A June 29 McClatchy-Maris poll found that Republicans favor a presidential candidate who shares their values and is close to them on the issues over a candidate who can beat Barack Obama by a 62 percent to 15 percent margin. Only 20 percent of Republicans favor a candidate with the experience to govern.
A June 27 Gallup poll found that people who are very religious are much more likely to be Republicans. It also found that 41 percent of people consider themselves to be very religious, 29 percent as religious, and 30 percent as non-religious.
A June 24 Rasmussen poll found that a majority of people want American troops out of Afghanistan within a year.
A June 23 Bloomberg poll found that only 10 percent of Republicans believe their candidates should focus primarily on social issues; 83 percent favor a primary focus on economic issues.
A June 23 Gallup poll asked people about their confidence in various institutions. It found high and rising confidence in the military, low and falling confidence in Congress, among other findings.
In a June 23 commentary, political scientist John Sides reviewed research which shows that being vulnerable to the Vietnam-era draft pushed men to the left, politically. And this effect lasted for many years.
A June 22 Rasmussen poll found that very few people approve of the job Congress is doing, with little difference in opinion based on party membership.
Also on June 22, Rasmussen released a poll found that a plurality of voters believe that most reporters are more liberal, politically, than they are.
A June 21 Pew poll found sharply rising public support for pulling American troops out of Afghanistan. A YouGov poll that same day found similar results.
I last posted items on this topic on June 21.
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).
