Free Republic

Barack Obama's foreign tour loses him ground back home Tim Reid in Washington Barack Obama denied yesterday that he was ignoring the concerns of ordinary Americans while he tours the world, amid signs that the adulation he is receiving abroad has alienated some US voters. After the Democratic presidential candidate holds meetings with Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in London today, the last leg of his nine-day international tour, he returns home to a general election campaign with new polls showing him in a tightening race against John McCain, the Republican candidate. Mr McCain and his surrogates have...

Economics -- to most people as useful a course of study as ancient Bulgarian literature -- is really the study of human behavior. This kind of behavior is labeled “emergent” -- meaning it is a large-scale pattern that emerges spontaneously out of the interactions of numerous individuals each independently following a more local program. (In the case of the economy, this more-local program is the perceived self-interest of each of the millions of people within the economy.) Because of the huge number of factors involved, and the constant feedback of one factor on another, predicting emergent effects is as difficult...

I am really curious on this one. I became a fan in 1975, with 'Born To Run', and was dazzled by the force, power, Spector-like grandeur. It was the epitome of 'Americana' for me. I saw him live three times, last in 1987. However, my fandom abated around 1990 or so, but I kept following what he did. Uneven albums, band changes, divorce, a new and happy marriage. Like any other artist, he has his shortcomings, one of these being a tendency towards bombast, pathos, a bit too much of 'grandeur'. But I think he does have his heart in...

A new study reveals that for teens, it's not whether you're really popular. It's whether you think you are. Perhaps no period of life is more fraught with obsessive worries about popularity, social hierarchies and reputations than that treacherous, three-year period known as middle school. The social anxieties of adolescence have driven plotlines from "The Wonder Years" to "Hannah Montana" where teens and pre-teens spend entire hours and episodes agonizing over what their peers think. Figuring out whether you'll end up being a cool prom king or queen bee--or the kid who eats alone in the cafeteria--is an integral part...

IN LOS FELIZ, across from a 7-Eleven on North Vermont Avenue, a few dozen men in their early 20s to late 80s share a dinner behind closed doors. Some wear full tuxedos with bow ties and jeweled cuff links, some have shoulder-length hair, and others wear open-collared shirts that reveal the slightest filigree of tattoo arching across their chests. Over Italian food, retired lawyers and judges sit elbow-to-elbow with owners of scrap metal yards and vintage clothing boutiques. They hold forth on philosophy, the weather; they rib each other and joke about saving room for cannoli. As they reach for...

-- snip -- The real lesson in the years since 9/11 is different from what the Democratic candidates imagine: It is easy to be loved when you are a victim. It is harder to be popular when you act decisively to protect yourself and others. A successful president should strive for America to be liked -- and expect, on occasion, for America to be resented in a good cause.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Republican Fred Thompson, Hollywood celebrity and former Tennessee senator, went from hot to not in short order. Now, he's trying to create another popularity burst in the presidential race, this one perfectly timed. His voice and expression serious, Thompson told Iowa voters this past week: "I would ask people to think of one thing _ when our worst enemy's thinking about what he can do to the United States of America, who do you want sitting on our side of the table representing you? That's probably the guy you ought to elect president." It was Thompson...

The job of Democratic Senate majority leader can be a dangerous one, as a major spokesman for the party. Former Sen. Tom Daschle lost a reelection bid after his tour as majority leader as the folks in South Dakota apparently came to think he wasn't paying enough attention to his home state. Reid has never been the most popular politician in Nevada. The last time he had a serious Republican opponent -- John Ensign in 1998 -- the results were very close in Reid's favor. Two recent newspaper polls found that 49% and 51% of voters disapprove of Reid's job...

According to the Kremlin's opponents, the president's standing -- his approval ratings now exceed 80 percent -- is an artifice. They say it is built on an increasingly autocratic political system and fueled by a tidal wave of petrodollars that may not last. With a slavish press, a docile parliament, a restricted menu of political parties and a willingness to smother dissent, Putin is glassed off from real democratic competition, his critics argue. "Everything is based on the oil pillow," said Yuli Nisnevich, a political scientist at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. "But the system itself is not...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's appeal among Nevadans has plunged dramatically in a new Review-Journal poll, which finds him viewed unfavorably by most likely voters in his home state. Reid is still slightly more well-liked than Gov. Jim Gibbons. Both the Democratic senator and the Republican governor are less favorably viewed than President Bush. "Fortunately for Reid, he doesn't have to run for re-election for a while," said Brad Coker, managing partner of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based firm that conducted the poll. If they decide to run again, Reid's name won't be on the ballot until...

The Sky Isn't Falling in China The day after the Shanghai stock market fell, we saw again all the same warnings about the Chinese system and the odds of its collapse. By Fareed Zakaria, of NewsweekFor some years economists and analysts have been wondering what it would take to scare financial markets. Wars, coups, soaring commodity prices, increased energy costs, unwinding housing markets—nothing seemed to do it. Last week we got one answer: China. The sharp plunge in the Shanghai stock market caused jitters around the world. But while the reaction pointed to the increased importance of China in global...

This survey comes after an earlier poll in January A majority of people believe that Israel and Iran have a mainly negative influence in the world, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests. It shows that the two countries are closely followed by the United States and North Korea. The poll asked 28,000 in 27 countries to rate a dozen countries plus the European Union in terms of whether they have a positive or negative influence. Canada, Japan and the EU are viewed most positively in the survey. 'Traditional divides' In January, the BBC World Service revealed polling...

Popularity of South Korea's ruling party nosedives 1 hour, 36 minutes ago The popularity of South Korea's ruling Uri party has fallen to an all-time low of 8.8 percent, a news report has said. A survey sponsored by two Internet firms showed strong support for the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) of 44.3 percent, the Korea Times reported. The minor opposition Democratic Party won 8.5 percent while the leftist Democratic Labor Party took 8.4 percent, according to the survey conducted on November 22, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percent. Uri secured its highest approval...

A supporter of the French football club Paris Saint Germanin was shot and killed by police Thursday night after a UEFA-cup game against the Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv. The tradgedy occurred outside the stadium Parc de Princes in Paris after PSG had lost against Hapoel with 2-4. According to police sources a lonely Hapoel fan was surrounded by 150 fans from the Parisian club on a street outside the areana. A policeman hurried tthere and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. He then fired two live rounds. Two PSG suporters were hit and one of them was killed....

RALEIGH, N.C. - When introducing former vice presidential candidate John Edwards at a book signing this week, a family friend mentioned a bumper sticker she'd seen around town: "Edwards-Obama." The giddy audience roared with approval. Both Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama insist they have yet to decide whether they are running for president, but both are drawing big crowds as they follow the modern script of a White House candidate and head out on nationwide book tours. The self-promoting promenades give both an excuse to tour early 2008 primary states — without having to publicly commit to a campaign....

Democrats' rise in popularity at risk of being undone by Left By Toby Harnden Last Updated: 2:20am GMT 14/11/2006 An anti-war icon of the Vietnam era will address Democrats in Congress today as the party struggles to prevent its victory in the mid-term elections being marred by bitter divisions and a lurch to the Left over Iraq. Senator George McGovern, who led the Democrats to a disastrous defeat in the 1972 presidential election with a platform of American withdrawal from Vietnam, will urge an immediate pull-out from Iraq at a meeting due to be attended by more than 60 senators...

CHINO - When the sun finally sets and the fast of Ramadan ends for the day, Luqman Malik joins the faithful at the Baitul Hameed Mosque for a feast of chicken, rice, potatoes. And Mexican food. Islam is a tapestry, says Imam Shamshad A. Nasir, a religion that attracts men and women of many cultures. More Latinos are embracing the faith, said Hussam Ayloush, a Corona man who is spokesman for the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. While he has has no exact numbers, he said the shift is clear. "Go to the mosque in downtown...

LOS ANGELES – Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed a federal plan to build a stretch of border fence between San Diego and Tijuana. This week, he said walling off hundreds of miles of the California-Mexico border is a strategy from the Stone Age. It's not the only example of his complex – and sometimes shifting – views on illegal immigration, an issue that has given rise to a national movement during his time in office. California's governor certainly should have a role in the debate over leaky borders and the not-so-invisible illegal labor economy. The state has more illegal...

Police and school officials in Mt. Lebanon, Pa., are investigating a list ranking 25 high school females based on explicit descriptions and categories. The document was uncovered as it circulated through the high school and into the community, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Titled the "Top 25 in 2006," it ranks students at the school based on various body parts and in sexual terms, so bad that one father of a student on the list called it "the equivalent of written rape on our daughter."

US President George W. Bush's popularity has hit a new record low since he took office in 2001, a poll published tonight by The Washington Post found. 60 per cent of those surveyed disapproved of the job Mr Bush was doing, and 38 per cent gave him a favourable rating, according to the Washington Post/ABC television poll done April 6-9. Mr Bush's approval rating slid 3 per cent in one month. His Republican Party also was not faring well: 35 per cent of those surveyed said they were happy with the job the party was doing running Congress. 55 per...

Belief In Bush India not dubious about Dubyaland Press Trust of India Posted online: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 at 0928 hours IST Updated: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 at 1043 hours IST Houston, March 1: While United States favourability ratings have plunged in many countries, Indians are significantly more positive about the US now than they were in the summer of 2002, a new opinion poll has said. The 2005 pew global attitudes survey found that 71 per cent of Indians have a favourable view of the United States and 54 per cent admire President Bush in handling world affairs. What...

The United States has improved its standing in the eyes of the world during the past year, according to a BBC World Service poll. It is now the second least popular nation in the world, beating out Iran with 13 out of 33 countries polled saying the US has a "mainly positive" influence and 17 saying its influence is "mainly negative." Iran, by comparison, polls 5 for "mainly positive" and 24 for "mainly negative." The survey asked 39,435 people in 33 countries for their opinions of Britain, China, Europe, France, India, Iran, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Those from...

Republican activists and elected officials downplayed divisions over Gov. Schwarzenegger at a meeting in Riverside Saturday and predicted that the party would eventually unite behind him. Some conservatives are urging the state GOP to withdraw its endorsement of Schwarzenegger at next month's state party convention in San Jose. Among other things, they are upset with Schwarzenegger's appointment of longtime Democratic activist Susan Kennedy as chief of staff and his proposal for $222 billion in bonds to pay for highways, schools and waterworks. But during a speech to the California Congress of Republicans at the Mission Inn, former U.S. Treasurer Rosario...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating is showing signs of recovery after tumbling late last year, according to a poll released Thursday. The new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California found Schwarzenegger's job approval among likely voters climbed from 38 percent in October to 45 percent in January. The poll is good news for the governor, who faces a tough re-election campaign this year. But the rebound is modest compared to where he was a year ago, when he enjoyed a 60 percent approval rating among voters. The governor's standing has improved among Democrats and independents but he's still...

Merkel's 'small steps' bring giant leap in popularity By Tony Paterson in Berlin (Filed: 22/01/2006) Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, has confounded her critics by emerging as the country's most popular leader for more than a decade - only two months after being elected. Dismissed only six months ago as a humourless and dowdy East German, Mrs Merkel is riding a wave of unprecedented public approval that last week placed her at the top of Germany's key opinion poll rating for politicians. Angela Merkel's image has changed for good The monthly survey conducted by the ZDF television channel found voters rated...

SACRAMENTO - After Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special-election defeat, his advisers set out to rejuvenate his image, emphasizing the more moderate aspects of his political philosophy in the months before voters decide whether to show him the door or re-elect him. With several savvy moves made two weeks into this crucial election year, Schwarzenegger appears to be making headway -- either by returning to his natural bipartisan roots or else by mimicking Democrats, depending on one's perspective. "He's gone a long way toward resurrecting himself," after calling a November special with an agenda too conservative for voters, said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe,...

A recent poll shows the born-again "moderate" Republican governor has gained back some popularity, especially in the Bay Area, and is now in a dead heat with Democratic competitors. "Our survey demonstrates that Schwarzenegger's retreat from the more conservative rhetoric and agenda he brandished during the latter part of 2005 has paid off among middle-of-the road voters," said Melinda Jackson, director of the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University. The governor's job performance rating among voters in a Democrat-leaning state has climbed from 36 percent positive and 53 percent negative in September, to 40 percent positive...

SACRAMENTO - Entering a re-election year with his popularity sagging, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faces a key political test tonight as he delivers a State of the State speech that seeks to strike a more populist stance. The governor is expected to address quality-of-life issues facing Californians - traffic, wages, education and prescription drugs - rather than the less-tangible government reforms he spotlighted last year, which voters ultimately rejected. "If it is successful, it can be a very public turning point," said Tim Hodson, executive director of the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento. The governor also will...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger enters 2006 in a politically weakened position few could have imagined when he took office a little more than two years ago, the result of a disastrous shift to the right in a state dominated by Democrats and independents. Facing re-election, the Republican governor has begun a swift transformation since November, when California voters rejected all four of his "year of reform" measures. The proposals included a spending cap, redistricting changes and restrictions on fundraising by public employee unions that Democrats had railed against. "A move back to the center is essential," said Gary...

Mr. Schwarzenegger may find himself politically embattled these days in his home state, but here he is still a major draw. Along Saddoun Street, one of the capital's main arteries, Mr. Talib has hung a black-and-white billboard showing a young Mr. Schwarzenegger in a formidable bicep-flexing pose. "The first inspiration I had for bodybuilding was Arnold," Mr. Talib, a squat man built like a bulldozer, said in his back-room office as metal weights clanked outside. "Now I aspire to improve the sport in Iraq." Mr. Talib is in regular e-mail contact with Governor Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento, apprising officials there...

Every political campaign, be it a contest between two candidates for office or a duel over a ballot measure, is an exercise in definition. Every campaign begins with an assumption that a candidate or cause has an automatic base of friendly voters, and winning hinges on appealing to those who are not automatically committed to one side or the other by defining the terms of the contest. It's Politics 1-A, but Arnold Schwarzenegger flunked in what must be regarded as his single-biggest political blunder. As the governor launched the mother of all California political battles a year ago, he wanted...

After the 2004 election Schwarzenegger met with political advisers to discuss how he could regain momentum. Schwarzenegger had denounced Democratic legislators as "girlie men", vetoed bills pushed by Democrats and tried to unseat Democratic legislators. Despite his failure in legislative elections, Schwarzenegger had emerged with high popularity and had personally intervened to defeat a ballot measure that would have weakened the state's "three strikes" law. How could Schwarzenegger leverage his popularity to move an agenda through a Capitol dominated by Democrats, immune to punishment at the polls, thanks to a 2001 bipartisan gerrymander of legislative districts? The strategy that emerged...

SACRAMENTO – California first lady Maria Shriver may be the only top political adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to emerge from the special election with her popularity and credibility enhanced. Her secret? Silence. During his "year of reform," Schwarzenegger and his campaign advisers made wildly optimistic claims of victory and inaccurate assessments of the popularity of his four ballot measures. Shriver never spoke about his initiatives. Now, that conspicuous silence may become her greatest asset, paving the way for her to play an influential role in Schwarzenegger's effort to create and communicate a more bipartisan approach to governing as he...

Ted Koppel will conclude his 25-year run on ABC's "Nightline" on Tuesday. Which of the following recently-retired journalists did you enjoy most? · Tom Brokaw. 480 · Peter Jennings. 337 · Ted Koppel. 65 · Dan Rather. 88 · I didn't care for any of them. 803 · It's too tough to decide. 62 · I have no opinion. 41

It was exactly two years ago today that Californians took a giant leap of faith and hope by throwing out the governor whom they had re-elected just a year earlier and giving the job to a famous actor without any outward credentials other than his promises to make Sacramento work. ... --snip-- Although Schwarzenegger's popularity has not - at least not yet - plummeted to the abysmal levels that drove Davis out of office, it's just half of where it was a year ago, ... The best the governor could hope to achieve now on Nov. 8 is a mixed...

WASHINGTON (CP) - President George W. Bush says he still has "plenty" of political capital left. But there's a lot less swagger these days. He's already coping with rising opposition to the Iraq war, the botched response to hurricane Katrina, gas price hikes, ethics controversies and charges of reckless spending. And on Tuesday, Bush spent much of his time at an hour-long news conference defending his choice of White House insider Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court. Many view his selection of Miers, who's hardly a well-known conservative, as a clear sign that Bush the fighter now has little appetite...

His political strength hemorrhaging from multiple wounds -- some self-inflicted, others the result of a barrage of negative advertising -- the governor, his job approval rating below 40 percent, is nevertheless ebullient. He cannot be pretending. He is not that good an actor. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- tanned, tan suit, open-collared shirt, running shoes -- will run for reelection in 2006, but first, he says cheerfully, these next seven weeks will be "the rebuttal" to the ad assault from government employee unions. He wants voters to pass ballot measures to make teachers wait five years rather than two before achieving tenure,...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating is still in the doldrums, with the majority of Californians not content with how he's doing his job, according to a poll released Friday. As of late August, 36 percent of registered voters approved of the governor's performance, while 52 percent disapproved, with 12 percent having no opinion, the nonpartisan Field Poll reported. The newest figures are similar to the approval rating in a Field poll two months ago. But they are down sharply since February, when 55 percent approved of the job he was doing. Respondents cited Schwarzenegger's call for...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California voters are showing little enthusiasm for two of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's three special election proposals, according to a poll that also reveals continuing discontent with the governor's job performance. The Public Policy Institute of California poll, released Thursday, is the latest in recent months to indicate the governor faces a tough task persuading voters to approve his slate of initiatives on Nov. 8. Voters said they are increasingly disenchanted with Schwarzenegger's performance, with just 34 percent saying they approve of the job he's doing. More than half also viewed the Legislature with disapproval. "What this...

Popularity of Clinton, Reagan, pave way for new stamp DAVID HAMMER Associated Press Posted on Thu, Aug. 04, 2005 Former President Bill Clinton sits near a representation of the U.S. Postal Service's presidential library stamp Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005, during dedication ceremonies at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark. The design for the stamp was unveiled Thursday at each of the 12 presidential libraries and museums across the country. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) LITTLE ROCK, Lit. - The U.S. Postal Service's Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee received 50,000 suggestions for stamps every year and of all of them, a Little...

Who needs popularity? July 11th, 2005 "The latest Pew Global Attitudes survey report revealed negative attitudes about the United States are so strong, even among traditional allies such as the French and Canadians, that US aid to tsunami victims or Bush's encouragement of democracy in the Middle East have done little to blunt them." Agence France Presse , June 23, 2005 After the massacre in downtown London, expect anti-Americanism only to rise further. Demagogues on the British Left are already waving the Butler report which warned, prior to the Iraq war, that helping the United States remove Saddam Hussein would...

A year after Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California, he stood with the political world seemingly safe in his colossal grip, hailed as a reformer of ambition and ability, carrying the hopes of the state's voters on his broad shoulders. Midway through his second year, however, and the former Hollywood star and one-time Mr Universe has found that the mantle of Californian politics is becoming more of a burden. The Republican governor's plummeting popularity has forced him to call a special legislative election to push through his troubled reforms. Just 37 per cent of Californians agree with Mr Schwarzenegger's...

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Responding to a precipitous drop in popularity, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday said he wants to seek compromise with Democrats on the state budget and the issues he has placed before voters for a November special election. "I feel that there is an agreement to be had," said Schwarzenegger, appearing more contrite than usual as he answered questions from reporters during a Capitol news conference. "We can resolve this, and then we can go together to the special election - Democrats and Republicans alike - and also that we can solve this budget. It's all about the...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for a special election and a new advertising campaign to promote his agenda have failed to arrest his slide in popularity, according to a new statewide poll. According to the Field Poll released Tuesday, 37 percent of registered California voters approve of Schwarzenegger's job performance, a drop of 18 percentage points since February. Continuing a trend that began in January, 53 percent of registered California voters said they do not approve of Schwarzenegger's performance. That's a jump of 18 percentage points since February. The biggest decline came among Democrats and nonpartisan voters, but the poll also...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for a special election and a new advertising campaign to promote his agenda have failed to arrest his slide in popularity, according to a new statewide poll. According to the Field Poll released Tuesday, 37 percent of registered California voters approve of Schwarzenegger's job performance, a drop of 18 percentage points since February. Continuing a trend that began in January, 53 percent of registered California voters said they do not approve of Schwarzenegger's performance. That's a jump of 18 percentage points since February, a month after the governor declared his intention to call...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly ranks among the most unpopular governors in modern California history, as residents grow increasingly unhappy about the action hero-turned-politician's budget plans and his call for a special election, according to a new Field Poll. Less than a third -- 31 percent -- of the state's adults approve of the job the governor is doing in Sacramento, down from 54 percent in February. The numbers are only slightly better among registered voters, 37 percent of whom are happy with Schwarzenegger's performance and 53 percent dissatisfied. "There's very little for the governor to cheer about in this poll,''...

To understand whyPresident Bush is relatively unpopular, one has only to look to the case of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. After his election in November 2003, Schwarzenegger experienced a political honeymoon. He governed mostly by compromise and without pushing for sweeping change. And his popularity, measured by how people feel about his performance as governor soared. That lasted for more than a year. Now Schwarzenegger has gotten serious. He's called for a special election to limit government spending permanently, curb teacher tenure, and take redistricting out of the hands of the legislature, which is controlled by the Democrats. His...

President George W. Bush finds his job approval rating with the American people at an all-time low, according to The Associated Press-Ipsos poll. Maybe that's not all bad. Leaders should not always bend with every breeze, and a couple of factors could immediately change the ratings: - Getting the hell out of Iraq. - A drop in motor fuel prices. To put it mildly, things aren't going as well as we would like in Iraq, where car bombings and attacks by insurgents killed 80 U.S. troops and more than 700 Iraqis last month. The level of violence remains fairly constant,...

Many in favor of Freudenthal The chief of the Cowboy State ranks third in a nationwide survey that asked people to rate their governors. By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal is the third most popular governor in the country with a 67 approval rate among Wyoming residents surveyed. A poll, released earlier this month by Survey USA, lists the approval ratings for the governors of all 50 states. Only Govs. John Hoeven of North Dakota, with an approval rate of 71 percent, and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, 70 percent, were ranked...

'Special interests,' antiunion crusade losing Calif. appeal SACRAMENTO -- The even tan, perfectly coiffed hair, and athletic physique exude movie-star magnetism as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a smile stretched across his face, enters his council chamber to conduct the state's business. But the former Hollywood star is scrambling to rewrite the script for his latest part, which has been losing its appeal at the box office. (snip) "He got outflanked," said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant based in Los Angeles. "You're going to see a political war here unlike any that we've seen in a long, long time." (snip) The...