Marquette Law School Poll Finds Strong Support For Roe v. Wade, Reasons For Concern About Chipping Away At Women’s Choice

We can be pleased when a well-respected polling operation in Wisconsin makes national headlines. When its director sits for interviews it is clear why credibility is attached to the poll findings.

Many headlines and news articles are being written today concerning the new poll from Marquette Law School which finds that abortion rights have strong public support. That is not surprising if one has discussions with neighbors and friends or listens to a cross-section of the national dialogue.

To put numbers to that foundation of feeling the poll finds American adults opposed by a more than 2-to-1 margin striking down the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

Charles Franklin, a face that everyone knows by sight when he appears on news programs, will be asked to weigh the results of the polling which showed, in addition, to support for the 1973 court ruling, also some drift towards limiting abortion after a certain time period. That last matter is concerning as the encroachment on the health decisions a woman makes must not be furthered.

The poll found that “more respondents oppose overturning Roe than would like to see the ruling struck down. But, at the same time, more are in favor of a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of a pregnancy than are opposed.”

The Marquette Poll was not the only one this week showing the direction of support for Roe v. Wade. The Washington Post-ABC News poll found much the same.

The polling data is most worthy of our consideration as states continually try to find extra-constitutional avenues to limit the rights of women with this health care decision. We know that states have forced counseling and waiting periods before the procedure. We are aware that health insurance coverage is too often denied for abortion, and we know who that impacts the most. Women of lower economic standing.

While we must be diligent about making sure the soft erosion of abortion rights is limited, we can at the same time be most heartened that these polls find the extreme positions of some conservatives are not shared by a majority of Americans. 

And so it goes.

New Hampshire ‘Independents’ Ready To Make Their Mark

When reading on Sunday a New York Times book review for Why We’re Polarized by Erza Klein I came across this line which connects with the top story we will be following in this nation for the remainder of the year.  It also underscores something I firmly believe.

Just as stunning, another researcher, the political scientist Corwin Smidt, found that today’s self-proclaimed independents “vote more predictably for one party over another than yesteryear’s partisans.”

I have long contended that the number of actual independent voters is quite small.  Voters know what they plan to do on any election day while playing coy with pollsters and some reporters.  They do this for reasons ranging from not wanting to reveal their true feelings while others just like the attention.  But they know if they swing to the Democrats or Republicans, or liberal or conservative philosophy.  They are as party-oriented as the rest of us.   They just wish not to look like they are in the partisan muck.

This brings us to the New Hampshire primary Tuesday and what these ‘independent’ voters plan to do.  An NBC News/Marist poll from late last week shows how Bernie Sanders may be scoring fewer of these Democratic voters—who call themselves independent—-by a stunning degree when compared with the last presidential primary election.  In 2016, Bernie Sanders won a whopping 73% of these voters.

Sanders received just 22% of them in the poll compared with Buttigieg at 25% and Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren at 10% apiece.

Factor in the Republican voters who will play on the Democratic ballot playground and we have a most interesting evening awaiting us in New Hampshire.  While Sanders will prevail in the state the margin by which he wins will not be as pronounced as four years ago.  Buttigieg has been smart and tone savvy on the campaign trail.  Amy Klobuchar was very good in the debate–I would argue it was her best performance.  She will make further gains Tuesday and will demonstrate why she is one of the two best choices for the vice-presidential nomination.

That is not an insult to the Minnesota Senator, but one of praise.   A woman needs to be on the ticket in November and she has the intellect and campaign abilities that will be required for the election.  Senator Harris is also, in my estimation, equally suited for the ticket.  I much respect them both.

Now we just need to wait for the moderates taking off in three directions in New Hampshire and see how it all shakes out.  After Tuesday there will be a need for the party to come to better terms with planning on how to stop Sanders.

What About Authoritarianism Could Go Wrong?

More evidence to show the danger that Donald Trump poses to our republic, and more reason to feel concerned about the sheeple who kneel and bow to his whims.

A whopping 43% of Republicans now believe a president free of checks and balances could address the country’s problems more effectively, a number that has grown from just 14% during Trump’s presidency. More evidence of his reshaping of the party in favor of authoritarianism.

The share of Republicans who say presidents could operate more effectively if they did not have to worry so much about Congress and the courts has increased 16 percentage points since then, from 27% to 43%.

Democrats’ views are virtually unchanged over the past year: Currently, 82% say it would be too risky to give presidents more power, while just 16% say presidents could be more effective with less concern over Congress and the courts.

What Makes Trump Angry, And Makes Patriots Smile

From the top of the conservative Drudge Report website Sunday night.

FOXNEWS POLL: 49% WANT TRUMP REMOVED…
NBCNEWS POLL: 49% WANT TRUMP REMOVED…
MSN POLL: 52% WANT TRUMP REMOVED…,

Nearly half of voters want President Trump impeached and removed from office, according to a new Fox News Poll. In addition, 6-in-10 believe the president did ask foreign leaders to investigate political opponents — and two-thirds say that action is inappropriate.

Forty-nine percent want Trump impeached and removed from office, 4 percent say he should be impeached but not removed, and 41 percent oppose impeaching Trump. That’s about where things stood in early October, when 51 percent said impeach/remove, 4 percent impeach/don’t remove, and 40 percent opposed altogether.

Nation Turning On Donald Trump, Ouster From Office Standing At 49%

It is not going to be a good morning for Donald Trump on the commode as he commences this morning’s tweets.   That is due to the news of polling which is making headlines regarding his shaky standing with the American citizenry.

A near majority of all Americans support impeaching Trump and removing him from office, disapprove of his job performance and back his top Democratic rivals in head-to-head matchups.

What I find remarkable is that the poll conducted by NBC News/Wall Street Journal  was conducted after the military raid that killed the leader of ISIS.  In normal circumstances, such a military strike of international significance would have benefited the one sitting in the Oval Office.  But with Trump so laden with criminal and ethical misdeeds the nation is in no mood for winks and nods of approval.

What the poll finds is truly amazing.  Ponder back to how it took two years for an investigation into President Richard Nixon to reach a point that a solid segment of the nation wanted his removal from office.  Think back to the weeks since the Ukraine phonecall made headlines and now where national polling shows the electorate to be on the issue.

In the poll, 53 percent of Americans say they approve of the impeachment inquiry regarding Trump’s actions with Ukraine’s president, while 44 percent disapprove.

The results largely break along partisan lines, with 89 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents supporting the inquiry — versus just 9 percent of Republicans who agree.

Then asked if Trump should be impeached and removed from office, 49 percent answer yes, while 46 percent say no.

That’s a reversal from a month ago, when the survey found the numbers essentially flipped — 43 percent yes, 49 percent no.

The increase in those supporting removal from office comes mainly from Democrats and independents.

Trump had stated he would not worry about impeachment until the polls showed 50% of the public were of one mind.  Orange Mussloni might now start to break a sweat.

I am most interested in the GOP congressional caucus as they know a war-room atmosphere must get underway at the White House.  The caucus is fretting over the lack of urgency as days pass, and then weeks, and still no organized and unified response from the daily piling on of damaging reports.  Trump seems not able to grasp or fully appreciate the gravity of the situation.

Part of that comes from Trump’s form of dementia.  Some of it comes from having no one to stand up and alert him to the fact there is a dire threat of impeachment coming.  Some of it results from his being under-educated.  All that, and more has left the nation in a very sad state of affairs.

The public is watching and learning the facts as they emerge.  While many are just taking in the lead paragraphs it is obvious from the polls that a hefty percentage is digging deeper, and in so doing, arriving at the only logical conclusion. Donald Trump must be impeached and removed from office for actions that run counter to the Constitution.

Joe Biden Exactly Where His Campaign Wishes Him To Be

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a commanding lead over the rest of the 2020 Democratic presidential field, according to a new Morning Consult poll.

When it comes to the themes pushed on this blog (for the past nearly 13 years), the desire to have seasoned, tested, intelligent, and experienced leadership has always been near the top of the list when it comes to politics. Which is one reason I am very encouraged and enthused by Biden taking this nomination fight in hand. He has 8 years of experience in the executive branch of government, a heartbeat away from President Obama. He is considered, by some historians, to be one of the best VP’s to ever have served. He is much retrospected by world leaders. He served in congress for years, and knows how to shake hands and talk across the aisle. He knows the art of compromise.

Today there is a sense that educated reasoning, integrity, and decency can again be a foundation of our national politics. We again have reason to think anew.

The survey, which was released Monday night, found that 40 percent of likely Democratic primary voters favor Biden over the expansive 2020 field. Sen. Bernie Sanders is a distant second, with 19 percent of Democratic voters saying they are in favor of him.

A Political Colonoscopy For Trump

A new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that six in 10 Americans say Donald trump has not been truthful about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, while half say the probe has given them doubts about Trump’s presidency.

The poll, conducted a month after the midterm elections, also finds that more Americans want congressional Democrats to take the lead on policy for the country than the president or congressional Republicans and 43 percent approve of Trump’s job.

Americans should not fear.  The cavalry will soon arrive.  The House Democrats take charge in January.  What is coming for Trump will be nothing short of a very public political colonoscopy.

Most Troubling: A National Foundation Facing Loss Of Faith From Citizens

This is without doubt the most disturbing news item to cross my desk today.  It does not take a historian or even a most die-in-the-wool patriot to grasp the deep concern that this polling data reveals.

The deep political divisions, lack of sound civics education, a strong understanding of our history, along with a fractured way of how citizens are made aware of the news all combine–in my opinion–to get us to a point where the following is possible.

It is most troubling.  Troubling for all of us.

Polling from Gallup, which tracks Americans’ confidence in a wide range of institutions, shows that the public has slowly become more disillusioned with the Supreme Court over the past few decades. In the 1980s, majorities routinely reported that they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the court. Gallup’s latest polling from earlier this year, though, found that only 37 percent had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence.¹

Meanwhile, the same fault lines that are dividing American politics also appear in perceptions of the court. A Gallup poll released last week shows that women’s approval of the Supreme Court has dropped 6 percentage points in the past year, resulting in a 17-point gender gap.

It’s possible, of course, that the decline in support for the court is just a symptom of the country’s growing distrust of institutions overall. But independent of that broader trend, it’s clear that partisan tensions around the court have increased significantly as well. In the 1970s and 1980s, Supreme Court nominees were routinely confirmed with the votes of the vast majority of senators. As recently as 2005, 78 senators voted to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts.