TresSugar

Only 53% of Americans Like Capitalism More Than Socialism

CitizenSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:15:44 -0700

Capitalism isn't doing so well in the market of public opinion. Only 53 percent of American adults think capitalism is better than socialism. Soon we'll all be speaking French.

Of course we could debate the meanings of those terms, but the survey reveals a growing distrust of capitalism in America.

Still it doesn't look like we're actually close to ditching the free market system, which people like! Rasmussen Reports, the company that conducted the survey, explains that an earlier survey showed that 70 percent of Americans favor a free market system.

Rasmussen thinks the growing disdain for "capitalism" is caused by the belief that big business and big government work together to hurt consumers and investors. And who isn't opposed to that?

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Summer of Rage? Americans Angry About Economy

CitizenSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:30:33 -0800

Hard times can spawn a whole range of emotions: fear, panic, worry. A new poll shows that three out of four Americans are angry about the state of the country.

Thanks to similar attitudes across the pond, British authorities say they're getting ready for a "Summer of rage." Police think middle-class anger at the economic crisis could erupt into violence on the streets. Banks still paying large bonuses, despite receiving billions in taxpayer money, are considered "viable targets."

In the US things might not get so bad so soon, considering three out of four of the Americans questioned also said things are going well for them personally.

Do you worry that frustration with the economic crisis could turn ugly?

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Damage Control: US Has Long Way to Go Before Image Fixed

CitizenSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:30:06 -0800

During his first interview as president, Barack Obama said his "job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy." Well considering the level of dissatisfaction around the world, especially in the Middle East and Northern Africa, Obama may have little time for anything else.

According to a new Gallup poll, only in Sub-Saharan Africa do the majority of people (72 percent) approve of the job performance of the United State's leadership. Overall, only 34 percent of respondents around the world approve. And when it comes to what will help improve their views of the US, pulling out of Iraq, and closing Guantanamo Bay prison top the list of image-fixers.

Americans might actually agree with their international critics, considering only 31 percent of Americans think the country is going in the right direction.

Do you think significant gains in goodwill can be made in the near future?

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Polls & Personalities Keep Campaigns Guessing Until the End

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:00:34 -0700

Leaks allegedly coming from the Obama campaign, along with a new AP poll, suggest a Democratic win is not as sure as people may think.

The latest AP poll shows the candidates in a dead heat, with Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent. While this could suggest that McCain's latest Joe-the-Plumber narrative has struck a cord, some point to the methodology as reason for caution. Evangelical Christians make up 44 percent of the poll sample, while they just made up 23 percent of 2004 voters.

Meanwhile yesterday, a rumor broke that Obama's internal poll numbers from Pennsylvania put him only two points ahead. The rumor has not been corroborated, but either way I'm sure the Obama camp is not taking any swing state for granted.

Despite this apparent good news, things don't appear so rosy in the McCain campaign. NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd gave a candid assessment of the mood during his network's interview with the Republican ticket. Todd said:

[T]he chemistry is just not there. You do wonder, is John McCain starting to blame her for things? Blaming himself? Is she blaming him? And maybe they don't feel they can win right now, so they are missing that intensity. That was the thing that struck me more than anything. You almost wonder why they wanted the two of them sitting next to each other.

To see a clip of Brian Williams' interview with Palin and McCain, read more.

You can watch the full interview here.

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Obama's Race Could Have an Unexpected Impact

LibertySugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:00:58 -0700

Six percent of voters say they are less likely to vote for Barack Obama on account of his race. This stat feeds the concerns that America is not "ready" to elect a black president. But, hold off a second - that's not the end of the story. A recent Gallup poll also found that nine percent of voters are more likely to vote for Obama because of his race. Broken down between races of voters, seven percent of whites say they are more likely to vote Obama because of his race, compared to 15 percent of non-whites who say the same thing. Thus the color of Obama's skin could be a neutral if not positive factor.

Even more counter intuitive, McCain's numbers are similar - six percent of voters report that McCain's race make them less likely to vote for the Republican. Only seven percent say it makes them more likely to vote for him.

Of course voter attitudes on race, might be different than they're willing to admit to pollsters, or even something they can identify themselves. Maybe this November we'll see the "Obama effect" rather than the Bradley effect.

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McCain Swings Out of Michigan: How Does the Map Look?

LibertySugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:00:59 -0700

John McCain will reportedly stop employing staff, airing ads, and sending mailers in Michigan, instead relocating resources to Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. Since McCain is taking Michigan tentatively out of his win column, let's take a closer look at the electoral map. We hear all about national polls, but those don't matter on November 4.

To see how the toss up states looked as of yesterday, and for some analysis of which states each candidate needs, read more.

As of yesterday this is how the candidates' chances looked according to Real Clear Politics: New Mexico: Obama +5; North Carolina Obama +3; Obama +3; Missouri Obama +1 Florida: Obama +3 ; Virginia: McCain +3; Indiana: McCain +1; Michigan: Obama +10; Nevada: Obama +1 ; Ohio McCain +1 ; Minnesota: Obama +11 Pennsylvania: Obama +9; Obama +9; New Hampshire: Obama +10 .

Obviously a million things could happen before November 4. The map indicates that while McCain needs to pick up all the Bush states, besides maybe New Mexico and Nevada, Obama has more options to get to 270. Obama can lose Ohio and Florida, if he picks up New Mexico, Colorado, and Iowa. If McCain loses Florida, he has to win both Ohio and Pennsylvania. If McCain wins Indiana and Missouri, he still needs to win Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and Minnesota to get to 270. If McCain loses Minnesota, McCain needs Nevada and New Hampshire to tie (gasp!!!) Obama at 269. While all these scenarios can make your head spin, imagine what a tie would be like!!

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Check This: Do the Democrats Have a Death Wish?

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:00:02 -0700

This morning I saw the latest Gallup poll showing Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama 49 to 42 percent among national Democratic voters. This got me thinking - what is going on with the Dems?!

Even people inside Hillary Clinton's campaign acknowledge that there is no way she can win more pledged delegates, and it is nearly impossible for her to secure a popular-vote victory. So, the only way she can win is if the superdelegates decide that they know best, and effectively take the nomination from Barack Obama.

The people over at the Politico, argue that journalists "have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending the contest is closer than it really is." This narrative seems to be working with the polled voters, who apparently think Clinton still has a realistic, and responsible, chance. To see how I really feel, read more.

This has nothing to do with who I'm voting for, but can Hillary really see this working out? Another poll just showed that one in five Democrats will defect to McCain if their candidate doesn't win the nomination. That's Democrats, not independents! The primary season may be driving a dangerous wedge through the party. Al Gore, where are you?!

Am I overreacting here? Perhaps this is how the system is designed to work, and once the Democratic candidates are tested, the winner will come out stronger. Perhaps, the superdelegates do consider other important factors that will help the Democrats win. I just don't buy it. What about you?

John McCain Has Double Digit Lead Over Democrats

LibertySugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:00:36 -0700

John McCain is pulling away from his Democratic challengers. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows McCain at 49 percent vs. Obama at 42 percent. When matched against Hillary Clinton, McCain leads 51 percent to 41 percent.

McCain knows that polls are as fickle as the voters. He saw for himself that vast leads in the polls can be little more than a mirage, as his candidacy rose from the dead during the primary season. But, I am sure he hopes this lead sticks.

Perhaps these numbers indicate that the drawn-out Democrat race is turning off the voters. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are fielding criticism from two fronts, while having only half the time to go after McCain. Even if it's too early for these numbers to predict what will happen in November, do you think it will influence how the Democrats run their campaigns? Will it make a difference when the Democrats have a nominee?

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The First Electoral College Maps! November Preview?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:03 -0800

Holy cow! SurveyUSA just posted fully red-and-blue election preview maps based on 30,000 interviews in all 50 states! Almost fully clickable (they're working on it) so you can see the data behind the color!

Here they are! Can you tell which map is Clinton vs. McCain and which is Obama vs. McCain? I'll give you a hint: at this point both Democrats are winning the electoral match-up. Take a guess and then click to find out!

Obama vs. McCain

Hillary vs. McCain

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Who's Your Favorite Britney?

GiggleSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:30:00 -0800

Is there a Britney in all of us? These days, it seems like everyone's vying to pick up where the pop princess left off. Since girlfriend's flub at the 2007 VMAs, countless wannabes are coming out of the woodwork. You all loved Mr. Bedroom Eyes, the piano-playing lounge singer. I'm still digging the Disneyland Fanny Pack Princess. And now there's Loco Loverboy here, who takes shameless Internet self-promotion to a whole new (cuckoo!) level. Who's your favorite poser?