If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

White letter R on blue background
June 30, 2010

The Supreme Charade By Susan Estrich

Supreme Court confirmation hearings are nothing but a charade. "Balls and strikes" is what John Roberts said he'd call. Sonia Sotomayor, no fool she, said the same. Elena Kagan, ditto, is going to be a neutral arbiter. She isn't a "progressive." She will be fair and open.

White letter R on blue background
June 29, 2010

In Washington, 'Disclose' Means Stifle By Debra J. Saunders

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR5175, also
known as the Disclose Act, by a 219-206 vote. "Disclose," you see, is an
acronym for "Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in
Elections."

White letter R on blue background
June 29, 2010

Heaven Must Wait for a Money-Savvy Public By Froma Harrop

In the conservative paradise, a nation of strong, hard-working individuals borrow responsibly and save for future needs. They don't need government telling them how to manage their money. If they do foolish things, they pay the price.

White letter R on blue background
June 27, 2010

Primary Voters Had a Right To Know About Settlement By Debra J. Saunders

Did GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman shove an employee when
she was CEO of eBay -- resulting in a $200,000 settlement for the employee?

White letter R on blue background
June 26, 2010

The Doctor Is Not In By Susan Estrich

Not long ago, a close friend called me with an unusual request. She
and her husband were looking for a new doctor to take care of them. What
made it unusual was that they'd had the same doctor for years -- decades,
actually.

White letter R on blue background
June 25, 2010

Midterm Morsels: House By Isaac T. Wood

While this week's House primaries and runoffs could not match the June 8th contests in sheer number, they made up for it in drama, intrigue, and good old fashioned controversy. Here are five quick takes from the most interesting of those races that were on the ballot Tuesday.

White letter R on blue background
June 25, 2010

Mid-Term Morsels By Larry J. Sabato

On Tuesday, political junkies were treated to the latest in a seemingly unending series of primaries. Several critical statewide nominations were determined in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Utah. Our updates, written by the voters more than us, are below.

White letter R on blue background
June 25, 2010

Government Pensions Face the Music By Froma Harrop

Very few of my friends in their 40s talk about their impending retirements, but every last one of them works for government, be it local, state or federal. That's because they can collect plush pensions at tender ages that other workers can only dream about. Health coverage is often part of the bargain.

White letter R on blue background
June 24, 2010

Whether He Likes It or Not, Obama Must Command By Michael Barone

We didn't need this. By "we," I mean the large majority of citizens who want America to succeed in Afghanistan. By "this," I mean the Rolling Stone article that quoted Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his aides saying uncomplimentary things about Barack Obama, Joe Biden and other civilian officials.

White letter R on blue background
June 24, 2010

Is the Welfare State a Ponzi Scheme? By Howard Rich

Ponzi schemes rely on people falling for promises that are literally too good to be true – but the outcomes are never really in doubt for the perpetrators of these scams, are they?

White letter R on blue background
June 24, 2010

For House Democrats: More Favorable Terrain Than '94 By Rhodes Cook

When the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in 1994, one of their main problems was the political terrain on which they had to fight. While many political observers find the present electoral environment to be eerily similar with that of 1994, not nearly as many House Democrats are as exposed as they were then.

White letter R on blue background
June 23, 2010

The Opportunity in Afghanistan by Susan Estrich

During the most difficult days of the Mondale-Ferraro campaign in 1984, someone printed up a button that said: "There are no problems. Only opportunities."

White letter R on blue background
June 23, 2010

Obama the Isolationist? by Tony Blankley

Is it possible for an American president to carry out accidentally an isolationist foreign policy? That odd question crossed my mind last week as I talked with various foreign-policy experts about the Middle East, Russia and Afghanistan. There can be no doubt that by his words and his travels, President Obama intends to be anything but an isolationist president.

White letter R on blue background
June 23, 2010

From New Jersey to Beijing and Back Again By Lawrence Kudlow

Here are some thoughts on a few recent and important money-politics headlines.

White letter R on blue background
June 22, 2010

Electrify the Roads By Froma Harrop

My magic wand is on the fritz, otherwise we'd have a big, new federal program to free America from its dependence on oil. Like other environmentalists, I'm sad that the calamity in the Gulf of Mexico hasn't spurred Washington to more vigorously promote America's exit from this curse.

White letter R on blue background
June 22, 2010

If You Can't Budget, You Can't Govern by Debra J. Saunders

"If you can't budget, you can't govern," Rep. John Spratt Jr., D-S.C., proclaimed in 2006 when the House GOP leadership chose to dispense with passing a budget resolution.

White letter R on blue background
June 22, 2010

Obama's Thuggery Is Useless in Fighting Spill By Michael Barone

Thuggery is unattractive. Ineffective thuggery even more so. Which may be one reason so many Americans have been reacting negatively to the response of Barack Obama and his administration to BP's gulf oil spill.

White letter R on blue background
June 21, 2010

BP, the White House and Congress Are All Dirty By Lawrence Kudlow

Amidst all the political jockeying over the BP catastrophe, the main players are missing what is really uppermost on America's mind: It's the spill rate, stupid. It's jobs, stupid. It's the economy, stupid. And none of it is happening.

White letter R on blue background
June 20, 2010

University of Anarchy and No Consequences By Debra J. Saunders

When activists (who are not necessarily students) were able to delay construction of a UC Berkeley sports center by living in trees for 21 months, there was no review of what went wrong.

White letter R on blue background
June 19, 2010

The Politics of Disaster By Susan Estrich

When BP CEO Tony Hayward went to Capitol Hill this week, he got beat up on by all sides.