On January 19, a Washington Post/ABC News poll found declining support for the so-called Tea Party movement; the percentage of people with a favorable opinion has fallen from 41 percent a year ago to 35 percent, and those with a negative opinion have risen from 39 percent to 52 percent.
The same poll found that the percentage of people who believe that Barack Obama’s presidency has improved race relations has fallen from 58 percent when he was inaugurated to 35 percent. Among whites the percentage has fallen from 55 percent to 31 percent; among blacks it has fallen from 75 percent to 51 percent.
Also on January 19, a PPP poll asked people about their trust in television news. It showed a significant decline in trust for the conservative Fox News channel and a rise in distrust.
According to a January 12 Gallup poll, political conservatives are far more likely than moderates or liberals to believe that the nation’s leaders in Washington should stick to their principles even it means that nothing gets done.
Also on January 5, the Center for Public Integrity published a report revealing that a small group of hedge fund managers contributed $10 million to Republican candidates in the 2010 election cycle.
Also on January 5, Gallup reported that the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats has fallen to 31 percent, a 22-year low.
A December 23 study from the University of Haifa found that public sector employees had less “emotional intelligence” than those in the private sector. Among the consequences: those in the former were more likely to use “forceful influence tactics” than those in the latter.
On December 14, the American Tort reform Association released its annual report on “judicial hellholes,” jurisdictions known for being very unfriendly toward defendants in civil cases.
I last posted items on this topic on December 29.
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).
