM

Bush Drops Into Baghdad For A PR Stunt

Bush's earlier phony turkey stunt in Baghdad At a time when two new polls disagreed on any al-Zarqawi effect, Bush made an overnight flight to Baghdad last night to visit Prime Minister al-Maliki and participate with him on a...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 13, 2006 07:15 AM

Recession Is For The Little People

My good friend Duckman asks above: "The estate tax cut failed. What next?" This is next. The upper economic classes think most of us are toys and props to be used for their own enrichment and amusement. They get very...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on June 8, 2006 11:46 AM

Another Poll Shows Public Opposition To NSA Data Mining Program

Well, here is what we learned over the weekend on the NSA data mining story. A USA Today/Gallup poll done Friday and Saturday found that by a 51%-43% margin, respondents were against the data mining program from what they had...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 15, 2006 10:20 AM

Behind The Recent Polls: Where Did All The Cultists Go?

"We should have stayed out of Iraq until we knew more about it. The economy is going to pot. Gas prices are escalating. I just voted for Bush because he's a Republican, even though I disapproved of the war. If...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 10, 2006 08:40 PM

Minimum Wage Irrelevant To Many Small Businesses

Over the coming months Democrats will make raising the minimum wage a priority of their fall election agenda, and failing that, will make it a priority of the new Democratic congress in 2007. Republicans will carry water for their business...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 9, 2006 07:46 AM

31 Flavors

Every time Steve has said Bush had hit rock bottom, I dissented: rock bottom, I said, was still a little lower—31 percent. Well, we're already at 31%, and this is USA Today/Gallup. Maybe I set my sights too low. "You...

Posted by dj moonbat in The Left Coaster on May 8, 2006 10:47 AM

Mid-week catchup

Evan Derkacz at Alternet's Peek has a great roundup on the net neutrality issue. He notes that Cong. Ed Markey (D-MA) has introduced the Network Neutrality Act of 2006. He also has links to The Agonist's Sean-Paul Kelley's video of...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on May 2, 2006 08:05 PM

Open Thread - Crappy Polls For Karl Edition

Two more polls, two more new lows for Bush. First, the newest CBS News poll has Bush down to 33%, and the new USA Today/Gallup poll has him down to 34%. This poll had a sample that contained 35% independents,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 2, 2006 12:02 AM

CNN Says Goodbye To Gallup - Surprise, Bush Hits 32%; 55% Say He Isn't Honest

The rumored divorce between Gallup and CNN is a fact (will Gallup go to Fox?). And look what happens. The new pollster’s first poll shows Bush falling to 32%. That’s right. 32% Democrats have a ten-point advantage amongst registered voters...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 24, 2006 02:00 PM

Mid-Day Update: Bush Will Take The GOP Down With Him This Year

Graphic courtesy of PollingReport.com Along the lines of the story I ran this morning on the latest Gallup poll showing Bush down to 36% and problems for the GOP congress, check out this Page One in today’s Post by...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 17, 2006 11:44 AM

Gallup Has Bush Down Again To 36%; Congress Much Lower

> Gallup’s latest poll out this morning, taken last week between Monday and Thursday, shows that Congress receives its lowest approval ratings (23%) of the Bush presidency. For his part, Bush’s approval rating has fallen back down to 36%,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 17, 2006 07:54 AM

Democrats Need To Fashion An "America First" Message For November

USA Today notes in a piece this morning that Bush has embarked on a eight month campaign to talk up our mission in Iraq, with nothing to show for it in terms of his approval rating or the public’s assessments...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 14, 2006 09:09 AM

Nearly Two-Thirds Think Bush Acting Illegally Or Unethically In Leaking Information

A new Gallup poll shows that nearly two-thirds of those polled think that Bush did something illegal (21%) or unethical (42%) in the leaking of intelligence information to reporters for political purposes. The poll was conducted April 7-9; just as...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 11, 2006 09:18 AM

Maybe Reid Played Immigration Correctly After All

Image courtesy of the AP When I first heard the accounts of how the immigration bill went down to defeat last Friday, my initial conclusion was that Harry Reid blew it. Even though Bill Frist went back on his...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 10, 2006 10:37 PM

Polling News

Courtesy of Pew Center Yikes! Rasmussen of all pollsters is reporting today that a short-lived bump in Bush’s approval rating earlier this week was nothing more than “statistical noise.” In their three-day rolling average poll today, Bush’s approval rating...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 30, 2006 03:46 PM

VandeHei: Bush Will Have Tough Time Regaining Public Trust

I have to give credit to Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post, a guy who I have nicked in the past for being suspect when writing about this White House because his wife used to work for Tom DeLay. Yet...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 20, 2006 08:06 PM

Turnin' 'Round the House?

The Washington Post has been looking at the recent polls, and they claim Now is not the best time to be a Republican member of Congress. The most recent survey, conducted by CNN/USA Today/Gallup from March 10-12, showed Democrats with...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on March 16, 2006 01:32 AM

Gallup: Bush Down To 36% - Majority Think Administration Lied To Get Into War

When the recent CBS poll had Bush down to 34%, the White House and RNC claimed that the poll was wrong and flawed. What will they say now that the latest CNN/USAT/Gallup poll out late today has Bush down...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 13, 2006 05:41 PM

Let The Whoring Begin

Osama bin Laden's niece is to star in reality TV show. (I've written about her before.) Considering that we are entering a political period of major media misuse and abuse, I think that her story is an appropriate metaphor. Osama...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on March 11, 2006 01:46 PM

Gallup: Bush Down To 38% - Quinnipiac Has Bush Down To 36%

Now it’s Gallup’s turn. The latest CNN/USAT/Gallup poll just came out, and Bush is back down to a 38% approval rating, with a 60% disapproval rating. But here’s the killer for W: the “strongly disapprove” level is now up to...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 2, 2006 04:19 PM

The Silver Bullet To Bush’s National Security Advantage

Karl will have his work cut out for him reclaiming that national security advantage over the Democrats, thanks to the Dubai deal. Rasmussen says that news of the deal, and Bush’s defense of why it is OK for a Middle...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 24, 2006 11:22 AM

Quick Hits: Why Iran May Be A Problem For Bush

Sorry to have been away for the better part of two days, but yesterday was our daughter’s 18th birthday, and you folks, no matter how much I like you (and even Toby and Muck), you can’t compete with her. And...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 13, 2006 10:58 PM

Quick Hits: Gallup At It Again, And Let's Run On National Security

Some quick hits this afternoon: Note how quickly those in the intelligence community dismissed Bush’s stupid “we stopped shoe bombers” announcement of old news yesterday. Besides, Bush had another reason for yesterday’s diversion. The latest Gallup Poll shows no bump...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 10, 2006 04:11 PM

King-George-gate: Vox Populi?

[This is part of my ongoing coverage on King-George-gate: Myths v. Realities. Note that all emphasis in quoted extracts is mine.] Numerous polling results have been published on Bush's illegal and unconstitutional spying on Americans. The results from various polls...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on February 4, 2006 05:57 PM

What Democratic Party?

The Kingdumb of Jesusland is in serious trouble. The erstwhile subjects of King George are unhappy with his rule: A majority of Americans said the presidency of George W. Bush has been a failure and that they would be more...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on January 27, 2006 09:12 AM

The Power To Win

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." -THOMAS PAINE There is some question about whether or not Americans would understand this comment from Thomas Paine, for we seem to...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on January 24, 2006 09:55 AM

Nearly 6 In 10 Want A Special Prosecutor To Investigate Bush Administration on NSA Spying

Well, what do you know? 58% of those polled by Gallup over the weekend think that a Special Prosecutor should investigate Bush's NSA spying program, and a majority think Bush was wrong for conducting this spying without getting court orders....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 23, 2006 08:21 PM

Bush Hasn't Only Been Good For Al Qaeda, He's Been Good For Democrats Also

Looks like George W. Bush has been good for the Democratic Party. Who says so? Gallup. An analysis of Gallup Poll data from 2005 shows that the Democratic Party made gains in party identification among the American public. The year...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 23, 2006 08:10 PM

When The Will Must Triumph, Find A Way

Initially, I wasn't sure that the electoral victory of Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany was a good thing. But the longer she is in office, the more I am coming to repect her. For example, she is telling Bu$hCo...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on January 8, 2006 04:22 AM

Zogby Says Bush Approval Rating Is Actually Falling, Not Increasing

While Gallup, AP/Ipsos, and CBS News/NYT had all reported recently that Bush’s approval ratings were moving up into the low 40’s the more he talked about Iraq and the economy, along comes John Zogby to throw cold water on any...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on December 13, 2005 12:00 PM

As Bush's Numbers Edge Up, Will It Help The GOP In 2006?

There have been several polls of late that show Bush's approval rating on the upswing, and now Gallup's latest poll out today for CNN and USAT shows Bush now registering a 42% approval rating, up from the high 30's in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on December 13, 2005 07:18 AM

You Did It WHOSE Way?

Poor Georgie! Things just don't seem to be going the way Unka Dickie and der Karl told him it would! Far from having it easy and having lots of time to strut before massed troops and look like a real...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on November 26, 2005 05:36 PM

Don't Make Too Much Of Yesterday's Empty Votes By The Senate On Iraq

I know that much ink has been used in the last 24 hours to hype the fact that the GOP Senate passed resolutions expressing Senate policy that, despite not having tougher Democratic language in it, at least contained requirements that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 16, 2005 11:35 AM

Clinton Is More Trusted Than Bush, Who According To Gallup Is Now Toxic To GOP

(Practicing for that Nixonian moment?) Sure, the latest Gallup Poll taken through yesterday shows Bush falling to his lowest level of approval ever: 37%, a three-point drop in a week. Even then, in that poll from last week, there...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 14, 2005 02:40 PM

Alito And Roe : A More Potent Issue Than The GOP Wants To Admit

On a day when Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska indicated he was favorably disposed towards Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito after meeting him and coming away convinced that he is a moderate, two polls are out that indicate a...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 2, 2005 10:39 AM

Only A Third Think Alito Should Vote Against Roe

While the DLC types will tell you that Democrats need to steer away from making the Alito nomination about a woman’s right to choose, and the wingers will tell you that the country is strongly in their camp, Gallup...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 31, 2005 08:39 PM

Voters Want An Anti-Bush Congress In 2006

(Graphic courtesy of Gallup) This post is specifically for our resident trolls who continually jab us with how bankrupt Democrats are as a political party, and how much of a political force Bush still is. Yup, to these wise...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 26, 2005 10:07 PM

Democrats Now Have 13-Point Edge For 2006

For those of you who think the hype about the Democrats' chances next year to take back Congress is overblown, take a look at the latest Gallup poll findings on the subject, and note the 13-point gap in favor of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 21, 2005 12:20 PM

Open Thread

Regarding a question on today's Gallup poll results. Here's Howard's question: in particular, republicans still support him tremendously. is the base rallying round in the face of bush's troubles? does the base like miers? does the base have a case...

Posted by Mary in The Left Coaster on October 18, 2005 12:00 AM

Even Gallup Now Has Bush Down To 39%

The latest CNN/USAT/Gallup poll came out tonight, taken through yesterday. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Bush has fallen below 40%, to 39%. This is the third time in the last three months that Bush’s numbers have fallen...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2005 09:15 PM

I Said God Said It, That Settle's It, And You Believe It!

An extremely vocal minority of Americans are firm believers in the fallacy that America is a Christian nation. Now that some of the debate over Harriet Miers centers upon her alleged 'conversion', I'm sure that this topic will rise again....

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on October 6, 2005 10:51 AM

Miers Is A Tough Sell For Conservatives

"I know she is pro-life. She thinks that after conception, it's not a balancing act -- or if it is, it's a balancing of two equal lives." --Nathan Hecht, Harriet Miers’ on-again, off-again boyfriend and one of the most conservative...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 5, 2005 08:38 AM

Now Gallup Says Bush's Numbers Tumbled After His Speech

Cue up the fat lady. OK, we can lay to rest any notion that Bush’s Katrina speech last week helped him at all. It’s bad enough that Survey USA’s daily tracking polls showed that Bush’s ratings fell in the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 19, 2005 02:17 PM

Media Tries To Spin GOP Lies On Katrina Into A Poll Bump For Bush

On the subject of GOP myths propagated by the willing media, a couple of points need to be made tonight. First, you have seen an attempt at fluffing Bush’s approval ratings by both USA Today and CNN over the last...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 13, 2005 09:40 PM

Off with their Heads!

The Queen of Hearts is the mirror image of how the powerful in American institutions operate. Displease her, and you were toast. But to displease her, you first had to come in contact with her, and powerful people in institutions...

Posted by Marie in The Left Coaster on September 7, 2005 02:27 PM

That Jumpin' Stack O' Cash, Made O' Gas, Gas, Gas!

With the muddle that is the response of the Bu$hCo regime to the natural disaster that is their rule (not to mention Katrina's aftermath!), King George appears to be in a quandary: Storm brews around Bush leadership In a debate...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on September 3, 2005 07:53 PM

Put A Fork In Him

(Graphic courtesy of PollingReport.com) To me, it is very significant when a Gallup Poll shows that Bush has finally dropped to the 40% mark in job approval, and that’s just what happened when Gallup released their latest poll today....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 26, 2005 12:24 PM

American Research Group Says Bush Job Approval Down To 36%

Dick Bennett’s American Research Group released its latest results on Bush’s job approval ratings this morning. In a poll conducted through last night of over a thousand adults with a very small margin of error of only 2.6%, Bush’s approval...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 22, 2005 10:23 AM

As Higher Gas Prices Finally Show Up In CPI, Bush Numbers Stay Low

(Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graphic) Gallup’s latest poll out today shows Bush’s favorability rating holding steady at 45% approve, 51% disapprove. Interestingly, these numbers have been relatively unchanged for several weeks now, even though there have been swings...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 16, 2005 08:00 AM

33% Want The Troops Home Now

(Graphic courtesy of Gallup) Some of you may have heard about the most recent Gallup poll for USAT and CNN out today, which showed among other things: -33% want the troops home now, a new high; -After a spike...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 9, 2005 08:45 PM

Friday Night Wrap Up

As we head into a weekend, here are some short hits for you to comment on: Yup, as if on cue, the military says that they think Iran is sending more lethal explosive devices into Iraq, even as some commentators...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 5, 2005 10:27 PM

Gallup Says Bush Has Fallen To 44%

Look out beloooooow.......! Gallup�s latest poll, done through last night, shows that Bush�s job approval rating has fallen to its lowest level in a Gallup poll, now down to only 44%. According to the poll, Bush�s favorability rating has dropped...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 29, 2005 02:08 PM

Fitzgerald Is Going After Bigger Issues Than Just Who Outed Plame

At a time when Gallup is reporting that a majority of Americans now believe that Bush lied to them about Iraqi WMDs to get us into a war, the Washington Post runs a big story on Page One Wednesday which...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 27, 2005 12:23 AM

White House Media Corps Goes On Attack Against McClellan Today

Scott McClellan today: a deer in the headlights. It took being lied to for two years about Karl Rove's involvement with the Plame outing for the media to shake off its shackles and go on the attack. Not the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 11, 2005 12:45 PM

Gallup Says Bush Is In Trouble Over Iraq

Think there's a lot riding on Bush's speech Tuesday in front of a Stepford crowd at Fort Bragg, wherein he will blame others for Iraq? There is. According to a Gallup poll out late Monday night for CNN and the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 27, 2005 11:15 PM

Our Troops Have Done Their Job - Bring Them Home

As more and more polls come out showing that the American public is losing faith with our mission and goals in Iraq, it is time for Democrats to step out and reclaim a concern for our troops as the first...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 22, 2005 10:04 PM

Gallup Says Opposition To Iraq War Up 12 Points Since March

(thanks to Gallup for the graphic) Gallup�s latest poll for CNN and the USAT shows Bush stuck at a 47% approval rating. But that isn't the biggest story in this poll. What's noteworthy is the following: �Bush�s disapproval rating...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 21, 2005 08:17 AM

As New Memos Emerge, Public Support For Keeping Troops In Iraq Falls

As a follow-up to Mary�s post below on the assessment by the military brass that a military solution in Iraq isn�t feasible, the USAT reported late last night a snippet from the most recent Gallup poll that we previewed...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 13, 2005 10:05 AM

Here Comes The Sun

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right - George Harrison There are times when...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on June 11, 2005 12:34 PM

Latest GOP-Leaning Gallup Poll Has Bush Disapproval Up To 49%, Disapproval Of GOP-Led Congress At 59%

Gallup released its most recent survey late today, taken through Wednesday of over a thousand respondents. Bush clocked in with a 47% approval rating, but a 49% disapproval rating. This survey was taken at the same time as the AP/Ipsos...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 10, 2005 08:05 PM

Mom-morial Day

It is said that for every crime in which someone dies, there are more casualties than just the actual victim. Every member of the family is also a victim of the crime. It is no different on this Memorial Day,...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 30, 2005 03:48 AM

Is Bush Making A Hillary 2008 Candidacy More Acceptable?

Here�s a �Watching Freeper Heads Explode� entry for you. According to the CNN/USAT/Gallup poll we referenced earlier in the week, taken over last weekend, guess who now claims over a majority of the nation�s possible support for president in 2008?...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 27, 2005 02:12 PM

Wheelin' And Dealin'

Once upon a time, politicians had reputations that were so bad, only used-car salesmen were held in lower esteem. I'm not so sure that applies to the Democrats in Congress anymore - which should be a source of merriment for...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 25, 2005 10:44 AM

How Strong Of A Hand Do Bush And The GOP Really Have In Filibuster Debate?

(Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graphic) In all the chatter over the last several days about the filibuster/nuclear option battle, a couple of polls came out that showed some interesting results about Bush and GOP support in general, and...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 25, 2005 08:12 AM

Moderates Hammer Out Deal To Avert Nuclear Option - As Bush's Gallup Numbers Fall Again

Details are just now emerging, but the AP is reporting that the moderate group of senators has reached an agreement to avert the nuclear option tomorrow. Details will be forthcoming later today as I or one of the other editors...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 23, 2005 04:41 PM

Harris Poll Shows That Voters Don't Trust Bush's Motives On Social Security

The Harris Poll released yesterday shows that Democrats have an angle to use against Bush that not only can help them now but also next year: simply say over and over again that Bush and the GOP congress cannot be...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 14, 2005 09:39 AM

Public Rejects Progressive Indexing Of Social Security Benefits - Trusts Democrats More

Today�s AP/Ipsos Poll, taken through Wednesday, shows that Bush was unsuccessful in selling the progressive indexing of Social Security benefits towards the poor and away from the middle and upper classes. In essence, the GOP idea of turning Social...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 6, 2005 02:32 PM

Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends

How long can Bush spin big lies into truth on Iraq war? BY ANDREW GREELEY As the criminal, sinful war in Iraq enters its third year, the president is in Europe to heal the wounds between the United States and...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 6, 2005 09:36 AM

57% Now Against Iraq War, But Tom Friedman Blames The Muslims

Tom Friedman writes his latest �the insurgents are losing� column in this morning�s Times, on the same day that the latest suicide bombing kills over 50 Iraqis in the worst attack since February. Friedman tells us that the spate...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 4, 2005 08:08 AM

If GOP And Independent Voters Are Abandoning Bush On Social Security, Should Pelosi and Reid Be Close Behind?

Two new developments on Social Security from our original posting on it yesterday. First, remember yesterday's CNN/USAT/Gallup Poll that was done after Bush's press conference? Gallup found that Bush�s press conference and his touting of a variation of the Pozen...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 3, 2005 07:59 AM

Are Hastert And DeLay Parting Ways Over Social Security?

Get the popcorn; this should get interesting. According to the AP tonight, there is a split brewing in the House GOP over Social Security. Denny Hastert, (who must have read today's CNN/USAT/Gallup poll which showed that Bush didn't help himself...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 2, 2005 08:55 PM

Gallup Says Bush Didn't Help Himself Last Week On Social Security

So did Bush's press conference help him sell his Social Security plan to Americans? In a word, NO, not according to a new CNN/USAT/Gallup poll out today, taken after the press conference over this past weekend. President Bush has made...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 2, 2005 02:56 PM

Fooled Him Once, Shame On Saddam! Fooled Him Twice, ...

Back in the Gulf War, the news came out that Saddam was sucker-punched by the US Ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie, who told Saddam "We have no opinion on your Arab - Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait....

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on April 30, 2005 06:58 PM

Hand Holding With The Saudis May Not Be Enough To Save Bush

What a sweet picture, with all those pretty blue bonnets serving as a background This will be simple post: Bush is fu*ked. Why? Well, let�s start with approval ratings that are stuck in the forties, with no event on...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 25, 2005 11:02 PM

Tax Fairness Is A Potent Issue Next Year - Oops, After The Estate Tax Vote, Never Mind

(Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graph) As you read this graph, summarizing a recent Gallup Poll set of questions on tax fairness, the GOP and their sycophants in the media and blogosphere tell us over and over again that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 15, 2005 10:07 AM

Another Gallup Poll, Another Bush Popularity Bump

With other polls showing that Bush�s approval ratings are heading towards the middle 40�s, like clockwork up pops another Gallup poll trending upward for Bush. According to the most recent Gallup poll done April 4-7, Bush�s approval rating went back...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 12, 2005 07:53 PM

AP/Ipsos Poll Has Bush Approval Rating Down To 44%

The latest AP/Ipsos Poll out this morning has Bush�s job approval rating down to 44%, with 54% disapproving. The right track/wrong track figures are 38%/56%. The poll was based on a sample comprised of 48% of those who considered themselves...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 8, 2005 08:58 AM

Playing With The Big Boys

America's commercial and industrial leaders like to strut about like the macho men they like to pretend they are. They take what amounts to a game (golf) and blow it up into something more than it is and call it...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on April 7, 2005 05:43 AM

Gallup Says Bush Failing on Social Security - 50% Now Think Bush Lied About Iraq

The latest Gallup Poll done for CNN and USA Today was released late last night and hit the media this morning, and with some surprise, the wire copies made an issue about a possible second-term public disenchantment with Bush. The...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on April 6, 2005 10:54 AM

Starting The Second Mexican War?

Wherever he is in Etermity, Judge Roy Bean must be smilin' wide! Rumor has it that Judge Bean's judicial motto was "Hang 'em first, try 'em later." Something of a desperado himself, he was one of the harsest enforces of...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on April 2, 2005 11:10 AM

How the Liberal Media Myth is Created - Part 7

This is a continuation of a series on how the "liberal media" myth is created. Previous installments covered myth-creation using "tone" of media coverage (Part 1), "catch-phrases" like 'right-wing extremist' v. 'left-wing extremist' (Part 2), "newspaper headlines" (Part 3), "topics"...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on March 30, 2005 11:18 PM

Freeper Coronary Alert: The Clintons Would Beat The Bush Boys

Well, to cap off a bad week for the Bush Family Crime Syndicate, take a look at some poll results from Democracy Corps as to a matchup between the Clintons and the Bush boys. 2008: Hillary Vs. Jebbie Hillary: 50%...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 25, 2005 01:04 PM

Start Playing "Taps" Karl - Gallup Says Rising Oil Prices, And Schiavo Are Hurting Bush Greatly

The latest CNN/USAT/Gallup Poll taken Monday through Wednesday of this week shows, as other polls have done recently, that Bush’s approval rating has fallen, in some cases to the lowest level of his presidency. According to the Gallup poll, Bush’s...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 25, 2005 09:26 AM

Charts and Nobel Prizes

Hello, readers. Thanks to the generosity of Steve and Mary, I am the latest addition to the blogging community here at The Left Coaster (TLC). I want to thank them both for this opportunity to let me voice my thoughts...

Posted by eriposte in The Left Coaster on March 22, 2005 09:18 PM

With A GOP-Heavy Sample, Gallup Reports Low Approval Ratings For GOP-Led Congress

In a story yesterday on the most recent Gallup poll, which was conducted last Monday through Thursday, it was reported that the approval rating for Congress had fallen to 37%, its lowest level since 1999 in the aftermath of a...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 16, 2005 10:06 AM

Gallup's Latest Poll Resumes GOP Bias, But How Low Is Bush's Actual Support On Social Security?

Remember earlier in the week when I reported on the results of the most recent Gallup Poll which showed that Bush was losing ground on Social Security the more he talked about it? According to Gallup, only 35% of Americans...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 4, 2005 12:46 PM

Gallup Says Bush Losing Support On Social Security - GOP Gives Him Only Weeks To Turn It Around

At a time when Joe Lieberman is thinking of handing Bush a life line on Social Security, the GOP’s own strategists are getting a sense of desperation about passing the privatization plan and what it will do to their chances...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 1, 2005 08:00 AM

One Week Later, Gallup Says Bush Approval Rating Has Fallen From 57% to 49%

A week after the most recent Gallup Poll for CNN and the USA Today claimed that Bush’s approval rating shot up to 57%, using a sample that had a 9 percentage point advantage for the GOP over Democrats (37% GOP,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 14, 2005 10:54 AM

Don't Get Too Excited Yet About Today's AP/Ipsos Poll On Bush's Falling Approval Rating

I would like to make a big deal out of the poll released today by AP/Ipsos that shows Bush’s job approval rating plummeting to 45% and his disapproval rating increasing to 54%, even after the SOTU and the Iraq elections....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 11, 2005 11:00 AM

Yesterday's Gallup Poll Showing Bush Approval At 57% Had 9% More Republicans Than Democrats

The more things change, the more things stay the same. And Gallup is showing us that a leopard doesn’t change its spots. On the heels of the Iraqi election, and with the White House needing a boost in Bush’s image...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 9, 2005 01:14 PM

Public Supports Raising Income Ceiling And Means Testing For Social Security, Not Private Accounts

Aside from the other difficulties that Bush will face in getting any traction with his Social Security privatization plan, he is counting on public support and help from some Democrats in the Senate. On both counts, he is facing long...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 8, 2005 09:56 PM

Degree Of Sunni NonParticipation Now Becoming Clear

Tomorrow’s Guardian reports that revised estimates in Iraq put the turnout at 57%, down from the preliminary 72% earlier in the day. Still, given the violence and lack of security, that’s pretty damn good. Also, it appears that the Shia...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 30, 2005 07:32 PM

Despite Contrived Images Yesterday, Bush Is On Shaky Political Ground

In all the pageantry and boisterousness that greeted Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney yesterday along the parade route, keep one thing in mind: this was a private affair. What you saw in the images yesterday was not the loud...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 21, 2005 07:30 AM

55% Oppose Social Security Privatization, According To Gallup - Issue Lethal For GOP With Older Voters

If you want to see why Bush�s push to privatize Social Security scares those in his own party and threatens to unravel whatever realignment Rove thinks he achieved in the 2004 race, take a look at the most recent Gallup...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 11, 2005 12:01 PM

Rummy's Bitchslapping, And More Bush Lies

After a couple of brutal days at work and being unable to comment on several breaking stories, I wanted to chime in on them now. So Rummy ran into a buzz saw from his own forces when he tried to...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on December 9, 2004 11:37 PM

Waiting To See The Whites Of Their Eyes

Former White House advisor Bill Moyers is in a delicate situation. His background is that of an ordained minister, yet his politics are greatly at odds with many of those who share his Baptist religious beliefs. He sees that what...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on December 6, 2004 05:54 PM

Another Voice We DON'T Need To Hear From

With the exception of Bill Clinton, the emeritus roster of the Democratic Party only includes losers. (I count Carter among these for not winning reelection in 1980 - a tough prospect, admittedly.) While this by itself doesn't merit exclusion or...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on December 5, 2004 06:44 PM

Exit Poll Claim Of 44% Hispanic Support For Bush Now In Doubt - What's Next?

Far be it for me, a lowly blogger, to question Warren Mitofsky of the NEP national exit poll, or Richard Morin who heads the Post's polling effort and thinks that we bloggers are ill-informed and arrogant. But remember that Mr....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 29, 2004 11:34 PM

Poll-ar Opposites

It's a shame that America's pollsters have no credibility. Starting with Gallup, whose slanted methodology was exposed for the world to see by Left Coaster Blog Lord Steve Soto, and continuing up to Doctor Zogby, who naively believed - as...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on November 15, 2004 02:03 AM

Not Getting Their Tails Caught In The Door

George's claims that things are getting better in Iraq aren't matched by the actions of his allies - or of his own cabinet officers. Colin Powell Believes U.S. is Losing Iraq war Also at Salon.com [subscription/day pass] 31 October 2004...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on November 4, 2004 08:22 AM

The Neo-American Revivalist Movement

So, how explain Bush's success with the middle and lower middle class in the face of these realities? As I concluded after calling my Ohio relatives, the reelection of Bush is in large part the product of a deliberate 30-year strategy of conservative religious evangelicals to dominate American politics so as to enact their 'moral values' as government policy. The mass media, including even National Public Radio, is now riddled with news reporters, editors, and commentators who are personally avowed 'Christians'. For them, the act of voting for a "Christian" is self-affirmation of their own worth.

Posted by larre in The Left Coaster on November 3, 2004 10:04 AM

The Most Difficult Post

Hard work and hopes die hard when reality hits you in the face. After watching hours of cable and network TV coverage, most of it fairly adequate but totally mediocre by the way, I have reached several conclusions that I...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 3, 2004 12:05 AM

Gallup And Fox (Yes, Fox) Have Bad News For Bush

As we know by now, Gallup released its last national poll last night, and as we expected, in order to preserve its credibility Gallup�s last poll amongst LVs shows last week�s 5% lead for Bush (51%-46%) now shrinking to a...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 1, 2004 06:58 AM

Has Gallup Seen the Light?

Steve has justifiably been hammering Gallup over the past few weeks for their ridiculous polling methods. Well, either we finally got to Frank Newport and the gang, or they've seen the light, because these latest numbers look mighty encouraging, though...

Posted by rayman in The Left Coaster on October 31, 2004 07:08 PM

Mother Nature Endorses Kerry

PLANET EARTH (Universal News Service - Sunday, Oct. 31). - Mother Nature today endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards. She also vowed to aid the Democratic ticket by sending unseasonably warm, dry weather to most of the nation.

Posted by larre in The Left Coaster on October 31, 2004 05:10 AM

Heading Towards A 301-237 Kerry Victory

Aside from Larre�s advice to ignore polls this late in the game, and with a positive trend developing in some of the national tracking polls, I wanted to spend a few moments and catch up on where we�re at in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 26, 2004 02:49 PM

Gallup's Florida Poll Is A Laugher As Well

Fretting over Kerry�s chances in Florida based on last night�s CNN/USAT/Gallup poll which showed Bush surging out to a 8% LV lead over Kerry (51%-43%), and a remarkable 9% RV lead (51%-42%) over Kerry? Don�t be. Check out the ridiculous...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 26, 2004 09:24 AM

Today's Gallup Poll Based On Even Larger GOP Bias Amongst Likely Voters

With no concern apparently for its credibility, Gallup has just trotted out its latest CNN/USAT/Gallup poll of likely (LV) and registered voters (RV). All I can say is that I give them credit for consistency and not being concerned with...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 25, 2004 01:10 PM

Sunday Morning Coming Down

While Gallup, CNN, and their ilk are going all-out making "in-kind contributions" to the Bush campaign in the guise of ludicrously distorted poll numbers, the Bushistas are no fools--they realize what a perilous position they're in. Today's WaPo article offers...

Posted by rayman in The Left Coaster on October 24, 2004 07:21 AM

Bush's Cult

Thanks to the tip from commenter DEK, we find confirmation of what many of us suspect all the time: Bush supporters, for whatever reason, are extremely misinformed about what their candidate stands for and are ignorant about the world around...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 21, 2004 04:57 PM

Pew Center Poll Also Now Shows Kerry Tied With Bush

(Thanks to Pew Center for the graphic) So much for another Bush lead. Yesterday we reported that according to the new NBC News/WSJ poll Kerry had erased an earlier four-point Bush lead and surged into a tie amongst likely...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 20, 2004 03:44 PM

Yesterday's Gallup Poll Assumed Reduced Minority Vote From 2000, Greater Number Of Upper-End Conservative Voters

Now that the Gallup Poll from yesterday has been blasted far and wide as proof that Bush has supposedly surged to an 8% lead over Kerry despite the debates, it is warranted to look a little closer at the composition...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 19, 2004 12:53 PM

CBS Poll Calls Race A Tie - Survey USA Says Kerry Takes Lead In Florida, Moves Out Safely In Penn.; Within MOE In North Carolina

Survey USA reported new polls late today that show Kerry moving ahead of Bush in Florida by 1% after trailing by 5% less than two weeks ago. Just as good is the news that the Democrats are in position to...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 18, 2004 11:14 PM

Today's Gallup Poll Once Again Contains GOP Sample Bias - Without Bias, Kerry Ahead By 2%

With the usual amount of fanfare that accompanies the release of a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, it was reported today that John Kerry was �losing ground� despite winning all three debates because the new Gallup poll for CNN and USAT...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 17, 2004 06:50 PM

CNN Moves Ohio And New Hampshire To Kerry

CNN, based on GOP-leaning Gallup information, mind you, moved both Ohio and New Hampshire into Kerry's column late this afternoon. CNN notes that Bush must hold off Kerry in Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Florida to maintain a lead in the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 15, 2004 11:27 PM

Bush Is 0-3

This is the look of a man who is 0-3 in debates and just experienced the realization that he got spanked again. If you want to take a bunch of online polls, go here. We saw a return to...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 13, 2004 08:52 PM

Gender Bender

Cokie Roberts declared recently that the “gender gap” has disappeared. In 2000 we were told that the “gender gap” had narrowed for the first time since 1980. Is either statement true? No. A “gender gap” in voting behavior between all...

Posted by Marie in The Left Coaster on October 12, 2004 06:39 PM

Yesterday's Gallup Poll Had GOP Advantage - Once Again

Yesterday, Gallup released a new poll for USA Today and CNN, which showed a tightened race in both of their registered voter (RV) and likely voter (LV) results. It turns out that the RV and LV results, showing a 49%-48%...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 12, 2004 07:15 AM

Gallup Post-Debate Poll Gives Nod To Kerry, Even With A GOP Sample Bias

Some more post-debate information: Our friends at Gallup say that their instant poll showed a much closer result this time, with Kerry winning by only two points, 47%-45%. I actually agree with Gallup on this one. I think that Kerry...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 9, 2004 08:45 AM

Time Poll Says Kerry Now More Likeable Than Bush

(Courtesy of Atrios) The latest Time Magazine/CNN poll (not done by Gallup) using a sample that more closely reflects the party ID breakdown from the 2000 race shows Kerry and Bush in a 45%-45% tie going into tonight�s debate. The...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 8, 2004 02:07 PM

Gallup's Latest Polls In Three States May Undercount Kerry's Surge

Gallup released three state polls yesterday for CNN and USA Today. In all three key states, they reported that Kerry had closed the gap with Bush, with Bush holding three point leads over Kerry amongst likely voters in Wisconsin and...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 8, 2004 12:34 PM

Zogby Battleground States Poll Shows Impact Of Kerry's Debate Win

If you want to see the impact of Kerry�s debate win on a state-by-state basis, you can look at the latest Zogby/Wall Street Journal battleground states poll taken after the first presidential debate. It shows that Kerry has moved out...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 7, 2004 02:34 PM

The Latest Gallup Poll - And The Flood Of Registered Voters

For the last several weeks, I have questioned how Gallup can put out polls with registered and likely voter samples that contained large GOP biases unsupported by recent electoral history. For example, the Gallup national polls of early and late...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 4, 2004 11:59 AM

This Ought To Make Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

Something out there in the cosmos is really tweaked out of alignment! Saddam to Declare Candidacy for Iraqi Elections 09.21.2004 Tuesday Overthrown Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who was arrested by US forces last December, reportedly plans to run as a...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on October 1, 2004 06:18 PM

"It's hard work."

A sampling of opinion on the first 2004 Presidential debate from around the world: The First Debate Before last night's debate, we worried that the long list of rules insisted on by both camps would create a stilted exchange of...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on October 1, 2004 02:50 AM

Gallup's Latest State Polls Are Better, But Still Have GOP Bias

Gallup released three battleground state polls late yesterday, and two of the three showed a close race amongst likely voters. After obtaining the breakdowns by party ID of all three of the likely voter samples used by Gallup in yesterday�s...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 30, 2004 01:52 PM

The Media Lets Gallup Off The Hook

David Brock�s Media Matters For America runs an entry this morning following up on our work yesterday to highlight the GOP bias in Gallup�s poll samples. Gallup�s CEO Frank Newport was given the chance by CNN to respond to concerns...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 29, 2004 01:51 PM

Bush Administration At War With Itself Over Iraq

While I have been off tilting at Gallup windmills the last couple of days, there have been significant developments about Iraq. First, there is more and more frustration and anger beginning to seep out of the Bush Administration unofficially about...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2004 11:58 PM

Despite GOP Firestorm, Majority Feel CBS Made "Honest Mistake" On Memos

Here�s a good one for you. Despite the firestorm that the Mighty Wurlitzer stirred up over the CBS News/Dan Rather problems with the allegedly false Bush Guard memos, well over 50% of those polled think the mess was nothing more...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2004 10:15 PM

Gallup's Registered Voter Sample Was Inflated For The GOP Also

Well, I have received the party ID breakdown from Gallup on their registered voter sample they used in yesterday�s poll. As you will remember, Gallup said that Bush had even a larger lead amongst registered voters (54%-41%) in a two-way...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2004 08:40 PM

Pew Uses Same Pollster As Newsweek - Who Oversampled For GOP Earlier This Month

I�ve already read comments from some folks today that Gallup may be right because the Pew Center poll came out this morning showing a 48%-40% Bush lead. Yet keep in mind this poll showed them tied two weeks ago, and...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2004 04:00 PM

Gallup Is At It Again - Yesterday's National Poll Had 12% GOP Bias

Gallup has done it again. After supplying CNN and USA Today with a poll two weeks ago that showed a double-digit Bush lead amongst likely voters that turned out to have a significant bias in its sample favoring the GOP,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 28, 2004 07:25 AM

Don't Buy The GOP Spin On The Polls

With the first debate coming up Thursday, several pundits have begun spreading the meme that Kerry needs to do well in order to stay in the race, because of the state of the national and state-by-state polls showing advantages for...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 27, 2004 05:00 PM

More Poll Questions or Why Does this Woman Have a Job?

On Monday�s installment of Cokie Roberts goes Poll Dancing for Bush, doyenne Cokie says the polls are showing that women voters are moving towards Bush. Huh? Did she get her data from the Gallup polls, perchance? Coz that�s what they...

Posted by Duckman GR in The Left Coaster on September 21, 2004 04:50 PM

Gallup's Iowa Poll From Yesterday Is Suspect Also

Stop me if you�ve heard this one before. Gallup and USA Today have announced the results of Gallup�s latest poll from Iowa, wherein Bush allegedly leads Kerry by six points (50%-44%) amongst likely voters in the state. The poll included...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 21, 2004 03:02 PM

Upon Closer Inspection, Another Gallup Poll Is Suspect

Last Friday, I raised the possibility that Gallup's national polls were suspect due to questionable sampling that misrepresented the party identification of the electorate. At the time, I suspected that this problem with Gallup's sampling and its oversampling of GOP...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 21, 2004 12:19 AM

Was It Something Steve Said?

Yesterday, Blog Lord Steve Soto took the Gallup Organization to task for badly skewing their polling results to reflect a large margin of support for George W. Bu$h over John F. Kerry. Look what they have come up with since...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on September 18, 2004 01:17 PM

There's A Problem With The CBS News/NYT Poll As Well

I�ve had several people send me notes tonight and in the comments section trying to undo my argument against the Gallup Poll sampling today by pointing to the just-released CBS News/New York Times poll out tonight, which shows that amongst...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 17, 2004 11:07 PM

Why You Should Ignore The Gallup Poll This Morning - And Maybe Other Gallup Polls As Well

This morning we awoke to the startling news that despite a flurry of different polls this week all showing a tied race, the venerable Gallup Poll, as reported widely in the media (USA Today and CNN) today, showed George W....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 17, 2004 10:46 AM

Consumer Confidence Levels Off

With a little over six weeks to go before the election, first-time filings for unemployment insurance went up, some regional factory activity indicators tumbled, and consumer confidence as measured by the University of Michigan stagnated. But the stock market goes...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 17, 2004 08:20 AM

Liars, Damn Liars, and Statisticians

"Anybody who believes these national political polls are giving you facts is a gullible fool. Any editors of newspapers or television news shows who use poll results as a story are beyond gullible. On behalf of the public they...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on September 17, 2004 07:01 AM

New Polls: Some Good News, And Nader the Spoiler Once Again

New ARG State-by-State Polls And The Nader Effect American Research Group has commenced a series of state-by-state polls this month and reported the first batch of those just now. Their initial release of 20 states shows some surprises and concerns...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 16, 2004 12:43 PM

Polls And Their Samples: Verify The Party ID

If you want a good example of why you should take a close look at polls before accepting what they reflect, I point you to the much-ballyhooed Newsweek polls of the last couple of weeks. You�ll remember that last week...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 12, 2004 02:28 PM

Gallup Destroys the "Big Bounce" Meme - Bush & Kerry Still Tied With Registered Voters

Graphic courtesy of Gallup Gallup, the pollster Republicans always run to when Zogby and the others don�t generate results they like, just threw cold water on the Newsweek and Time magazine polls that showed Bush shooting to a double-digit...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 6, 2004 02:11 PM

Tier Two, Where Are You?

In spite of all the hyperventilating on the part of liberal bloggers, I think it's reasonable to conclude that Kerry emerged relatively unscathed from the SBVT fiasco, as the fresh-from-vacation Ruy Teixeira points out: The poll that best provides a...

Posted by rayman in The Left Coaster on August 31, 2004 06:51 AM

Swifties and Charley Didn't Help Bush In Florida

Yup, it sure looks like the Swifties smear campaign has had a big impact in Florida. Check out the latest Gallup Poll from that key state. Likely Voters-August 20-22 (July results in parentheses) Bush/Cheney: 48% (50%) Kerry/Edwards: 47% (47%) Registered...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 24, 2004 12:33 PM

State-By-State Polls Show A Bounce

Despite the garbage from the recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, which showed that Kerry lost ground nationally as a result of the convention amongst likely (but not registered) voters, Kerry did get a significant bounce in Florida from the convention. According...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 6, 2004 12:51 PM

On Polls And Bounces

A quick note on polls and bounces. It is questionable whether or not Kerry/Edwards got any kind of a significant bounce from the convention, even though there is consensus that the proceedings in Boston helped the ticket. We can argue...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 2, 2004 10:41 AM

Newsweek Shows A Minimum Four-Point Convention Bounce, And Maybe More

The Newsweek Poll out late today shows that Kerry got a four-point bounce from the convention, and now leads Bush by seven points, 49%-42%, with Ralph Nader taking 3%. But this result is deceiving, because as Newsweek notes, the poll...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 31, 2004 06:19 PM

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll Has Kerry-Edwards Up By Seven

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll shows a bump for Kerry as a result of the Edwards selection. The spread between Kerry/Edwards and Bush/Cheney amongst registered voters through the weekend is now up to seven points (51%-44%). Pollsters normally believe that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 12, 2004 03:57 PM

Campaign Quick Hits

Several related political notes on the election that are interesting: What does the White House have planned for distracting the country from the Democratic National Convention at the end of the month? How about the sudden capture of Bin Laden,...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on July 7, 2004 08:40 PM

More Polls

On a day after Zogby reported that Bush was pulling ahead in several key swing states (paging Mr. Edwards, white courtesy phone), American Research Group comes out with its own polls in two of those states showing the opposite. According...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 24, 2004 05:08 PM

New Poll Shows Kerry Up By Six, And Is Bush Whacko?

As a heads up to all of you, I will be heading out of town tomorrow afternoon visiting family and San Diego colleges with our daughter (excitement and dread at the same time), and will not return until Sunday night....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 9, 2004 10:44 PM

Latest Polls Tighten

Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graphic Several new polls out in the last couple of day, none of which show any new trends. American Research Group came out with their latest nationwide poll yesterday, which showed a narrowing of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 8, 2004 11:47 AM

To Find A Way Out

The Coalition of the Swilling continues to develop stress cracks. First, seeking to avoid the political fate of their next door neighbors, the Portuguese government is looking into pulling out because Most Portuguese want to exit Iraq. Almost 74 percent...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on June 4, 2004 09:41 AM

Slidin' Down The Poll

Republicans are getting worried about the poor showing of George Warmonger Bush. They just don't want to admit it. Recent polls show that Bush continued to decline in his approval numbers, and Iraq is only one of the issues. Bush...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 22, 2004 08:05 PM

All I Know I Read In The Newspaper

There has been a lot of discussion over why the American media seems so out of touch with anything but Republican talking points. A study of racial diversity just might point to why this is. The American Society of Newspaper...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 13, 2004 08:16 PM

Touting The Race

Back in 1996, I attended the Reform Party convention in Long Beach, and let me tell you, it was an interesting experience. Here I was, an unabashed liberal, formerly a Democrat, surrounded by hordes of disgruntled ex-Republicans, many of whom...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 13, 2004 04:14 PM

Enter The Braggin'

Part 2 of 'Touting the Race' above....

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 13, 2004 04:10 PM

Kerry Leads Bush Nationally Except In South, And Looking Strong In Ohio As Well

(Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graphic) A look at several polls out today shows that there may be a disconnect between what some of the national polls are saying about the head-to-head race between Bush and Kerry and what...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 13, 2004 01:13 PM

Gallup Says Consumer Confidence Is Actually Falling Among Middle and Lower Income Groups

After two months of good job news for George W. Bush, one would think that consumer confidence would be on a gradual upswing. However, according to Gallup, confidence is actually falling among middle and lower income groups. The two major...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 12, 2004 07:59 AM

McHale's Army

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is being besieged for the fiasco that is the Iraq Quagmire. His sorry performance before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Friday didn't help him any. In fact, it might have hurt him, in that...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 9, 2004 07:26 AM

What A Difference Decay Makes

Recent remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan concerning the increase in inflation have set the money men a-twitter. It wasn't so long ago that the future looked so bright, you had to wear shades! Since then, however, the old...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 7, 2004 10:36 AM

Bush Resumes Slide In Gallup Approval Ratings - Voters Overwhelmingly Dissatisfied With Direction of Country

(Thanks to PollingReport.com for the graphic) Yes, John Kerry hasn�t sprinted out to a ten-point lead over a troubled George W. Bush. Yes, John Kerry has been hurt by damaging ads that have gone virtually unanswered until recently. Yet...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 6, 2004 09:20 PM

George Will On George's Will

Any time a Republican administration loses the support of George Will, it is in incomprehensible quantities of offal big time. Will, whose demeanor rarely rises above lukewarm, is about as conservative as they come, so when he starts getting concerned...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on May 5, 2004 11:22 AM

Accepting The Lowest Bid, Part 3

Space limitations define the posting. Continuing ......

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on March 26, 2004 07:16 PM

Rancor's The Way

Things must really not be going well for the Republican Party these days. Just this week alone, Dick Cheney had to boost the public image of George Warmonger Bush during his speech at the Reagan Library, Dumby had to be...

Posted by pessimist in The Left Coaster on March 20, 2004 01:52 PM

Gallup Says Kerry Is Ahead Of Bush In Battleground States

I want you to look at these results from Gallup�s latest poll yesterday and see if we see the same thing. Gallup makes a great point about Nader not being the threat among likely voters as he is amongst...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 10, 2004 11:32 PM

Polls Show Bush's Initial Assault Upon Kerry Failing

Want to know why Bush is going so negative using the Willie Horton gang so early in the campaign? Because despite the conventional wisdom that Kerry�s lead in the polls this early is irrelevant because Bush is just now...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 8, 2004 10:17 PM

Latest Newsweek Poll Shows Kerry/Edwards Beating Bush/Cheney

The latest Newsweek Poll out today shows that Kerry maintains a small head-to-head lead over Bush of four points (49%-45%) among registered voters. Edwards however polls even with Bush 46%-46% in a similar head-to-head. Interestingly, Newsweek has begun asking...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 22, 2004 11:41 AM

Kerry and Edwards Both Lead Bush By Double Digits In Latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll

Sing Fat Lady, Sing! Karl will be up late tonight. Yes, it is only February. Yes, Rove will spend $200 million smearing these guys. But as I go forward with this story, keep in mind this poll was taken through...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 18, 2004 02:52 PM

Detached From Reality: The Post and Bush's Election Chances Due To The Economy

As a follow-up to Mary's great post about what Bush will run on, and your comments on how it will be sold, here�s a textbook example of how the media helps Bush even in the face of contradictory evidence. In...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 17, 2004 12:21 PM

Voters View Democrats Much More Favorably Than GOP

Karl, read this and weep. Buried in the recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll was a question about voters� assessments of the two political parties ten months before the election. By a large 25-point margin (59% favorable-34% unfavorable), it turns out...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 5, 2004 10:55 PM

New Quinnipiac University Poll Shows Trouble For Bush

The latest Quinnipiac University national poll out today confirms what other polls have shown recently: John Kerry has opened up a large and commanding lead as the choice of Democrats to take on Bush this fall. Moreover, Kerry leads Bush...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 2, 2004 01:18 PM

Sunday Polls; Responding To Attacks; And New Messages Needed

The last Sunday before the New Hampshire primary brings us conflicting polls, a return by Howard Dean to pointing out sharp differences with John Kerry, and an effort by all to attract independent voters. First, this morning�s latest American Research...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 25, 2004 01:08 PM

Clark Gains On Dean; Kerry Shows Signs of Life in Iowa

Don�t look now, but we may have a race on our hands after all for the Democratic nomination. After weeks of pounding by his Democratic rivals, Howard Dean finds himself now only four points ahead of a surging Wesley Clark...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on January 7, 2004 05:36 PM

More on Bush, Polls and 2004

If you don�t think that Bush�s credibility over Iraq won�t be a factor next year, read this summary of a poll completed last week by the University of Maryland�s Program on International Policy Attitudes. The percentage of people who now...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on November 17, 2003 11:35 PM

Latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll Shows More Slippage For Bush On Iraq

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll out today continues to show a decline in support for Bush�s handling of Iraq, with noticeable declines in support amongst two groups the Karl Rove is counting on next year: men and seniors. More unexpected...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 28, 2003 11:09 PM

Democratic Primary Preview: California, Hawaii, Minnesota

by CA Pol Junkie This is the tenth and final preview of the Democratic primaries, and the last of four on the March 2nd contests which will almost certainly determine the nominee. Previous previews: IA, NH; DE, MO, SC; AZ,...

Posted by CA Pol Junkie in The Left Coaster on October 15, 2003 10:24 AM

New ABC News/Washington Post Poll Has Good News

Those of you who were climbing the walls over the most recent Gallup Poll that showed Bush with an increasing approval rating can now climb off the wall. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll just released by ABC tonight, which...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 14, 2003 03:23 PM

Tuesday Morning Update

Dean and Kerry are sparring once again over Iraq, with Kerry going after Dean for a lack of a plan for Iraq (yeah John, but W doesn’t have a plan either, and besides, what’s yours?), and Dean disingenuously responding that...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 14, 2003 07:40 AM

Bush Fights Perception That He's Lost Control

Following on the heels of the idea put forward by pessimist in the previous post, take a look at several stories and comments from key senators on the chatfests yesterday. Bush wakes up this morning to see that all the...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on October 13, 2003 03:31 PM

More Tumbling Poll Numbers for Bush

The latest USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll out today shows Bush�s approval rating now down to 50%, the lowest of his presidency. He has a disapproval rating of 47%, up 11 points since the first week of August. Moreover, among registered voters...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 22, 2003 03:09 PM

And Then There Were Ten-Clark Is In

Thanks to a tip from Bragan, we learn that it's official: With a large part of the Clinton/Gore team aboard, Wesley Clark is in. Your thoughts on Clark's impact upon the race, which candidates are hurt or helped by Clark's...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 16, 2003 08:56 AM

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll Says Clark Entry Dooms Lieberman

More detailed information from the CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll of Democrats and Democrat-leaners completed Wednesday shows that the likely entry of Wesley Clark into the race next week would virtually collapse the candidacy of Joe Lieberman....

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 12, 2003 05:09 PM

Bush Falls Further in Latest Poll/Clark Fifth If He Jumps In

According to the most recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll out just hours ago, Bush�s approval rating has fallen to 52%, with a disapproval rating now of 43%. Only 40% of those polled are satisfied with the way things are going in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 11, 2003 04:50 PM

Kerry ReLaunches Campaign-Decides to Take On Dean

After restarting his campaign months after he began it, of the two choices facing John Kerry for a strategy (ignoring Dean for now and angle for the ABD vote in the end, or go on the attack to reclaim lost...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on September 4, 2003 07:50 AM

Last August’s Blown Opportunities Not Repeating Themselves This Year

It was a year ago at this time that the Democrats lost the 2002 midterm elections. Oh sure, the actual elections were in November, wherein the party took a drubbing in both the House and Senate contests, losing ground in...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on August 10, 2003 09:24 PM

Putsch Aimed at Powell?

Posted by Mary Yesterday the Washington Post reported that Colin Powell would not serve as Secretary of State for Bush's second term. The story was a bit strange since it was reported that Richard Armitage had told Condi Rice about...

Posted by Mary in The Left Coaster on August 5, 2003 09:56 PM

Democratic Update

With the second quarter fundraising reports due in the coming days, it is a good time to take a look at how things are going on the campaign trail. Although national opinion polls among Democrats still show that Joe Lieberman...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 30, 2003 10:45 PM

The Economy Starts to Take Its Toll on Bush Reelect Numbers

After seeing a recent upward trend in consumer confidence level off yesterday, today it is reported that durable goods orders fell by 0.3 percent in May, a larger-than-expected figure. This occurred after the expected post-Iraq economic lift that the Bush...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 25, 2003 07:23 AM

AOL Snapshot Poll Bodes Poorly for Bush in Iraq

Following up on a citation from Michael H. that I noticed myself tonight on AOL was their poll for the night, whose results should give the Bushies a few sleepless nights. I have heard anecdotally that polls conducted on AOL...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 23, 2003 11:28 PM

How Democrats Can Deal With National Security

Democrats either running for president or plotting how to deal effectively with the GOP between now and November 2004 are confronted with the issue of how to tackle the national security advantages that Bush and Karl Rove have manipulated for...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 5, 2003 06:05 PM

Do Americans Care About Iraq Difficulties Anymore?

On a day when our troops faced fresh threats and new attacks, a new USA Today poll shows how detached from reality the average American is about Iraq. Most Americans still say things are going reasonably well for the United...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on June 2, 2003 11:13 PM

Update on the Democrats

What do you make of these developments? First, the Greens are making noises that they may sit out 2004 and support the Democratic candidate, as long as it is not Gephardt or Lieberman. Second, after having two good weeks of...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 27, 2003 01:00 PM

Democrats Afraid of Class Warfare Smear

If you want to assess the worthiness of any of the Senate Democrats running for president, or Dick Gephardt for that matter, let’s see how long it takes any of them to have the guts to accuse Bush of class...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on May 13, 2003 12:30 PM

Daschle Defeats Bush on ANWR-Domestic Agenda in Peril?

With a GOP victory looming as late as last week, it now looks like Tom Daschle is about to stop the centerpiece of Bush’s energy policy, killing the ANWR drilling initiative. With the GOP Senate leadership predicting as late as...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on March 19, 2003 12:48 PM

Bush's Re-elect Numbers Drop Below 50% in Gallup Poll

Although his current approval rating in the just-released CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll is at 57% (on the high side in comparison with other recent polls), Bush's re-elect numbers have slipped to 47% in the poll released just today. Just as noteworthy...

Posted by Steve in The Left Coaster on February 27, 2003 03:38 PM