National Polling Summary

Cal Cunningham has always fought for North Carolina and its families. After 9/11 Cal joined the Army reserves to fight for the United States and North Carolina. Through two tours in Iraq Cal became a lead military prosecutor, earning a Bronze Star for cracking down on contractor fraud that short-changed the troops and wasted taxpayer dollars. As a State Senator, Cal fought to lower classroom sizes, and give patients more rights over their medical treatment. Now Cal wants to take the fight to the U.S. Senate, where he will work for North Carolina families creating jobs, advancing public education, taking on corporate greed that caused the economic crisis, and protecting veterans and North Carolina's military bases. To learn more about Cal and to see his announcement video, visit him here.

December 10, 2009
Anzalone Liszt Research
National Polling Summary

Welcome to the Anzalone Liszt Research National Polling Summary, a quick look at national public polls detailing key political environmental measures as well as attitudes of voters on the pressing issues of the week.

Since President Obama's speech Afghanistan remains the main topic in the media and thoughout America. A slim majority (51%) of Americans support President Obama's troop increase in Afghanistan, but we see that when the timetable is included in the question support for the troop increase grows to 61%. When tested by itself President Obama's plan to begin removing troops by summer of 2011 is even more popular with 66% of America supporting it. Possibly even more eye opening is the fact that an overwhelming majority (64%) still blame Bush for the problems in Afghanistan showing that this has yet to be seen as President Obama's war.

Enjoy,

John Anzalone and Jeff Liszt

Afghanistan

Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan?

Polling Firm	Date	Bush	Obama	Both equally/ Neither
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	64%	17%	18%

USA Today/ Gallup: Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan: the policies of George W. Bush or the policies of Barack Obama?

Barack Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan

With/ Without Timetable in Question wording	Polling Firm	Date	Favor/ Approve	Oppose/ Disapprove
Without	CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	51%	43%
With	Bloomberg	12/7/09	62%	34%

CBS/ NY Times: As you may know, Barack Obama announced that an additional 30,000 U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming months. Do you approve or disapprove of sending additional troops to Afghanistan? Bloomberg: President Obama has ordered that 30,000 additional troops be sent to fight the war in Afghanistan. He also proposed a timetable to begin withdrawal of those additional forces in July 2011. Do you approve or disapprove of "The decision to send additional troops?"

Barack Obama's plan to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011

Polling Firm	Date	Favor/ Approve/ Good idea	Oppose/ Disapprove/ Not a good idea
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	66%	32%

CNN/ ORC: President Obama also announced that he plans to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011. Thinking specifically about that policy and not about Obama's decision to announce it at this time, do you favor or oppose Obama's plan to start removing troops from Afghanistan in 2011?

Effect of President Obama's speech on Afghanistan on support for his policies

Polling Firm	Date	More Likely	Less Likely	No Difference
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	34%	16%	50%

CNN/ ORC: Did the speech make you more likely or less likely to support Obama's policies in Afghanistan, or didn't it make any difference to you?

Is the US doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan or should we not be involved?

Polling Firm	Date	Right thing	Not involved
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	49%	39%

CBS/ NY Times: Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?

Likelihood that the U.S. will be able to stop terrorist from using Afghanistan as a safe haven

Polling Firm	Date	Total Likely	Total Not Likely
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	48%	42%

CBS/ NY Times: How likely do you think it is that the U.S. will be able to stop terrorist from using Afghanistan as a safe haven for their attacks against the U.S. and its allies?

"War Surtax"

Polling Firm	Date	Favor	Oppose
USA Today/ Gallup	12/2/09	24%	68%

USA Today/ Gallup: Some members of Congress have called for a special tax to pay for the costs of the war in Afghanistan, also called a 'war surtax.' Do you favor or oppose such a tax?

President Obama's Job Rating on Afghanistan

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove	Und/ Neutral
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	48%	38%	-
Bloomberg	12/7/09	48%	43%	9%

The Economy

Condition of America's economy?

Polling Firm	Date	Starting to recover	Has not started to recover but has stabilized	Still in a downturn and continuing to worsen
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	15%	46%	39%
CNN/ ORC	10/18/09	17%	50%	33%

CNN/ ORC: Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of economic conditions today?

Condition of America's Financial System

Polling Firm	Date	Okay way it is	Minor reforms	Major reforms	Total overhaul
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	5%	22%	43%	27%

Anzalone Liszt: In your opinion, would you say that America's financial system is okay the way it is, needs minor reforms, needs major reforms, or needs a total overhaul?

Informed support for President Obama's financial reform plan

Polling Firm	Date	Favor	Oppose	DK
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	60%	33%	6%

Anzalone Liszt: Now I'd like to give you a little more information about President Obama's financial reform plan and get your reaction: The plan would aim to reduce the risk of another financial crisis and prevent future government bailouts by increasing oversight over big banks on Wall Street, banning financial incentives that encourage Wall Street employees to take risks that threaten people's savings, and closing the loopholes that allow banks to avoid regulation. It would also create a Consumer Protection Agency to crack down on abuses committed by credit card companies and mortgage lenders. From what you have heard , do you favor or oppose President Obama's financial reform plan?

President Obama's Job Rating on the Economy

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	47%	43%
Bloomberg	12/7/09	45%	50%

Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy?

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps
ABC/ Wash Post	11/15/09	52%	37%

View of the Stimulus Package and Job Creation

Polling Firm	Date	It has created jobs	It will create jobs	It will not create jobs	Unsure
CBS	11/16/09	7%	46%	42%	5%

CBS: From what you know so far, which comes closest to your own view? The economic stimulus package has already created a substantial number of new jobs in the U.S. Or, It will create a substantial number of new jobs but hasn't done that yet. Or, It will not create a substantial number of new jobs.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rate

Date	Rate
Nov. 2009	10%
Sept. 2009	9.8%
August 2009	9.7%
Nov. 2008	6.8%

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index

Polling Firm	Date
CB	Nov.	49.5
CB	Oct.	48.7
CB	Sept.	53.1

Health Care

Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care reform

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps	Neither
Quinnipiac	12/6/09	44%	37%	-
ABC/ Wash Post	11/15/09	50%	37%	10%

President Obama's Job Rating on Health Care

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove	Und
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	42%	50%	8%

Do you think that extending health insurance to all Americans is worth increasing your costs?

Polling Firm	Date	Yes	No
Quinnipiac	12/6/09	47%	46%

Quinnipiac: Do you think that extending health insurance to all Americans is worth increasing your health care costs or not?

Taxing high-cost health insurance plans to pay for health insurance reform

Polling Firm	Date	Favor	Oppose	Und
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	19%	70%	11%

Anzalone Liszt: Would you favor or oppose placing a tax on high-cost health insurance plans as a way to help pay for health insurance reform?

Taxing individuals making $500K and families making a million to pay for health insurance reform

Polling Firm	Date	Favor	Oppose	Und
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	54%	42%	4%

Anzalone Liszt: Would you favor or oppose a tax increase on individuals making more than half a million dollars a year, and households making over one million a year, as a way to help pay for health insurance reform?

House passed Healthcare Reform Bill

Polling Firm	Date	Total Favor	Oppose: Not Liberal Enough	Oppose: Too Liberal	Oppose Other Reasons	Unsure
CNN/ORC	11/15/09	46%	10%	34%	3%	8%

CNN/ ORC: As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would make major changes in the country's health care system. Based on what you have heard or read about that bill, do you generally favor it or generally oppose it? If oppose: Do you oppose that bill because you think its approach toward health care is too liberal, or because you think its approach toward health care is not liberal enough?

Support for Health Care Reform Proposals

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Favor	Oppose	DK Enough/ Neither/ No opinion
CBS	11/16/09	40%	45%	15%
ABC/ Wash Post	11/15/09	48%	49%	-

CBS: From what you've heard or read, do you mostly approve or mostly disapprove of the proposed changes to the health care system under consideration in Congress? ABC/ Wash Post: Overall, given what you know about them, would you say you support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system being developed by Congress and the Obama administration?

Reason for opposing health care reform proposals

Polling Firm	Date	Oppose: Don't go far enough	Oppose: go too far
Ipsos/ McClatchy	11/22/09	25%	66%

Ipsos/ McClatchy: Asked of those that said they oppose healthcare reform proposals- You said you are opposed to healthcare reform proposals presently being discussed. Is that because you favor healthcare reform overall but think the current proposals don't go far enough to reform healthcare. Or, Is that because you oppose healthcare reform overall and think the current proposals go too far in reforming healthcare?

Public Option Support

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Favor	Oppose
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	59%	29%
Bloomberg	12/7/09	46%	45%
Quinnipiac	12/6/09	56%	38%

CBS/ NY Times: Would you favor or oppose the government offering some people who are uninsured the choice of a government-administered health insurance plan - also known as a 'public option' - that would compete with private health insurance plans? Bloomberg: Generally, do you favor or oppose the proposals now in Congress to create a government-sponsored insurance program giving people an alternative to private health insurance - a so-called public option? Quinnipiac: Do you support or oppose giving people the option of being covered by a government health insurance plan that would compete with private plans

President Obama

President Obama's Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Positive/ Approve	Negative/ Disapprove
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	50%	39%
Bloomberg	12/7/09	54%	41%
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	49%	50%

President Obama's Popularity

Polling Firm	Date	Favorable	Unfavorable
Bloomberg	12/7/09	58%	38%
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	50%	45%

Afghanistan

Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan?

Polling Firm

Date

Bush

Obama

Both equally/ Neither

CNN/ ORC

12/3/09

64%

17%

18%

USA Today/ Gallup: Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan: the policies of George W. Bush or the policies of Barack Obama?

Barack Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan

With/ Without Timetable in Question wording

Polling Firm

Date

Favor/ Approve

Oppose/ Disapprove

Without

CBS/ NY Times

12/8/09

51%

43%

With

Bloomberg

12/7/09

62%

34%

Barack Obama's plan to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011

Polling Firm

Date

Favor/ Approve/ Good idea

Oppose/ Disapprove/ Not a good idea

CNN/ ORC

12/3/09

66%

32%

Effect of President Obama's speech on Afghanistan on support for his policies

Polling Firm

Date

More Likely

Less Likely

No Difference

CNN/ ORC

12/3/09

34%

16%

50%

CNN/ ORC: Did the speech make you more likely or less likely to support Obama's policies in Afghanistan, or didn't it make any difference to you?

Is the US doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan or should we not be involved?

Polling Firm

Date

Right thing

Not involved

CBS/ NY Times

12/8/09

49%

39%

CBS/ NY Times: Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?

Likelihood that the U.S. will be able to stop terrorist from using Afghanistan as a safe haven

Polling Firm

Date

Total Likely

Total Not Likely

CBS/ NY Times

12/8/09

48%

42%

CBS/ NY Times: How likely do you think it is that the U.S. will be able to stop terrorist from using Afghanistan as a safe haven for their attacks against the U.S. and its allies?

"War Surtax"

Polling Firm

Date

Favor

Oppose

USA Today/ Gallup

12/2/09

24%

68%

USA Today/ Gallup: Some members of Congress have called for a special tax to pay for the costs of the war in Afghanistan, also called a 'war surtax.' Do you favor or oppose such a tax?