Outside the Beltway

President Obama’s approval numbers shot up after Osama bin Laden was killed two weeks ago. They’ve already settled back to where they were

The Pew Center is out with a new political typology.

The defense of torture as an extreme measure for extraordinary circumstances has evolved.tortu

There’s not much movement in the President’s job approval numbers.

The GOP seems to be losing the public relations battle over deficit reduction.

Americans are rallying around the President in the wake of the mission against bin Laden, but it’s likely to be short-lived.

There are signs that the Ryan Plan isn’t playing well with the public.

So, some bright people are surprised at new polling showing that a significant minority of Southerners have not enthusiastically embraced their ancestors’ loss in the Civil War.

The new CBS/NYT poll is out and the numbers are not exactly happy, no matter whom you support.

It is waaay too early to be putting much stock in polling for 2012 (either in terms of X v. Obama or GOP v. GOP).

According to a new poll, the American public still isn’t sold on the idea of cutting entitlements to cut the budget deficit.

President Obama is vulnerable, but he’s facing a GOP field that is underwhelming even for Republicans.

We’re approaching the point where those job approval numbers start to matter, and President Obama’s are heading down again.

Nate Silver argues today’s polls “have a reasonable amount of predictive power in informing us as to the identity of the eventual nominee.”

The President’s winter polling bounce is gone, and he’s looking vulnerable again.

Public support for the war in Afghanistan continues to plummet, but will that hurt the President when 2012 rolls around?

79% do not think Ivy League students make better workers. 18% are undecided.

Two new polls reflect the extent to which public attitudes on same-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the past twenty years, and it’s only a matter of time before that’s reflected in the law.

As the standoff in Wisconsin drags on, there is no sign that the public accepts the argument being made about public sector unions by Governor Scott Walker and other Republicans.

A new national poll suggests that moves to restrict the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions are not popular with the public at large:

A new poll finds that Republican policies on immigration are chasing Latino voters straight into the arms of the Democratic Party.

Polls matching President Obama against potential Republican contenders are entertaining but not informative.