Change: Only 46 percent of children younger than 18 live in “traditional” families headed by two heterosexual parents

This isn't change for the better. I am not saying the there aren't a lot of successful single parents. There are. But the breakdown of the traditional nuclear family is at the root of most of societies ills. Statistically, children of single parent's have lower educational achievement levels, live in lower income homes, are more dependent on the government and to get in trouble with the law. When you group large numbers of single parent households together, you get drug blighted projects that are ruled by gangs. It doesn't matter if the neighborhoods are black, white or Hispanic. According to the 2010 Census, 37.6% of Ferguson, Missouri households are headed by a single parent. We all know how well that is working out.

Via Washington Examiner:

Norman Rockwell wouldn’t recognize today’s American families.
The latest Pew Research Center survey on families, finds that just 46 percent of children younger than 18 live in “traditional” families headed by two heterosexual parents in their first marriage. In 1960, it was 73 percent.
“Rapid changes in American family structure have altered the image of who’s gathering for the holidays. While the old ‘ideal’ involved couples marrying young, then starting a family, and staying married till ‘death do they part,’ the family has become more complex, and less ‘traditional,’ ” said Pew.
Keep on reading…

Graphic of the Day: Who calls themselves Libertarian?

Via Pew:

Pew Poll: 59% disapprove of Obama's handling of healthcare...

Down 20 points since January...

Via Pew Research:

. . . Obama also gets negative ratings on health care policy (37% approve, 59% disapprove). In January, views of Obama’s handling of health care policy were mixed (45% approved, 47% disapproved).
The administration has come under intense criticism for the flawed roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. In a recent interview with NBC News, Obama apologized to those who have lost their health insurance under the law, despite his assurances that they would be able to stay on their plans.

Why the GOP leadership just took a crap in their bed...

By unconditionally surrendering to democrats on the debt ceiling and shutdown without a single democrat compromise, the GOP establishment, embodied by the leadership of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, just took a crap on conservatives in general and Tea Party supporters in specific. This is likely the beginning of the end for the GOP. Tea Party supporters will never forget or forgive this betrayal and the Republican Party can not be competitive without them. Don't be surprised to see a third party form. A Pew poll finds 37% of all Republicans and 49% of Republican primary voters support the Tea Party. No party can shed that much of their base and survive for long. There just aren't enough moderates to bring into the fold and democrats aren't likely to start voting Republican.

Via Pew Research:

Liberal Andrew Sullivan on new Pew Poll: "Romney is now kicking the president’s a$$."

Andrew Sullivan  give up the search for Trig Palin's real mother long enough to meltdown over the latest Pew poll result. 

Via Andrew Sullivan/Daily Beast:

The Pew poll is devastating, just devastating. Before the debate, Obama had a 51 – 43 lead; now, Romney has a 49 – 45 lead. That’s a simply unprecedented reversal for a candidate in October. Before Obama had leads on every policy issue and personal characteristic; now Romney leads in all of them. Obama’s performance gave Romney a 12 point swing! I repeat: a 12 point swing.

Romney’s favorables are above Obama’s now. Yes, you read that right. Romney’s favorables are higher than Obama’s right now. That gender gap that was Obama’s firewall? Over in one night.

Seriously: has that kind of swing ever happened this late in a campaign? Has any candidate lost 18 points among women voters in one night ever? And we are told that when Obama left the stage that night, he was feeling good. That’s terrifying. On every single issue, Obama has instantly plummeted into near-oblivion. He still has some personal advantages over Romney – even though they are all much diminished. Obama still has an edge on Medicare, scores much higher on relating to ordinary people, is ahead on foreign policy, and on being moderate, consistent and honest (only 14 percent of swing voters believe Romney is honest). But on the core issues of the economy and the deficit, Romney is now kicking the president’s ass.

Keep on reading…

Pew Poll: Romney now up by 4

This is an 8 point swing...

Via Pew:

Coming out of the debate, Mitt Romney’s personal image has improved. His favorable rating has hit 50% among registered voters for the first time in Pew Research Center surveys and has risen five points since September. At the same time, Obama’s personal favorability rating has fallen from 55% to 49%.

In the presidential horserace, Romney has made sizable gains over the past month among women voters, white non-Hispanics and those younger than 50. Currently, women are evenly divided (47% Obama, 47% Romney). Last month, Obama led Romney by 18 points (56% to 38%) among women likely voters. …

Romney now ties Obama in being regarded as a strong leader and runs virtually even with the president in willingness to work with leaders of the other party. And by a 47% to 40% margin, voters pick Romney as the candidate who has new ideas.

Conversely, Obama continues hold leads as the candidate who connects well with ordinary people and takes consistent positions on issues. And Obama leads by 10 points (49% to 39%) as the candidate who takes more moderate positions on issues.
Keep reading…

New Pew Poll: If Democrats enjoy a D +19 turnout advantage, Obama will win by 10 points

Welcome to planet liberal...

Via Big Government:

On what alternate universe will Democrats enjoy a D +19 turnout advantage over Republicans on election day? Well, that would be Planet Pew:

"The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted July 16-26, 2012, among 2,508 adults, including 1,956 registered voters, finds that, in keeping with his favorability advantage, Obama continues to hold a sizable lead over Romney in the election contest. Currently, 51% say they support Obama or lean toward him, while 41% support or lean toward Romney."

Except….

Sample Size

459 Republicans

813 Democrats

599 Independents

In the best election season Democrats have enjoyed since Nixon resigned, 2008, the Democrat advantage was only D+8, but Pew is now attempting to hustle us into believing the turnout this  year is going to be D +19.

Keep on reading...

At this point, I would take every poll except Rasmussen and Gallop tracking with a grain of salt. When it gets within a month of the election, the other pollsters will give up their political bias and poll more accurately because the final numbers they put out are the ones they will be rated by. 

Pew Poll: GOP-sympathizers are better informed, more intellectually consistent, more open-minded, more empathetic

Republicans also score better on political and history questions.

Via The Daily Caller:

Yet another new survey shows that Republican supporters know more about politics and political history than Democrats.

On eight of 13 questions about politics, Republicans outscored Democrats by an average of 18 percentage points, according to a new Pew survey “Partisan Differences in Knowledge.”

The Pew survey adds to a wave of surveys and studies showing that GOP-sympathizers are better informed, more intellectually consistent, more open-minded, more empathetic and more receptive to criticism than their fellow Americans who support the Democratic Party.

67 percent of Americans think the news media is biased

The other 33% aren't paying attention.

Via Newsbusters:

The downward slide of media credibility continues. A Pew survey released a few days ago found 67 percent of Americans see “a great deal” or “fair amount” of “political bias” in the news media, a record high for the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press which pegged the level at 63 percent just four months ago. Specifically:

Currently, 37 percent of Americans say there is a great deal of bias in news coverage and 30 percent say there is a fair amount of bias. Far fewer see not too much bias (21 percent) or none at all (10 percent). The percentage saying there is a great deal of bias has increased six points, from 31 percent to 37 percent, since 2008.

Keep on reading…

18% of Americans Believe Obama is a Muslim, but 36% of Democrats Are in Touch With the Dead

A recent Pew poll found 18% of Americans believe President Obama is a Muslim. A Pew poll taken at the end of last year found 19% of Democrats believe in the 'evil eye' and 36% believe they are in touch with the dead. Who do you think has the best case?

On the other hand, Democrats can cite President Obama as proof of the 'evil eye.'

Pew Poll: Republicans Are Fired Up About Voting in November

Pew has found more bad news for Democrats this fall. Republicans can't wait to get to the polls. They are even more fired up than they were in 1994, when there was a historic Republican landslide in House elections.

Pew reported:

Fully 56% of Republican voters say they are more enthusiastic about voting this year than in previous elections – the highest percentage of GOP voters expressing increased enthusiasm about voting in midterms dating back to 1994. While enthusiasm among Democratic voters overall is on par with levels in 2006, fewer liberal Democrats say they are more enthusiastic about voting than did so four years ago (52% then, 37% today).

Hat tip Weasel Zippers.

President Obama is Out Of Touch With Public's Priorities

After passing "Porkulus," President Obama and Democrats have been focused on Health care reform and climate change legislation for most of the year. Next year they plan to add immigration reform to the mix. This doesn't match the public's priorities at all. According to a Pew Research Center survey, Americans top five priorities are economy, jobs, terrorism, Social Security and education. The Democrats top priorities seem to be health care reform, climate change legislation, immigration reform, bailing out unions and rewarding their supporters. Of the Democrats priorities, health care comes in at eighth, immigration reform is eighteenth and global warming is twenty-first. Bailing out unions and rewarding special interest groups didn't make the list. No wonder Democrats are fairing so poorly at the polls.

The PEW Research Center reported:

At the same time, the public has shifted the emphasis it assigns to two major policy issues: dealing with the nation’s energy problem and reducing the budget deficit. About half (49%) say that dealing with the nation’s energy problem should be a top priority, down from 60% a year ago. At the same time, there has been a modest rise in the percentage saying that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority, from 53% to 60%.

Democrats See More Dead People

A spooky study has found that Liberals and Democrats are more likely to be in touch with the dead than Republicans or conservatives. This may explain why they sign up all those dead voters.

The results also show that Democrats are far more likely to believe in supernatural phenomena than Republicans.

"Conservatives and Republicans report fewer experiences than liberals or Democrats communicating with the dead, seeing ghosts and consulting fortune-tellers or psychics," Pew reported.

Pew Poll: Almost All Americans See Press Bias

There has been a large upswing in the number of Americans who think the press is biased and unbalanced over the last two years. Only twenty-nine percent think the press gets the facts straight and eighteen percent think the press fairly reports all sides of the news. Even Democrats are now recognizing the bias in the mainstream media.

From The Pew Research Center:

The public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades of Pew Research surveys, and Americans’ views of media bias and independence now match previous lows.

Just 29% of Americans say that news organizations generally get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate. In the initial survey in this series about the news media’s performance in 1985, 55% said news stories were accurate while 34% said they were inaccurate. That percentage had fallen sharply by the late 1990s and has remained low over the last decade.

There is much more at The Pew Research Center: