Monday, October 31, 2016

HAPPY HALLOWEEN


Latest Polls Average Has Tightened A Bit - Clinton Still Leads



The charts above are from RealClearPolitics. They show the national polls have tightened a bit, and the polls average now has Clinton with a 3.4 point lead.

A Perverse Halloween

Political Cartoon is by David Horsey in the Los Angeles Times.

The Public Supports Democratic Economic Proposals




These charts are from Public Religion Research Institute surveys, and they show that a majority of the general voting public tends to agree with Democratic proposals. About 60% supports raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, about 65% supports making college tuition free for families making less than $125,000 a year, and a whopping 72% supports raising taxes a little on those making over $250,000 a year.

Groped (Again)

Political Cartoon is by Signe Wilkinson in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Public's View On Voter Fraud Vs. Disenfranchisement


This chart is from the Public Religion Research Institute. It's not really surprising. It shows that while Republicans worry about voter fraud (which is virtually non-existent), Democrats are much more worried about voters being disenfranchised (which is actually happening -- using voter fraud as an excuse). The general public and Independents both have pluralities worrying more about disenfranchisement than fraud.

Too Scary (For Insurance Companies)

Political Cartoon is by John Cole in the Scranton Times-Tribune.

The Confession Of A Republican Politician About Trump

The following is from the Facebook page of ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich (pictured):

Yesterday I spoke with a former Republican member of Congress whom I’ve known for years.
Me: What do you think of your party’s nominee for president?
He: Trump is a maniac. He’s a clear and present danger to America.
Me: Have you said publicly that you won’t vote for him?
He (sheepishly): No. 
Me: Why not?
He: I’m a coward.
Me: What do you mean?
He: I live in a state with a lot of Trump voters. Most Republican officials do. 
Me: But you’re a former official. You're not running for Congress again. What are you afraid of?
He: I hate to admit it, but I’m afraid of them. Some of those Trumpistas are out of their fu*king minds. 
Me: You mean you’re afraid for your own physical safety?
He: All it takes is one of them, you know. 
Me: Wait a minute. Isn’t this how dictators and fascists have come to power in other nations? Respected leaders don’t dare take a stand.
He: At least I’m no Giuliani or Gingrich or Pence. I’m not a Trump enabler. 
Me: I’ll give you that. 
He: Let me tell you something. Most current and former Republican members of Congress are exactly like me. I talk with them. They think Trump is deplorable. And they think Giuliani and Gingrich are almost as bad. But they’re not gonna speak out. Some don’t want to end their political careers. Most don’t want to risk their lives. The Trump crowd is just too dangerous. Trump has whipped them up into a g*ddamn frenzy.

Election Effect

Political Cartoon is by Steve Sack in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Normal Is An Illusion


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Atheists


The Religious Vote Breakdown For The 2016 Election


This chart is from the Public Religion Research Institute. It was made from surveys done between September 22nd and October 17th.

Trump Man

Political Cartoon is by Clay Jones at claytoonz.com.

Texas Early Voting Numbers Still Very High After Five Days



After the first five days of early voting, the numbers in Texas are still on a record-setting pace. The numbers and percentages are from the Texas Secretary of State website.

Corrupt

Political Cartoon is by Jim Morin in The Miami Herald.

Clinton Is Still Winning The 2016 Presidential Money Battle


During the period between October 1st and 19th, Hillary Clinton did significantly better than Donald Trump in the battle for campaign money. She raised $22.3 million more than him, spent about $0.8 million more, and has $46.4 million more on hand than him. Going into the last two weeks of the campaign, Clinton has a pretty large monetary advantage.

Justice ?

Political Cartoon is by Pat Bagley in the Salt Lake Tribune.

One In Five Uninsured Children Live In Texas


The chart above shows that Texas has nearly double the national percentage of uninsured children. That is inexcusable, and shows the Republicans leaders in Austin are doing a very poor job of extending insurance coverage to the poor -- especially children. Here is part of a Texas Tribune article on the subject:

Even as the share of children in Texas without health insurance continues to decline, the state still has nearly twice the national average, according to a new study.
A Georgetown University Center for Children and Families report released Thursday found that Texas still ranks second-worst in the nation for uninsured children, even though the rate of Texas kids without insurance decreased from 16.6 percent in 2009 to 9.5 percent in 2015. The national average was 4.8 percent in 2015.
Researchers, working from U.S. Census data, found almost one in five uninsured children in the United States live in Texas — 682,000 as of 2014. Only Alaska ranked worse. 
Joan Alker, the center's executive director, said Texas lags behind other big states like California, which has tried to streamline its application process online with its state health insurance exchange, done more outreach to underrepresented communities and expanded Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Under the federal health law, people who make up to 138 percent of the poverty line are eligible for Medicaid. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have taken up the offer.
“I think it speaks to this ongoing resistance and reluctance to embrace the coverage agenda,” Alker said. “We know that just because we’re talking about kids doesn’t mean that all states will do the right thing.”

Making America Great ?

Political Cartoon is by Nick Anderson in the Houston Chronicle.

An Obligation


Saturday, October 29, 2016

Obama On The GOP's Trump Dilemma


The Latest Average Of Polls In The Battleground States


From RealClearPolitics.

Sinking

Political Cartoon is by Clay Bennett in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Trump Has Misjudged Public's Attitude Toward Immigrants




The three charts above show results of polls done by the Gallup Poll this year. They clearly show that Donald Trump has made a serious mistake. He thought the American public shared his bigotry and hatred for undocumented immigrants -- and based his campaign on exploiting that imagined hate.

But most Americans don't share Trump racist views. About 72% believe immigration is a good thing for the United States, 66% oppose building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and 84% think undocumented immigrants should be given a chance to become U.S. citizens.

Worrisome News

Political Cartoon is by Steve Sack in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Another New Poll Shows Clinton Is Close In Texas


This chart reflects the results of a new University of Texas / Texas Tribune Poll -- done between October 14th and 23rd of a random sample of 1,200 registered Texas voters, with a margin of error of 2.83 points.

Like another recent Texas poll (the University of Houston Poll) this survey shows Hillary Clinton is gaining ground in the state of Texas. It shows she is currently 3 points behind Donald Trump -- within the poll's margin of error.

Misogyny Surrogate

Political Cartoon is by Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Clinton Viewed Very Favorably By The LGBT Community



These charts were made from information in a recent Gallup Poll -- done between June 1st and October 20th of a random national sample of 69,075 voters (2,220 LGBT voters). The margin of error for all voters is 0.5 points, and for LGBT voters is 2 points.

They show that Hillary Clinton is much more popular with the LGBT community than with the general public. Among LGBT voters, she has a 43 point edge over Donald Trump. Among all voters, her edge is only 9 points.

Fraudulent War (And Bonuses)

Political Cartoon is by Rob Rogers in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Same Can Be Said Of Republican Party


Friday, October 28, 2016

Ex-Presidents Agree That Trump Is NOT Qualified


Two New Polls Show Clinton With A Large Electoral Lead


The Suffolk University / USA Today Poll was done between October 20th and 24th of a random national sample of 1,000 voters, and has a margin of error of 3 points.

The AP-GfK Poll was done between October 20th and 24th of a random national sample of 1,546 registered voters, and has a margin of error of 2.75 points.

Obamacare

Political Cartoon is by Pat Bagley in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Millennials Prefer Clinton Over Trump By A 28 Point Margin


This chart reflects the results of the recent Harvard University Institute of Politics Poll -- done between October 7th and 17th of a random national sample of 2,150 likely voters between 18 and 29, with a margin of error of 3.11 points.

It shows that millennial voters prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 28 point margin (49% to 21%). About 11% say they are still undecided, while 19% prefer Gary Johnson or Jill Stein.

Trump Campaign Organization


U.N. Asks U.S. To Lift The Cuban Embargo On A 191-0 Vote

(The cartoon image above is from cuba-embargo.procon.org.)

On Wednesday, the United Nations passed a resolution calling on the United States to end the Cuban embargo (which has been in effect for over half a century). The vote in the U.N. General Assembly was 191 to 0.

It marks the 25 year in a row that the U.N. has passed this resolution, but the first time the United States has not voted against it. This year the United States abstained from voting. Israel, which in the past has voted against the resolution, also abstained.

This means that the Republican Congress, which has refused to lift the embargo, stands alone against the entire world. It is time for them to stop playing political games, and lift the embargo.

Over The Cliff

Political Cartoon is by Tom Toles in The Washington Post.

Early Voting Still Strong For First Three Days In Texas



The charts above reflect early voting in the 15 largest counties in Texas from the Texas Secretary of State (total for first three days). The top chart shows the number of people who have voted early (compared with numbers from 2008 and 2012). The second chart shows the percentage of registered voters who have cast an early vote. The numbers and percentage are still in record-breaking territory.

Comparison

Political Cartoon is by Jen Sorensen at jensorensen.com.

The Most Dangerous Place For Women


Thursday, October 27, 2016

Lying About Social Security


3 New National Polls Show Clinton With 5-12 Point Lead


The Democracy Corps Poll was done between October 21st and 24th of a random national sample of 900 likely voters, with a 3.27 point margin of error.

The ABC News Poll was done between October 21st and 24th of a random national sample of 1,119 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.

The NBC News / SurveyMonkey Poll was done between October 17th and 23rd of a random national sample of 32,225 likely voters, with a margin of error of 1 point.