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Poll: Almost One-Third of Voters Believe Armed Revolution May Be Necessary

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Photo Credit: leewrightonflickrAccording to a survey from Fairleigh Dickinson University, nearly a third of registered voters — 29 percent — believe an “armed revolution” might be necessary in the next few years in order to protect liberties.

The poll from the university’s PublicMind explored perceptions regarding Congress’ latest gun control push as well as the Sandy Hook mass shooting. That legislative push, launched in the wake of the Connecticut shooting, fizzled last month after the Senate blocked a bill that would have expanded background checks.

The poll showed 50 percent of voters still believe Congress should pass laws to protect the public from gun violence, while 39 percent say the opposite. But there is a huge partisan divide. Among Republicans, 65 percent don’t see new laws as necessary.

And the survey could help explain why applications for gun permits have hit record highs and retailers report ammo has been flying off the shelves. Not only are gun owners worried about new gun laws, but the poll suggests some voters think a revolution could be on the horizon.

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Polls Showing Public Support for Gun Control Skewed, Inaccurate

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Photo Credit: Washington TimesGun owners often scratch their heads over national polls on gun control issues because the responses are so radically different from their own views and those of their friends and family.

On Wednesday, Pew Research and the Washington Post released a poll showing that more Americans have more negative than positive feelings about the Senate’s inability to pass gun-control measures. The survey showed that 47 percent were either “angry” or “disappointed” while 39 percent were “ very happy” or “relieved.”

However, the methodology skews to show more support that actually exists. Pew/Washington Post polled 1,002 adults, but the best public opinion polls ask registered voters because they are the one who will affect the outcome of election. According to a recent Fox News poll, only 26 percent of registered voters support stricter gun control laws. Registered voters are also more likely to closely follow politics. The poll showed that just 39 percent of respondents followed the Senate debate “very closely.”

The question posed by phone gave no context for those unfamiliar with the details of gun policy: “As you may know, the U.S. Senate voted DOWN new gun control legislation, including background checks on gun purchases. Which word best describes how you feel about the fact that this gun legislation did not pass?”

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Poll: Support Rising for Hillary Clinton in 2016

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Photo Credit: cliff1066™

Hillary Clinton has hit a new high in support for a potential presidential run.

Sixty-four percent of Democratic voters surveyed by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) support the former secretary of State as the party’s nominee for president in 2016, with every other potential candidate trailing by huge margins. Vice President Biden, in second, got only 18 percent support.

Clinton has majority support among every age group polled, nearly every ethnic group and both men and women, as well as a majority of support from liberals and moderates.

But a Clinton run isn’t a sure thing, and if she decides against it, Biden’s a shoe-in for the nomination, taking 49 percent support to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) 11 percent support. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo takes 10 percent support, and every other candidate is in single digits.

Clinton fares better than Biden against every potential GOP contender tested, leading all of them by margins ranging from four percentage points to seven. Among the top four GOP contenders, Biden leads Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), but by slighter margins than Clinton, and he trails New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by nine percentage points.

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Poll: Anger at D.C. Rises Sharply

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Photo Credit: AP

Eight in 10 Americans are unhappy with Washington, according to a new poll — with nearly 30 percent describing themselves as “angry.”

Both of those numbers have jumped in recent months and are now the highest recorded since CBS began asking the question in 2010. In December, 75 percent of the country were unhappy with D.C., and only 21 percent were angry.

In addition, 61 percent of the country believe the United States is on the wrong track, the highest number since the aftermath of the debt ceiling debate in August 2011. President Barack Obama’s job approval has slipped from 52 percent in February to 45 percent today, and disapproval has jumped from 38 percent to 46 percent, the CBS poll found.

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Rand Paul Wins The Washington Times-CPAC 2013 Straw Poll

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Photo Credit: ANDREW HARNIK

Sen. Rand Paul won the 2013 Washington Times-CPAC presidential preference straw poll Saturday, and Sen. Marco Rubio was a close second, easily outdistancing the rest of the field and signaling the rise of a new generation of conservative leaders who will take the Republican Party into the 2016 election.

Mr. Paul won 25 percent of the vote, and Mr. Rubio collected 23 percent. Former Sen. Rick Santorum was third with just 8 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who was not invited to speak at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference — was next with 7 percent, and Rep. Paul D. Ryan, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee last year, was fifth with 6 percent.

Mr. Paul’s victory puts him in the footsteps of his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, who won in 2010 and 2011.

“I’ve been standing with Rand since I came out of the womb,” said Austin Alexander, a 26-year-old consultant from New York who voted for the senator in the straw poll and who volunteered for the elder Mr. Paul’s campaign in 2012. Mr. Alexander said he believes the GOP is moving in the direction the Pauls espouse.

Mr. Rubio, meanwhile, won the hearts of more traditional conservatives. “I’ve been a supporter for Marco, like a lot of people, since the first time I heard the guy speak,” said Gary Kim, 62, from Colorado, who described himself as a social conservative and said Mr. Rubio can deliver that message in a way previous candidates such as Mr. Santorum could not.

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ABC Poll: Americans Are Totally Fine With Spending Cuts

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Photo Credit: Intel PhotosPresident Obama and company have been beating the drum about the supposed coming disasters of sequestration, but Americans aren’t buying it. Proof: a poll out from ABC news today reveals that the vast majority of Americans are just fine with budget cuts. At the same time, most are not in favor of military cuts, indicating they’d like to see the money come from other places. Some of the numbers:

The public by nearly 2-1, 61-33 percent, supports cutting the overall budget along the lines of the sequester that took effect last Friday. But by nearly an identical margin, Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll oppose an eight percent across-the-board cut in military spending.

These views come before the $85 billion in cuts this year have taken hold, leaving open the question of how the public will respond once the reductions hit home. Nonetheless, the results suggest that warnings about the nation’s military readiness have resonated, while the public is more skeptical about the damage the sequester poses to federal programs more generally.

Support for a five percent reduction in federal spending crosses party lines in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates; it includes 57 percent of Democrats, six in 10 independents and three-quarters of Republicans. Shaving eight percent off the military budget, on the other hand, is opposed by 73 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of independents, with Democrats split down the middle.

Now, before we all start celebrating, there are a few matters of note. The ABC article also points out that, in a similar poll conducted during the height of fiscal cliff hysteria, Americans were largely opposed to cuts to some of the most expensive programs we run (including Social Security).

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Poll: The Tea Party Lives

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Photo Credit: FacebookA plurality of Americans support “Tea Party principles,” according to a poll released today.

The poll, commissioned by TheTeaParty.net and conducted by NSON, Inc., found that 48 percent of Americans support the principles of “limited government,” “free markets,” and “personal responsibility.”

The poll also found that 21 percent of Americans support “progressive, liberal principles” of “big government,” “higher taxes,” and “more spending.” The poll explicitly tied the conservative principles to the Tea Party, said Niger Innis, chief strategist for TheTeaParty.net.

According to the poll, nearly half of people in the Midwest, South, and West expressed support for Tea Party principles, while just over 40 percent of people in the northeast—the country’s “liberal stronghold,” said Innis—expressed support.

“The mainstream media wrote our obituary after the November elections. Unfortunately for them, the tea party isn’t going anywhere,” Todd Cefaratti, founder of TheTeaParty.net, said in a statement.

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Poll: Majority of U.S. Citizens Say Illegal Immigrants Should Be Deported

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(Reuters) – More than half of U.S. citizens believe that most or all of the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday that highlights the difficulties facing lawmakers trying to reform the U.S. immigration system.

The online survey shows resistance to easing immigration laws despite the biggest push for reform in Congress since 2007.

Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported.

Only 5 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally, and 31 percent want most illegal immigrants to stay.

These results are in line with other polls in recent years, suggesting that people’s views on immigration have not changed dramatically since the immigration debate reignited in Congress last month, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

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Poll: Young Americans Overwhelmingly Support Right to Own ‘Assault Weapons’

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A vast majority of young adults under the age of 34 believe that Americans have a right to own an “assault weapon,” according to a new Reason-Rupe poll released Thursday.

Seventy percent of 18-24 year-olds and 58 percent of 24-34 year-olds indicated the government “should allow the private ownership of assault weapons.”

But a majority of older Americans disagree, with 57 percent of 55-64 year-olds and 61 percent of people over the age of 65 asserting that “assault weapons should be prohibited.”

Republicans and Democrats alike may be surprised at such results, which break with traditionally-held notions that a majority of seniors support the Republican Party, while the youth support the Democratic Party.

Overall, 51 percent said “assault weapons” should be allowed, including 68 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of independents and 33 percent of Democrats. Forty-four percent indicated that people “should be prohibited” from owning such weapons.

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Poll: Two-Thirds of U.S. Weapons Owners Would ‘Defy’ Federal Gun Ban

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photo credit: anthony.carusoAn interesting little factoid has emerged from a new Fox News poll of U.S. voters: Personal sentiments are strong and defiant among many U.S. gun owners.

Question 46 in the wide-ranging survey of more than 1,000 registered voters asks if there is a gun in the household. Overall, 52 percent of the respondents said yes, someone in their home owned a gun . . .

But on to Question 47, addressed to those with a gun in their home: “If the government passed a law to take your guns, would you give up your guns or defy the law and keep your guns?”

The response: 65 percent reported they would “defy the law.”

Read full story HERE.