In the context of reducing the budget deficit, a new Bloomberg poll (PDF) asked Americans if they would support pulling all troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. The poll found an overwhelming 66 percent would favor this action, while only 30 percent oppose it. A full withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan was one of only [...]

Peter Orszag has an oped in the New York Times regarding Social Security. It’s full of the usual Orszag claptrap in which he sets himself up as the sober, responsible judge, while “the left… seems adamantly opposed to restoring actuarial balance to Social Security.” Orszag ends with this: Given the left’s strident opposition to any [...]

It is very impressive that the deficit fear-mongers, led by people like Peter Peterson, David Walker and Alan Simpson, have managed to get all of Washington worked into a self-destructive frenzy over the issue of the federal debt. The debt simply is not the issue regular Americans care about right now. Americans overwhelmingly rank jobs [...]

We recently polled both our online audience and our email list to determine if people thought t FDL should get involved in the marijuana legalization ballot initiatives in California, Washington and Oregon. The support was overwhelming — 97% online and 92% from our email list. Yes Percent No Percent Online 2,741 97% 99 3% Email [...]

One of the problems with policy polling in this country is that regular Americans simply don’t understand policy–which is often not their fault. Some pieces of legislation, like the recently enacted health care law, are so complex, I doubt a majority of professional Washington DC journalists fully understand it. It seems people latch on to [...]

A new PPP poll is making the rounds today. The poll reports that half of Americans (50%) are opposed health care reform, and only 39% state support. What is interesting is the source of much of the opposition: Digging a little deeper on those numbers though 64% of respondents planning or open to voting Democratic [...]

If Rahm Emanuel’s plan to jam the anti-choice, anti-EFCA, homophobic Hill onto the ticket was disrupted as a result of our polling, don’t hold your breath waiting for me to get too worked up about it.

Baron Hill may be a favorite of the DC establishment, but he’s got so much negative baggage going in it would be almost impossible for him to win — certainly without the help of the unions. Anything that keeps him off the ticket is a favor to the entire Democratic party.

Oh, and by the way, in case you run into Marc Ambinder:

BARON HILL IS LOSING BY 8 POINTS TO HIS GOP OPPONENT MIKE SODREL

So here’s a challenge to the DCCC. If you think the FDLSurveyUSA results for Tim Bishop, Barron Hill, Vic Snyder and Steve Driehaus are wrong, that Martha Coakley was just a “bad candidate” and the Democrats really aren’t in any trouble, let’s poll the districts again. Together. We’ll choose a non-partisan polling firm that’s mutually agreeable, split the cost, and see if the FDL/SurveyUSA results hold up.

And what’s more, we’ll make the same offer to local media outlets in these districts who would like to join us in re-polling these races.

We’ve shown all our results. The DCCC has done nothing but spin. It’s time for them to back up all the trash-talk with some action.

A new Research 2000 poll conducted for Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America shows that the American people still overwhelming favor a public option. The poll was conducted in 10 swing districts currently held by Democrats. QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose the national government offering everyone the choice of a government administered [...]

With a poll of likely voters showing Driehaus 17 points down to his Republican opponent, there appears to be a more important takeaway: the Democrats have 10 months before the 2010 election to stand up to the banks, insurance and pharmaceutical companies and show that they really can be the party of reform. If he wants to save his seat, Driehaus should get in front of that parade and insist that the mandate and penalties come out of the bill — something 70% of the people in his district think is “unfair.” Because that is something that progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans agree on.