The Polling Report [8.1.12]

A new Gallup poll finds 66% of Americans have a favorable opinion of former President Bill Clinton, tying his record-high favorability rating recorded at the time of his inauguration in January 1993. Clinton averaged 56% approval since 1993. The Republicans must be jealous. I am sure they would like to have an overwhelmingly popular former President speaking at their convention. Like on Monday, we have a lot of new state polls, but no state has changed sides. Rather, there is a deepening of the shades going on. Arizona goes from pink and slim Romney to dark red and Strong Romney in one poll. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania moves to the Strong Obama and the dark blue column. Ohio and Florida also have very favorable polls out this morning for the President.

41 days until election day – The Betting Lines

43 Comments
Since the Dem primary will settle the issue for many of the races in Delaware, election day is effectively just over a month out.
September 11, 2012 Primary Election
  • Insurance Commissioner - Weldin Stewart/Crane/Others - Crane plus 1
  • Wilmington Mayoral Race - Williams/Kelley - No line yet
  • SD 1 McDowell/Brady/Martin - McDowell plus 2
  • SD 6 Miller/Frederick/Staton - Staton plus 6
  • SD 11 DeLuca/Townsend - even money
  • RD 15 Longhurst/Burton - Longhurst plus 3
  • RD 19 Dunn/Williams - even money
  • RD 23 Baumbach/Bock/Grant - No line yet
  • RD 32 McGlumphey/Bennett- even money

Mitt Romney Is Going To Get Whiplash

5 Comments
On Sunday, Mitt Romney boldly declared that Israel’s economic superiority over the Palestinians was due to its culture. On Tuesday morning, he dismissed any notion that he had even discussed Palestinian culture. On Tuesday night, Romney reversed himself yet again, in an op-ed entitled “Culture Does Matter.”

What is walking distance?

3 Comments
How far do you walk? 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile, 6 minutes, 30 minutes? What is distance you will walk before you start to think that maybe driving or taking a bus makes more sense? It turns out that walking distance has more to do with what you are looking at, and less to do with how far you need to go.
Walk Appeal promises to be a major new tool for understanding and building walkable places, and it explains several things that were heretofore either contradictory or mysterious. It begins with the assertion that the quarter-mile radius (or 5-minute walk,) which has been held up for a century as the distance Americans will walk before driving, is actually a myth.

Still too soon to talk about guns & ammo?

23 Comments
I know it totally hurts the NRAs feelings to talk about the easy access that maniacs in this country have to guns and ammo. I know the NRA's flunkies in congress might tear up if someone suggests that allowing maniacs to buy 20 guns a month and thousands of rounds of ammo online isn't such a good idea. We have to some compassion for the poor victims of gun control talk. I know all of that. It is just so mean and thoughtless to make anyone think about our absurd gun politics. That's why I'm worried that this legislation might be a little lacking in empathy for the NRA.

What does the political media get…

5 Comments
for 50 years of bending over backwards to prop up conservative nonsense, shallow "he said/she said" reporting and a devotion to incuriousness posing as objectivity? Scorned. And they richly deserve it. These findings from a Daily Kos/SEIU poll are not surprising.