An April 12 CNN/Opinion Research poll asked people questions about the Civil War. Overall, 23 percent of people say they sympathize with the Confederacy; 67 percent with the Union. Only 54 percent of people believe that slavery was the primary cause of the war; 42 percent disagree.
Also on April 12, Public Policy Polling reported declining support for Republicans in Congress, especially among independents.
An April 11 Gallup poll found that Americans believe that lobbyists, big corporations, banks, labor unions and the federal government all have too much power; state and local governments, the military, courts, and churches have about the right amount of power.
An April 8 Pew poll found a declining percentage of people who agree with the Tea Party and a rising percentage who disagree.
An April 7 Public Policy Polling poll found that 46 percent of Mississippi Republicans favor outlawing interracial marriage; only 40 percent oppose the idea.
An April 7 Fox News poll found that 37 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Tea Party members do not believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States.
In an April 7 commentary, University of Massachusetts historian Heather Cox Richardson drew a parallel between the obsessively pro-business policies of Republicans today and in the 1880s. She observes that the earlier episode eventually led to a backlash against business during the Progressive Era.
An April 4 Gallup poll found that people have an equally low opinion of both parties in Congress.
A March 31 Harris poll found majority support for legalizing medical marijuana.
A March 30 CNN/Opinion Research poll found declining support for the Tea Party movement. Its favorability percentage has fallen from 38 percent in November to 32 percent, while its unfavorability percentage has risen from 42 percent to 47 percent.
On March 7, the Congressional Research Service published a report listing every major instance of the use of American military force abroad since 1798.
I last posted items on this topic on March 30.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
