Looking at Healthcare

For the full polling data from Democracy Corps, please click here

To read Stan Greenberg's article in The New Republic, please click here

About a week ago, I posted Stan Greenberg’s piece in The New Republic. Now, let’s take a look at Mr. Greenberg’s numbers and the New York Times numbers to get a sense of where the healthcare debate is and where it should be heading.

Just as Stan Greenberg wrote, the numbers from 1993 to 2009 haven’t changed much. But, instead of concentrating on the similarities to the past (if you want that, please see Mr. Greenberg’s piece), let’s look at the present and, more importantly, what should be done moving forward.

Current Situation: While only 7% of Americans believe that Healthcare is the most important issue facing America right now, according to a recent NY Times poll, the Obama administration seems to be concentrating what little energy they have, while wrangling this beast of an economy back to ‘normalcy’, on healthcare.

A plurality of Americans, 48%, feel that ‘major changes’ are needed to the insurance healthcare system in America. Further, 58% say they are dissatisfied with the current healthcare system (43% say they are very dissatisfied and every group, except seniors, are either dissatisfied or split.) However, while Americans are dissatisfied with the current system generally, 72% are satisfied with their health insurance. This fact, not too unusual in American Public Opinion, will make this issue difficult for the administration – any change they propose may be seen by 72% of Americans as a break away from the satisfied service they are already getting from their insurance company. And, generally, people are willing to except the beast they have, as opposed to the beast they don’t know, so the administration has a tough sell ahead.

When it comes to the ‘nuts and bolts’ of reform, the nation is split over their concerns. 48% say they are more concerned that the current system will increase costs too much and become out of control than with the government taking over healthcare and reducing quality. Meanwhile, 46% of respondents believe the opposite is true. So while Americans are split, Independent voters are more concerned with the government taking over healthcare by a 13% margin.

Americans feel that the healthcare system in this country needs to be reformed, while leaving their own insurance plan alone. What’s more, while they feel the situation needs to be fixed, they are split over the government taking over and controlling the system and the current system becoming too unwieldy for proper management.

Goals and Concerns: American’s are conflicted over the process of reform, but are somewhat more clear on the goals they hope such reform will achieve. 39% (the largest percent of respondents) says that reducing costs should be the goal of any reform. And, while that ranks the highest, expanding coverage to children (33%), preventing insurance companies from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition (31%), guaranteeing no one will lose coverage if they are sick, move, et cetera (29%), and expanding coverage to those without insurance (28%) are also on the priority list. Overall, Americans want reform to reduce cost, protect their current coverage, and expand coverage to more Americans.

When it comes to Americans concerns, they are most concerned with a Government run system restricting choice and becoming costly. 30% of respondents say their largest concern is that healthcare decisions will no longer be made by them, but by the government and 27% say that they are concerned that they will no longer be able to choose their own doctor. Meanwhile, 24% are concerned with an increase in taxes because of the reform.

Americans want costs to be reduced, coverage expanded and protected while not creating a Government run system that limits their choice and does not increases taxes – simply put, they want their current insurance expanded to everyone and guaranteed to them all at no additional charge.

Messaging and Moving Forward: 44% of likely voters favor President Obama’s healthcare proposal, while 18% do not have an opinion – a huge constituency. In a recent NY Times poll, 44% say they approve of the way the President is handling healthcare, but 22% don’t have enough information to make an opinion. With such large numbers of American’s without an opinion on what will continue to dominant the political arena, there is much room to change public opinion.

After a ‘critical argument’ is presented to voters under 65, the number in favor of the President’s plan increases from 47% to 55% while the number opposed increases to 40% from 36%. In the ratio, the President is winning when the argument takes place 2 to 1. However, to make sure that this ratio remains strong and splits the 18% without an opinion on the President’s plan to being in favor of the President, the right elements and messages must be used.

With over 84% support, Americans want to be given of choice between keeping their own health insurance or switching to a public plan, which is front and center in the President’s plan (he just has to spread the word.) 77 to 74% (depending on how the question is worded) support employers being required to either cover their employees or contribute to a fund to help them pay for coverage, with small business being given tax credits for such participation. Third on the list of highest supported initiatives is a potential plan is the requirement that insurance companies cover everyone at the same rate, regardless of pre-existing conditions, with 68% of respondents supporting it.

When it comes to positive messages that convince respondents to support the President’s plan, stressing the security and ‘peace of mind’ the plan offers scores at 72% convincing, while creating more choices for people comes in at 70%. No surprises there. These messages emphasis the goals Americans want out of healthcare reform. Further, when asked what ‘stood out’ about the positive aspects of the arguments respondents heard, universal coverage, affordability, and choice garnered 34, 22, and 15%, respectively.

On the negative side, “will force Americans to wait in line for care” and “puts Washington bureaucrats in charge of healthcare” scored 61 and 57%, respectively. And, when it comes to the worries people have the Obama health plan, the government’s involvement and increased costs are, by far, the largest with 52 and 38%, respectively.

So far, we have seen the Republican attack machine come out and say, over and over and over again, that the President’s plan will put Washington in charge of which doctor you see and what care you receive. If President Obama and his team are to be successful, they will have to emphasize increased coverage, choice, and how their plan will lower costs. Most importantly, they need to rebuke the myth that a man in Washington will pick the care a woman in California receives. If Democrats can successfully stress their strengths while negating the largest Republican attack (government control will be inefficient and reduce choice), than public opinion, at least, will be on the President’s side. If not, than Stan Greenberg might be right in thinking 1993 might repeat itself.

Note: All polling numbers are from the Democracy Corps poll cited above, except where the New York Times is cited. For the complete poll from The New York Times, please click here.

Bringing Back Sotomayor For a Second

For the press release by Ipsos, click here

For the full poll, click here

Recently, the political pundits have cast their eyes, and pens, on the healthcare crisis and Iran; however, we are still in the midst of a Supreme Court nomination. Ipsos released a poll on June 12^th about Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor. It wasn’t too extensive, but it says a lot.

While all subgroups (Hispanics, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans) except Republicans have net positive favorable ratings of Sotomayor, in all the subgroups but Hispanics, more than a majority has not heard enough to have an opinion. Of course, that isn’t too surprising given recent news coverage.

What is surprising is that, given the large percentage of people who don’t have an opinion about Sotomayor’s favorability, 54% of the general population believes she should be confirmed. And independents, a continually crucial subgroup, believe that she should be confirmed 41% to 19%. Even if the 40% who do not know enough to make a decision split evenly, that leaves Independents wanting Ms. Sotomayor to be confirmed 61% to 39%, hardly a small margin.

However, the most important number in the survey is a warning to Republicans who are considering a staunch challenge to Sotomayor’s nomination. When asked if the Senate Republicans “overwhelmingly oppose” Sotomayor’s nomination would you be more or less favorable towards the GOP, 24% of the population said they would be more favorable to the Republican party, while 37% said they would be less favorable – a 13% gap favoring Democrats. What is even more astonishing is that, among independents, that gap is roughly the same, becoming 14% in the Democrats favor among Independents.

So, while other issues have pushed this story aside, if Republicans fiercely challenge Sotomayor’s nomination, it can only help the Democrats on other issues. Hopefully the Republican’s aren’t reading this blog (or any other polling data) and stick it to Sotomayor – it can only help us on the other issues, where the help is needed and needed now.

Polls and Elections in Iran

Reading opinion polls in Tehran, by Mark Mellman: Here, Mark Mellman, of the Mellman Group, gives us a break down of the poll Terror Free Tomorrow put into the field before the election. From the results of the poll (link to polling data here) it seems that Ahmadinejad was favored to win and, perhaps not so surprisingly, won. I'm not an expert on Iran, nor is Mellman, but, generally, polls don't lie. Either way, give it a quick glance, it puts a more 'scientific' lens on the recent debate over the "fraudulent" election in Iran.

Two Interesting Articles on Public Opinion

Obama's Issues Crumbling by Dick Morris: Here, Morris shows us [Democrats] that while Obama's approval rating and favorability numbers are high in the sky, when it comes to issues, the tide is turning on the Democrats. While the numbers are correct, I don't buy into everything Mr. Morris says; however, there is some cause for concern. Democrats (in the House, Senate, and President Obama himself) must make sure that what happened to President Clinton in 1994 does not repeat itself in 2010. I will, hopefully, have some rebuttal and further comment on Mr. Morris' piece in the coming days.

Repeat the Question by Stan Greenberg: Greenberg, a former pollster and adviser to President Bill Clinton, prophesizes on the healthcare debate through the lens of the 1993 healthcare debate. He does a very impressive job showing the similarities and why Democrats need to worry about this debate (see piece above, as well.) I wish Democracy Corps (who did the polling) would release the entire poll with crosstabs; however, they do provide a pretty impressive presentation (click here to access.) In the coming days, I will, hopefully, be sorting through the data to see if there is anything interesting that Greenberg didn't note in his very through piece. But, I am sure that this is an issue that will not go away, and one that will say a lot about the 2010 midterms.

PS - More polling data/analysis to come in the next few days. I promise.

Paterson (D-NY) has steep battle ahead of him, perhaps too steep

For the New York Times article on the poll, click here

For complete polling data, click here

A recent poll released by the New York Times, Cornell University, and NY1 finds that New York Governor David Paterson will have a very difficult time digging himself out of his current whole in time for the 2010 primary and general election season.

David Paterson: Paterson’s numbers are bleak, with 54% of New Yorkers disapproving of the way he is handling his job as Governor and 50% having an unfavorable opinion of the Governor. More than that, 71% feel that New York State is going in the wrong direction. Paterson’s approval is so low that, when asked to name ‘the best thing the Governor has done’ the highest issue is the same-sex marriage bill with 7% of respondents indicating it is the best thing Paterson has done. However, 5% of respondents claim it is the worst thing Paterson has done since becoming Governor – obviously this is a divisive issue for a Governor who voters don’t see as having accomplished much. When asked about the ‘worst thing the Governor has done’ a huge 17% of New Yorkers respond by stating increases in taxes.

When it comes to the future, New Yorkers strongly feel that the Governor should concentrate his energy on the economy (16%), unemployment (19%), and taxes (16%) – with education (9%) and health care (8%) being secondary concerns. When it comes to ‘caring about the needs of people’ Paterson performs surprisingly well for such a disliked Governor, with 56% of people believing that he does care about their needs and problems. However, when it comes to handling a crisis, bringing jobs to New York, balancing the budget, or reducing property taxes the Governor performs poorly with over 50% of respondents believing he cannot do those things (with the exception of balancing the budget, where 46% believe he cannot while 44% believe he can.)

Lastly, when it comes to reelection, Paterson has a long tumultuous road ahead of him. When asked if Governor Paterson deserves another term as Governor, 71% of New Yorkers believe that it is time for a new person – not good news for a Governor who has an economic crisis and legislative coup to deal with.

Moving Forward: New York insiders have been expecting a primary challenge to David Paterson, and these polling numbers show that he is very vulnerable to an attack – from within his own party and from the Republicans. One likely primary challenger may be Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo has a 68% approval rating and a 57% net approval rating. Further, Cuomo’s favorability is 56% and has been growing at a ratio of 4 to 1, which, if it continues, will substantially increase his favorables once a campaign is in full swing.

For Paterson, avoiding a primary challenger and holding onto the Governor’s office will entail a lot of work; however, he has over a year and a half to turn it around. In the next year and a half, Paterson needs to focus on the economy, unemployment, and taxes – these are perennial issues that are even more relevant in this economic downturn. If he can prove to the voters of New York that he is doing substantial work and improving New York’s economy, his approval will, hopefully, turnaround. While doing this work, gay marriage needs to be in the legislature and the Governor needs to let them hash it out there – with the coup, the bill will, probably, be tied down for quite some time. A divisive issue like gay marriage will only hurt this already weak Governor in a general election. Further, the coup could come as a help to Governor Paterson if he positions it correctly. He needs to show voters the difficulty with working with a legislature as fragile as this one and how they are hindering his ability to get things done. While this won’t completely turn around his future, it may help.

However, if Paterson continues to under perform for New Yorkers, he will surely be out of the Governors mansion by 2011.

Deeds (D-VA) Leads McDonnell (R-VA) in Virginia Governor’s Race

To view the commentary from Rasmussen, click here

To view the publicly available polling data, click here

Though limited data is, as of yet, available, Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Creigh Deeds leads Republican Robert McDonnell 47% to 41%. As noted in the previous post, Virginia is one of only two states to hold a race for Governor this September. Moreover, Virginia has been a fierce battleground state that the Democrats have secured through the last few elections – this election will surely be a test for both the Democratic and Republican Parties in Virginia.

Each candidate garners favorable ratings from the voters; however, Deeds leads in net favorability with 32% versus McDonnell’s 24%. When it comes to the issues, McDonnell leads on taxes and ‘cutting government waste’ 44% to 36% and 39% to 33% respectively. However, on transportation issues, Deeds crushes McDonnell 43% to 29%. With such close margins and more that 20% of voters not having made up their minds yet, this election is still anybody’s game, but, if Deeds can continue building on his primary momentum, it certainly couldn’t hurt.

And, lastly, hopefully the voters know their state the best, because 42% say that Deeds will win in 2009 versus 34% who say McDonnell will. I hope they are right.

Christie (R-NJ) ahead by 10pts, but there is still hope for Corzine (D-NJ)

To view poll and commentary from Quinnipiac University, please click here

A newly poll released by Quinnipiac University on June 10^th shows that New Jersey’s unpopular Governor Corzine is down by 10 points to former US Attorney General and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Christie. New Jersey is one of only two states this November that will hold elections for governor (the other being Virginia…I will have a post up on that race soon.) These two races are bound to be seen as a litmus test for the Democratic Party’s strength in the 2010 midterm elections. Corzine’s unpopularity, New Jersey’s fiscal crisis, and the general state of the economy do not go in Corzine’s favor, but there is still hope for this former Goldman Sachs CEO turned Senator turned Governor.

Governor Jon Corzine: Corzine came into the governor’s office in New Jersey with big ideas and a business background ready to turn Trenton on its head. For better or worse, it has not worked out the way he planned. In this June 10^th poll, Corzine’s net favorability is –18% and –35% among independents, a key group to reelection in New Jersey. If this weren’t bad enough, his approval rating is one point above its lowest point, with only 36% of respondents approving of the job Corzine is doing. And, again, Independents put his net approval rating at –36%, which is not a good sign for the Governor. To make matters worse, when asked if New Jersey has gotten ‘better or worse’ since Corzine took office, even Democrats by over a 2 to 1 margin say that things have gotten worse – independents have a margin of 11 to 1.

Personally, Corzine performs consistently, but not the way he, probably, wants to. Though 55% say that he has ‘strong leadership qualities’ and 48% of independents (a plurality) say he possess these traits, only 42% of all respondents and only 36% of independents believe Corzine is ‘honest and trustworthy.’ This sentiment exists despite the fact that Corzine is not under investigation and has had very few hiccups regarding transparency and trustworthiness (if a New Jersey politician hasn’t been indicted, he is trustworthy.) And, when it comes to caring about people ‘like you’ only 43% believe he does. This hurts even more because 50% feel his wealth (a topic Christie has already brought up in advertisements, see here) makes him less able to understand the needs of ‘average New Jersey residents.’ Further, when it comes to the issues (the economy), voters overwhelmingly feel that Christie will handle the situation much better than Corzine – the worst performance being property taxes, where 52% of respondents and 53% of independents believe Christie will do a better job lowering taxes, the only category where Christie polls higher than 50% on the comparison.

Lastly, when it comes to reelection, the Governor has his work cut out for him. 55% of respondents believe that Corzine does not deserve to be reelected, and 64% of independents do not think Corzine should be reelected.

Chris Christie: Christie’s 10 point lead does translate into high favorability and approval; however, these numbers are “soft” and if Corzine manages his campaign correctly, these numbers will only hold in the present.

Christie’s net favorability among all respondents registers at +20% and among independents it is +25%. However, 46% of respondents and 45% of independents say that they have not heard enough about Christie to make a decision – this makes these favorability scores relatively soft because only those ‘well-informed’ have yet to make up their mind. Almost half of the electorate still has to decide. When it comes to Christie’s character attributes, he scores in the mid to high 40’s on ‘strong leadership’ ‘honesty and trustworthiness’ and ‘cares about the people and their problems.’ Moreover, unlike Corzine, who 52% of voters find cold and businesslike, 33% find Christie warm and friendly, compared to 25% who do not. Again, these numbers highlight the vast amount of voters who have yet to make their minds up about Christie. This should play into the Governor’s hands, if used correctly.

Issues: Again, this race will be primarily about the economy and taxes. 45% of respondents say that the most important problem facing New Jersey is taxes (with 31% pinpointing property taxes.) Moreover, 24% of voters believe the economic situation is the most important problem facing New Jersey, with 14% of all voters believing unemployment is. These two issues will be key in the election. As seen previously, Christie outperforms Corzine on a comparison about who will do better dealing with property taxes and the economy, and the comparison Christie scores over 50% on is property taxes, which is the largest issue according to voters.

In a state so close to New York City and Philidelphia, the economy, jobs, and taxes, will be key. Christie has already come out with internet banners reminding New Jersey voters that NJ has the highest tax rate in the country – Christie is on message and understands what the voters want – Corzine needs to get on board as well.

Corzine Strategy: Corzine is very weak, and, unless the economy turns around in the next few months, he is unlikely to get much of a boost from his campaign. However, being 10 points down with over 5 months of campaigning left does not mean Corzine is out. Here are a few steps, based on these numbers, the Corzine camp should take:

1. Attack Christie – Increase his name recognition but also increase his negatives
• The Corzine team has already begun this with its ads (see here), but it needs to continue to hammer Christie. From May to June, Christie dropped the number of respondents that hadn’t heard of him by 8%; however, only 3% when into the favorable column – this ratio is clearly helping Corzine and increased negative ads will only increase this ratio in Corzine’s favor.
2. Avoid taxes – Challenge Christie on economy, jobs, and budget
• Corzine performs very poorly on taxes, and, generally, Republicans poll better on that issue. While Corzine must address the tax issue, he cannot get bogged down in the issue.
• Presenting his economic plan to voters (and using President Obama to do this, who has a 68% approval rating (65% with independents)) will help him on the economy and pinpointing job creation will also help the Governor. Christie has avoided this issue. Why? – it is probably a weak issue for him that he cannot talk about, especially if it means he has to bash the Obama stimulus package. If Corzine addresses the issue, he will increase his numbers and can use this to tie the administration into the campaign
• The budget is a problem, but there are two solutions. First, only 28% of voters approve of the State Legislature’s job performance, which Corzine can use to shift more of the budget blame onto them. Secondly, Corzine needs to make the budget ‘local.’ Wherever he is, Corzine needs to highlight how the State budget cuts can and will effect communities and how Christie’s plan will hurt them even more. The comparison is essential and will help increase Corzine’s polling on the comparison questions.
3. Highlight Christie’s pay-to-play promises
• Ties into item 1
4. Get more debates and make sure Corzine wins
• Debates will show Corzine in contrast to Christie, and, if he can successfully win among independents, he will be able to switch them in comparison questions and, ultimately, vote.

Overall, Corzine and Co. have a long road ahead of them, but with Democrats riding high, especially in New Jersey, Corzine can still be successful if he stops Christie’s momentum and begins to address the issues at hand.

Voters: “Good Job Mike, But It's Time For A Change”

For the accompanying New York Times article, please click here

For the full survey results, please click here

In a recent poll released by the New York Times, Cornell University, and NY1, voters made it clear that, while they are very satisfied with Mayor Bloomberg’s performance, they want a change.

Mayor Bloomberg: With 60% of New Yorkers approving of the job Mayor Bloomberg is doing in New York, he will be trying to leverage this support into votes in November. And, with 48% of New Yorkers with a favorable view of the Mayor, it is clearly a possibility. However, there are some major concerns the Mayor will have to address. First, in a city that is over 26% black, the mayor continually underperforms with this essential constituency. While over 50% of blacks approve of Bloomberg’s performance as mayor, only 38% are favorable of the Mayor, compared to 55% of whites. Though Mayor Bloomberg’s main competition, Comptroller Thompson (D), is black, Bloomberg’s lack of appeal to blacks may carry over to other ethnic groups and affect his showing at the polls.

Secondly, when it comes to the economy (clearly a key issue in this election and one that the Mayor has already been pushing in his advertising, see here) 59% of New Yorkers believe the Mayor can do something about the economy and 67% say he can at least do something, though not a lot, to impact the economy. Further, when it comes to jobs, 64% say that the Mayor has the ability to bring jobs into New York City. If the economy takes a turn for the worse in August, September, or October, the Mayor will find it more difficult to makes his case to financially strapped voters already looking for change.

Bloomberg’s Performance: As with his approval rating, the mayor performs well on a host of different questions. While 63% of New Yorkers are still somewhat worried about getting Swine Flu, 73% were satisfied with the way the administration handled the situation and 70% were satisfied with the information they received from the administration. A good showing for an administration that constantly promotes itself as a no-nonsense business-like machine

Concerning schools, 31% of New Yorkers are satisfied with the performance of New York City Schools, which is the highest level of satisfaction recorded. Further, 37% believe that the quality of life in New York has increased since the Mayor was elected. Both issues the mayor has substantially addressed and will surely bring up in his re-election campaign.

However, there are some areas where the mayor is not performing, according to New Yorkers. When it comes to crime almost half of New Yorkers believe that it has stayed the same since the mayor took office, and 58% believe that taxes have increased since Bloomberg took office. Moreover, as a result of the MTA crisis, a plurality believes that subway and bus service has gotten worse since the Mayor’s arrival. And, 38% believe the number of affordable units in the city has decreased under the Mayor’s watch (though 37% of blacks believe that units have increased.)

Overall, the mayor has performed well in pertinent areas and the areas he is emphasizing (i.e. education.) However, New Yorkers are not entirely satisfied with his performance, and he will either have to convince voters of his successes or focus on other issues to gain votes in November.

Key Issues: This year, it is clear that the main issue in the campaign will be the economy. However, when it comes to other issues, voters find it difficult to pinpoint Bloomberg’s strong point. When asked about the ‘best’ thing Bloomberg has done in office, 8% say crime and 8% say education, which poll the highest now but are down from highs of 13% and 19% respectively in 2005. Controls spending/handles finances only receives 6% for the Mayor that came from Wall Street.

Additionally, when asked about the ‘worse’ thing Bloomberg has done in office, 11% say term limits and 9% say increased taxes, though that has remained relatively constant. And, with 55% of New Yorkers saying it is “time for a new mayor,” Bloomberg will have to convince them that he has had success in the past and will be successful in the future – so successful that change must wait.

Thompson Strategy: It is clear that the mayor has a base of support in New York and that voters believe he has done a better than average job. Still, 55% of these same New Yorkers believe it is time for a change. And with 72% of voters believing term limits to be good and 58% disapproving of the council extending term limits, Thompson may seem poised to compete with the mayor.

However, while Thompson has a net 11% favorable rating, 72% of New Yorkers have not heard enough about him to give him a rating at all. Moving forward, the Thompson campaign should focus its effort on the following:

1. Substantially increase Comptroller Thompson’s name recognition and favorable numbers
• This is especially true in the outer boroughs, as 57% of New Yorkers believe the mayor pays too much attention to Manhattan
2. Focus on Thompson’s economic work as Comptroller and that he is a change from Bloomberg with the experience to navigate through these difficult economic times
• While change is on Thompson’s side, the economy is still on the mayor’s. If the Thompson campaign can effectively neutralized the economic experience argument, than Thompson can win on the change proposition alone.
3. A rhetorical focus on change leapfrogging off of President Obama’s victory.
• The Thompson campaign needs to spin everything it presents to the voters as a change from Bloomberg. Education, which has 8% believing it is the best thing Bloomberg has done and 5% saying it is the worse thing the mayor has done, is a polarizing issue. Thompson can take this issue and talk about changing the culture of New York City’s Department of Education administration to become more ‘community friendly.’ There is no need to get negative – while Thompson can commend the mayor for all his work on the school, he can press the issue that a new person is needed to take the schools to the ‘next level.’
4. Motivate the ethnic base (especially black voters)

• It is clear from these results that Bloomberg does much better among whites than blacks. Though I do not have the results, I would assume this gap perpetuates into other ethnic categories, which Thompson should capitalize on, and allows him to continue his focus on the outer boroughs

Guys Left Behind, by Mark J. Penn

For the full text of 'Guys Left Behind' by Mark Penn please click here

Synopsis: Penn produces yet another insightful article from his ‘microtrend’ lineup. However, this feels more like a macrotrend with dozens of micro implications. The growing disparity between women and men (women achieving and succeeding more than men) will, potentially, have an impact on education, politics, the criminal justice system, and the workplace, to name a few areas.

The article has some good news for Democrats when Penn reveals that, “Women are also the majority of those voting in our elections. They made up 53% of the electorate in the 2008 presidential election, and women's top concerns -- including health care and education -- are at the heart of swing voters' concerns. Guys, who lean more Republican, have been losing political steam; at the moment, their issues just don't seem to be at the top of the agenda.”

Overall, however, the broad policy implications seem to say a few key things:

1. In the not too distant future, women will make up a much larger portion of the tax-base, especially in the middle and upper-middle class levels.
2. Government sponsored programs tailored to minorities and, especially, women, will have to start creating similar programs for men
3. This obvious clash of interest (women becoming more influential in politics and a larger part of the tax base and men needing more social services) will increasingly become an interesting debate in the political arena

And, in the corporate world, more so than ever, pushing products tailored to women and women’s needs will be an increasingly successful way to build a brand – as more and more women create a wealthy achievement based class, this segment will become especially important for marketers, more important than it already may be. They will be extremely important when it comes to higher-end new age luxury products and products to ‘make life a little easier.” If you can combine the two, a successful marketing campaign is probably on your hands.

The ultimate question is, will this newfound achievement lead to more women leading Fortune 500 companies, presiding over America’s bastions of academia, or residing in the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave? For that, we will have to wait and see…

Mission

My mission here at Polling Wonk will be simple in purpose - to collect, review, analyze, and provide advice and overviews of interesting data on public opinion. Throughout this task, I am not going to pretend to be non-partisan. I am a Democrat and my analysis and advice will be catered to other Democrats in the hope that it might assist in forwarding the public policy of the party. However, in starting this venture, I will only use data that comes from reputable sources that can be trusted. My advice, partisan or not, will only be meaningful if I can rely on the data I have been presented.

Check back soon for continual updates! Here goes nothing...