Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, December 11, 2018
TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%
Up 1 since Thursday
RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 40% (Gallup) to 49% (Rasmussen). Without these two extremes, it would be 43%…. President Trump’s disapproval rating averages 52% today, which is 8 points higher than his approval rating.
DECEMBER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE:
Lunchtime Politics will be published Tuesdays and Thursdays between now and Dec. 20. We will resume daily weekday publication January 3rd.
PRESIDENCY CAN ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE
No president since Nixon has died before reaching his 90s.
BY RON FAUCHEUX
George Herbert Walker Bush—94 years, 171 days old—lived longer than any president in American history. Presidents are living longer these days—and candidates are getting older.
The average lifespan of the first four presidents—George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison—was 81, a particularly impressive number when you consider that average male longevity in those days was 37.
Read entire article in The Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-presidency-can-add-years-to-your-life-1544396376?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1
NATIONAL DIRECTION, ISSUES
Among voters nationwide
Right/Wrong track
In general, thinking about the way things are going in the country, do you feel things are going in the right direction or that things are going in the wrong direction?
Right track: 35%
Wrong track: 56%
RON’S COMMENT: Partisanship is influencing everything––11% of Democrats, 75% of Republicans and 29% of independents say things are going in the right direction. The most important number here is the 29% of independents, which is a problem for Trump––he beat Hillary Clinton among independents by 4 points in 2016.
Priorities for Congress
Please tell me which one of these items should be the top priority for the new Congress….
The economy/jobs: 19%
Healthcare: 16%
Immigration: 17%
Federal taxes and spending: 10%
Climate change: 9%
Guns: 8%
Opioid addiction: 7%
Foreign policy/terrorism: 5%
Abortion: 2%
RON’S COMMENT: The top three issues for Democrats are healthcare (24%), the economy (16%) and climate change and guns (they tie for third place at 15% each). The top three issues for Republicans are immigration (35%), the economy (17%) and healthcare (11%).
MUELLER INVESTIGATION\
Among voters nationwide
Do you think Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the Russia investigation…
Should be fired: 18%
Should be allowed to finish the investigation: 68%
Unsure: 14%
RON’S COMMENT: 81% of Democrats, 51% of Republicans and 70% of independents say Mueller should be allowed to finish the investigation…. This poll also finds that 78% of voters believe Mueller’s report should be made public in its entirety…. In addition, 71% of Republicans label the investigation a “witch hunt” compared to 10% of Democrats and 30% of independents.
HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
Among voters nationwide
Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or none of these holidays?
Christmas: 90%
Hanukkah: 6%
Kwanzaa: 4%
None: 7%
Do you find the holiday season generally more enjoyable or more stressful than the rest of the year, or is it no different?
More enjoyable: 41%
More stressful: 29%
No different: 27%
RON’S COMMENT: Men are more likely to say more enjoyable (43%) than more stressful (24%), while women are more closely divided: 38% say more enjoyable and 35% say more stressful. Among adults under 55 with minor children, 41% say more enjoyable and 37% say more stressful. Among adults over 55, 43% say more enjoyable and 23% say more stressful.
TUESDAY TRIVIA
Who were the only two House Speakers to also serve as Vice President?
(See answer below)
SOURCES
Presidential job rating average based on recent nationwide polls.
MUELLER INVESTIGATION, RIGHT/WRONG TRACK: Marist/NPR/PBS: Nov. 28-Dec. 4
HOLIDAY CELEBRATION: Monmouth, Nov. 9-12
L = Libertarian candidate
G = Green Party candidate
O = Other candidate(s)
D poll = conducted by or for organizations generally associated with Democrats.
R poll = conducted by or for organizations generally associated with Republicans.
TRIVIA ANSWER
John Nance Garner and Schuyler Colfax. They were the only House Speakers who were also Vice Presidents. Garner was FDR’s first and second VP (1933-1941) and Colfax was Grant’s first VP (1869-1873).
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