Author: Scott Rasmussen

Last week, I wrote about how our standard of living has grown much faster in recent decades than most people realize. Official statistics show that average income has doubled since the 1970s and research by economist William Nordhaus shows that the reality is even more positive. Our living standards today may be four to eight […]

America has long been known as the land of opportunity. “When one starts poor,” Abraham Lincoln observed, a “free society is such that he knows he can better his condition.” It’s a theme constantly celebrated in popular culture. In the 19th century, countless Horatio Alger tales told of poor boys working hard and reaching middle […]

In baseball, a team entering the ninth inning with a two-run lead will bring in their closer to secure the victory. However, if the team has to rely upon a less-skilled reliever, there is always a chance they will blow the lead. A single bad pitch could wipe out the advantage they built over the […]

For people who believe in freedom and self-governance, it’s always better to have regulations established by state governments rather than the federal government. That’s because states are subject to competition while the federal government is not. If a state passes stupid laws and regulations that harm the quality of life, people have the power to […]

Just about every Republican official and consultant has at some point wrestled with the question of whether or not Donald Trump really wants to be President of the United States. Many think that he wants to win the election, but doesn’t want the job that comes with it. Others think he began the campaign as […]

Donald Trump says he is campaigning to Make America Great again. Democrats like former Attorney General Eric Holder say that we are an “already-great nation.” In politics, of course, both sides think it’s great when their team is in charge but not so great when the other team holds power. The reality of American greatness […]

Over the past generation, there has been growing evidence that our dysfunctional political system is badly broken. For the past 30 years, neither party has been able to hold a sustainable governing majority in both Congress and the White House. In fact, control has been divided between the parties for 22 of those 30 years. […]

The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate America’s highest ideals, including our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s an exuberant event filled with optimism about how a free and self-governing nation can create a better world. But this year’s celebration was immediately followed by the killing of a black […]

Journalists and historians tend to overestimate the impact of political events while underestimating the power of cultural trends. For example, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence as America’s founding document. That magnificent document is an eloquent statement of ideals that we have spent more than two centuries trying to achieve. But it did not inspire […]

In the view of those who believe that bureaucrats know best, the only way to protect consumers from unscrupulous companies is to provide detailed regulations and a swarm of investigators to enforce them. They typically justify their role by claiming to champion the safety of helpless consumers. However, what happens when less regulation leads to […]

The 2016 edition of the Bloomberg Technology Conference was, as expected, a wonderfully inspiring event. It was an opportunity to see the people and hear the ideas that are shaping our global future. It is almost impossible to convey the can-do attitude and sense of optimism that permeated the event and drives the tech industry […]

As the General Election season begins, Democrat Hillary Clinton has both a lead over Republican Donald Trump and momentum. The Rasmussen Electoral College Projection shows Clinton winning in states with 191 Electoral College votes, while Trump has the edge in states with 170 Votes. Fourteen states with 177 Votes are at least somewhat competitive. Details […]

Higher education news is often dominated by troubling statistics and anecdotes. Whether it’s ever-rising costs, staggering student loan debt, sexual assaults, binge drinking, lower standards or other issues, concerns about American colleges are higher than ever before. These issues are just the tip of the iceberg and cannot be solved until we address an issue […]

The race for the White House is drawing all the attention, but control of the Senate is also up for grabs in Election 2016. The initial Rasmussen Senate Projections show the Republicans emerging from the election with 48 seats, the Democrats with 47, and 5 in the Toss-Up category (details at RasmussenMediaGroup.com). When you add […]

The biggest impact any president can have on the nation is the ability to shape the Supreme Court. Conservative voters are especially concerned about this because they believe the Court has become too liberal in recent years. With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, conservative concerns about the Court have reached panic levels. Given the […]

Nothing unites Americans more than the belief that each of us has the right to live our lives as we see fit so long as we don’t interfere with the rights of others to do the same. Unfortunately, this is seen as a problem by many who want to rule over us. A diverse nation […]

Isaiah Berlin, one of the 20th century’s greatest thinkers, believed that “the central question of politics [is] the question of obedience and coercion.” At its most basic level, the scholar framed the question like this: “Why should I (or anyone) obey anyone else?” That question goes right to the core of discussions about how a […]

In 2008 and 2012, John McCain and Mitt Romney were not the top choice for most Republicans. Many GOP voters agonized about whether they should hold their noses and vote for a candidate they disliked. The winners of those battles warned the disenchanted voters that failure to fall in line would help the Democrats. The […]

After sweeping five state preference primaries on Tuesday night, Donald Trump declared himself to be the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. He may end up as the nominee, but he’s not there yet. In fact, his plans to claim an early victory could come to a screeching halt in Indiana next Tuesday. If Senator […]

Tuesday should be a very good day for Donald Trump. Voters in Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware and Pennsylvania will take part in selecting 172 delegates to the Republican national convention. Trump is widely expected to win all five contests and win between 98 and 123 of the 172 delegates at stake. But, because such […]

Donald Trump has provided two great services to the nation during this campaign season. The first is that he has already accomplished something Republican voters have been dreaming about for years. He defeated the Republican Establishment. Without Trump in the race, it’s likely that Jeb Bush or a similar candidate would be the nominee. Trump’s […]

As I’ve watched the 2016 campaign unfold, I’ve come to realize that the millennial generation has a better grasp on reality than the nation’s top political journalists. The younger voters recognize that we live in a world where the culture leads and politics lags behind. Journalists, on the other hand, mistakenly cover political campaigns as […]

Despite the fact that they are currently bitter opponents, there are a lot of reasons to believe Donald Trump and Ted Cruz could end up working together in the fall campaign. The basic reason is simple — it’s in each of their best interests to do so. In fact, we already see examples of pragmatism […]

The primaries and caucuses to select the Republican presidential nominee are officially scheduled to end on June 7. That’s a big day when five states vote — California, New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and New Mexico. But it’s quite possible that no candidate will have amassed enough pledged delegates to insure a majority at the […]

After years of pushing unwelcome candidates on an unhappy conservative base, the GOP Establishment has been soundly defeated in 2016. But some establishment players still dream of John Kasich or Paul Ryan emerging from the wreckage of a contested convention. Donald Trump pointed out that there would be riots if he entered the convention with […]

Donald Trump’s lead in the Republican race is real, but far from secure. At the moment, the billionaire has 458 delegates and Ted Cruz has 359. That’s a 99 delegate lead with more than 1,400 delegates still to be selected. Cruz has plenty of room to come from behind if he’s able to defeat Trump […]