Opinion Today

May 13, 2022

Abortion, Economy Top Midterm Issues
Monmouth University Polling Institute
The American public is divided as to which party they want in control of Congress, and the issue picture has shifted since the last midterm – with the economy and abortion replacing health care as the top electoral concern. The Monmouth University Poll also finds that a majority of Americans report having a difficult time paying for gas.

By a wide margin, Americans view inflation as the top problem facing the country today
Carroll Doherty & Vianney Gómez, Pew Research Center
Seven-in-ten Americans view inflation as a very big problem for the country, followed by the affordability of health care (55%) and violent crime (54%). About half say gun violence and the federal budget deficit are very big problems (51% each), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 25-May 1 among 5,074 U.S. adults.

Poll finds increasing disapproval of Supreme Court, support for keeping Roe on the books
University of Massachusetts Amherst
National poll shows a plurality of Americans are unhappy with indications that the court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, want Congress to pass a law legalizing abortion in all 50 states

A Majority of Americans Favor Expanding Natural Gas Production To Export to Europe
Alec Tyson & Alison Spencer, Pew Research Center
Yet renewable sources, like wind and solar, remain Americans’ overall priority for domestic production

Cryptocurrency Infrequently Named as Best Investment
Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup
Eight percent of U.S. adults choose cryptocurrency as the best long-term investment from a list of six investment options. Cryptocurrency is on par with savings accounts or CDs (10%) but well behind real estate (45%), stocks (18%) and gold (15%). Americans are least likely to say bonds are the best investment.

Most Americans support requiring high schools to teach financial literacy
Taylor Orth, YouGov
A recent YouGov poll asked more than 8,000 Americans their opinions on whether or not high-school students should be required to take a class on financial literacy that includes lessons on topics such as credit scores, managing debt, and filing taxes. The vast majority of Americans (79%) support adding financial literacy to high-school curriculums, while only 10% oppose doing so.

Americans Increasingly Favor Abortion Rights Following Leaked Draft Decision
Navigator Research
A majority of Americans are hearing about the Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and majorities remain broadly and deeply supportive of the ruling. Four in five Americans feel the decision to get an abortion should be left to a woman and her doctor rather than politicians and the government. Nearly two in three identify as “pro-choice” and say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

How often do views on capital punishment and abortion ‘align’?
Philip Bump, Washington Post
Recognizing the complexity of both issues, there's some alignment of Americans' views of abortion and capital punishment.

Georgia swing voters: Abortion isn’t the central issue
Emma Hurt, Axios
Georgia swing voters in the latest Axios Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups strongly support abortion rights — but say the issue alone probably won't decide who they support in November's midterm elections.

Pennsylvania: Primary Election Preview
Franklin & Marshall Poll
Since the polling is limited, and we know that primary polls have historically not been as accurate as general election polling, what else is there to think about that could help us know what to expect? There are three features of state primaries that people don’t always think about that are likely to play at least some role in determining winners and losers in a close primary race: 1) regional turnout, 2) a candidate’s county of residence, and 3) a candidate’s ballot position.

Pennsylvania: Conor Lamb Had All the Makings of a Front-Runner. So Why Is He Struggling?
Trip Gabriel, New York Times
In the Democratic primary on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Mr. Lamb, the congressman running for Senate, has been a less competitive candidate than his supporters had hoped.

If There’s a Loud Fight About Roe, ‘Centrist America Will Just Turn Down the Volume’
Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times [via opiniontoday.com]
At one level, the likelihood that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade would seem to be an ideal vehicle to invigorate the left. Such a decision, in political terms, would amount to the imposition of a major change in social policy, by a bare 5-to-4 majority of an unelected court, against the will of a majority of the electorate. There are a number of countervailing factors, however.

Electability Argument Falling Flat in 2022
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
In 2018 and 2020, Democratic voters were united by the shared interest in beating Donald Trump. But, with Trump gone and Democratic priorities in tatters, Democratic voters are less swayed by 'electability' or pragmatism arguments and more eager to support a fighter willing to take it to the GOP.

The Bankruptcy of the Democratic Party Left
Ruy Teixeira, The Liberal Patriot
How much is the Democratic Left losing? Let us count the ways.

The Looming End to Abortion Rights Gives Liberal Democrats a Spark
Jonathan Weisman, New York Times
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party appeared to be flagging until a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade leaked — and shook the political world.

The Most Pivotal Elections in 2022 Are Not the Ones You Think
Barbara McQuade (U. of Michigan), New York Times
The fate of our democracy doesn’t hinge on the battle for the House or the fight for control of the Senate, but on state elections for a once sleepy office: secretary of state. As Donald Trump has said, sometimes the “vote counter is more important than the candidate.”

How Internal Wealth Influences Communities’ Prospects Post-Covid
Dante Chinni & Ari Pinkus, American Communities Project
The Covid-19 pandemic has reshuffled the U.S. economy on a fundamental level. Everything has changed — from how and where Americans work, to the way they shop and entertain, to how they conduct business meetings. But all the changes have also unfolded on a very uneven landscape and have the potential to lead to vastly varied impacts on communities’ social and economic health.

The Politics Of Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws
FiveThirtyEight podcast
Since January 2021, 11 states have enacted laws limiting how teachers can talk about race and racism in schools, and close to 200 bills have been introduced in 40 states. What are these laws actually doing? What is their impact in the classroom and at the ballot box? And why has this issue become such a focus in our politics? Galen Druke discusses these questions with Theodore R. Johnson, the director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.