Politics & Government
Who’s Afraid of Big Government?
[12.15.2011]According to a new poll by Gallup, Americans’ fears about big government’s threat to the country’s wellbeing are at near-record highs, outstripping the potential harm posed by big business or big labor. Over six-in-ten (64%) Americans say that big government represents the biggest threat to the country’s future, compared to only one-quarter (26%) who say that big business embodies the greatest threat, and less than one-in-ten who say the same… more
Seniors’ Support For Gingrich Sets Up Generational Divide
[12.06.2011]Republican voters seem to have found a new favorite (and it’s not Mitt Romney). Newt Gingrich is now outpacing Romney in some measures of electability, and pundits are predicting that his chances of winning the Iowa caucus are quite good. Gingrich has attracted support across important Republican constituencies but he is particularly popular among older Republicans, which raises the question of whether senior voters could sweep Gingrich to the nomination…. more
New Demographic Profiles of Occupy Wall Street vs. Tea Party Movements
[12.01.2011]Roughly one-quarter (23%) of Americans say they identify with the values of the Tea Party movement. An equal number (23%) say that the Occupy Wall Street movement shares their values. Few Americans (6%) say that both groups share their values and nearly half (48%) say that neither group shares their values. The composition of each group’s supporters varies significantly. Among those who identify with the values of the Tea Party movement more… more
Can Newt Gingrich Pick Up Support Among White Evangelicals?
[11.29.2011]As Herman Cain, once the darling of a sizeable segment of the Republican primary electorate, crashes and burns under continuing revelations of sexual harassment and marital infidelity, another unlikely candidate is rising to the top of the Republican field. Evangelical Christians’ discomfort with Mitt Romney’s Mormonism and his past flirtation with political moderation on such issues like abortion has created new openings for other candidates, and Newt Gingrich is the… more
Sexual Harassment Allegations Could Damage Cain’s Popularity Among White Evangelicals
[10.31.2011]It’s only noon on Monday, but it already seems like it’s not going to be Herman Cain’s week. On Sunday, Politico broke the story on allegations of sexual harassment leveled at Cain during his time as head of the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Sources say that “sexually suggestive behavior by Cain” made them “angry and uncomfortable.” According to the story, the women signed agreements with the NRA that gave them… more
Which GOP Candidate Will Catholic Conservatives Choose?
[10.31.2011]We’ve been writing so much about white evangelical Protestants recently that you might be forgiven for thinking that they’re the only religious subgroup that politicians (at least, the candidates in the race for the GOP nomination) care about. Over at Time’s Swampland blog, Amy Sullivan asks a great question: have we been focusing so hard on white evangelicals that we’ve forgotten about Catholic Republicans? After all, they comprise about one-quarter… more
Another Look at Mitt Romney’s “Mormon Problem”
[10.28.2011]Amid the tweets about Herman Cain’s YouTube ads, suggestions for Halloween costumes and up-to-the-minute notes about the Occupy protests across the country, there’s been a lot of discussion in my Twitter feed about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith and what it means for his electoral chances this time around. But the 140 characters constraint often results in the complexity of the situation getting lost, especially when you remember… more
Should We Be Surprised by the New Numbers on Romney’s Religion?
[10.27.2011]Last July, only 4 in 10 Americans could correctly identify Mitt Romney’s religion. Today, a new survey shows that Americans are no more informed about Romney’s Mormon faith than they were three months ago – only 42% correctly identify him as Mormon. This total absence of change may seem surprising, given that Romney’s Mormonism has been in the news ever since Robert Jeffress, a prominent evangelical pastor, publicly encouraged Republicans… more