Author: Scott Rasmussen

Donald Trump currently has 319 delegates out of the 1,237 needed to win the Republican Presidential nomination. That gives him a modest lead over Ted Cruz’s 226 delegates, but there’s still a long way to go. Some anybody-but-Trump Republicans have focused on a different number. When you add up the delegates from all the opposing […]

The race for the Republican presidential nomination has a long way to go, and it?s still quite possible that some candidate other than Donald Trump will be nominated. But, to the shock of many, it?s also possible that Trump could move into the White House next year. The reason why was visible in the first […]

Here’s a little something to keep in mind while listening to all the presidential candidates make promises about the economy. In a period of 36 years, from 1865 to 1901, three American presidents were assassinated. The country was so divided that, at one point, five consecutive presidents received less than a majority of the popular […]

This past Tuesday, I had my first ride in an autonomous car. The anticipation for me was a bit like a kid waiting for Christmas. But when I shared my enthusiasm with friends and colleagues, many thought I was crazy. A few warned me to make sure my life insurance was paid in full before […]

As the absurdity of our presidential nomination process adds daily to public cynicism about politics and government, it’s encouraging to recognize that governing is not the responsibility of government alone. Historically, the word “govern” comes from a nautical Greek term meaning “to steer or pilot a ship.” Dictionary definitions of what it means to govern […]

Donald Trump’s enthusiastic supporters expect him to win the Iowa caucuses on Monday night. So do a growing number of establishment Republicans and independent analysts. One sure sign of this growing expectation of a Trump victory is the behavior of traditional politicians trying to grab onto his coattails. Many have openly talked of preferring Trump […]

America’s attention will soon be consumed by the 50th Super Bowl. Just before and after that event, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries will consume the attention of the nation’s political junkies. On super Sunday, most Americans will pick a team to root for as their champion for the day. Some will feel very […]

Robert Laszewski may be the nation’s leading expert on President Obama’s health care law. He is skeptical of the claims made by both supporters and opponents of the law, and he offers an interesting take about the law’s role in the 2016 election: “Democrats can’t admit Obamacare is broken and Republicans can’t admit it won’t […]

In the political realm, 2016 will be filled with bombast, anger and fear along the road to select the next president of the United States. We don’t know how things will turn out, but it’s fairly certain that activists on both sides will loudly proclaim that the nation is doomed if their team doesn’t win. […]

We’re in a season when experts and pundits like to make predictions about what will happen next year. But an interesting column found at Marketwatch.com casts doubt on the value of those predictions. “Stocks that were recommended most highly at the start of 2015 by the highly trained, highly educated, highly paid experts on Wall […]

Americans today talk of how technology and tech firms are changing the world. That’s true, but it’s nothing new. One hundred-twelve years ago, on Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright changed the world by accomplishing the miracle of flight. It’s hard for us to appreciate how radical that concept was at the time. Just […]

As Senator Ted Cruz has become a serious contender for the Republican presidential nominating contest, he’s facing greater scrutiny and opposition. That’s to be expected. Some of the opposition is fairly traditional. Iowa’s governor just attacked Cruz for opposing ethanol subsidies. Cruz opposes the subsidies because he doesn’t believe the federal government should be picking […]

In my youth, Dec. 7 was always a big deal, as we remembered Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, most of those alive on that fateful day in 1941 are no longer with us, and the collective memory of the event has faded. Subsequent generations have other powerful dates to remember. Nov. 22, the […]

For much of 2015, the political questions concerning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been whether or not she can hold the lead. She entered the year the clear favorite to win the Democratic nomination. She was, in fact, the most dominant frontrunner since, well, Hillary Clinton eight years ago. And that’s what made […]

Two items in the news this week highlighted a reality that politicians hate to admit. While they pretend to lead the nation, they are not in charge. The first event, of course, was the attack on Paris. The horror and shock has dominated the public dialogue from the moment it took place. It changed everything, […]

At the Republican Presidential debate earlier this week, Texas Senator Ted Cruz did something unusual for a politician — he gave a straightforward answer to a question. Yes, Cruz made clear, if the Bank of America was on the brink, he would let it fail. That answer made perfect sense to millions of Americans who […]

Following the widely panned Republican presidential debate on CNBC, the New York Times came out with an editorial calling on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to withdraw from the race. Much of the column was a typical partisan assault, but one line jumped out to highlight how little the Times editorial board understands the mood […]

Politicians from both major political parties often talk of empowering the middle class or some other group of voters. But in reality, they’re just seeking power for themselves. It is important, of course, that we have the right to vote. But empowerment comes from freedom, not democracy. While we rarely think about it, we all […]

Heading into a presidential election year, it’s important to remember that political involvement is but one of many ways we can work together to solve problems. Sometimes it’s the best approach; sometimes it’s not. When our political system is broken beyond repair — as it is today — there’s a need for other approaches in […]

In 2008, underdog candidate Barack Obama gained prestige by defeating a heavily favored front-runner to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Defeating such a worthy opponent in a head-to-head matchup gave Obama a tremendous boost in stature. Along the way, he debated Hillary Clinton countless times, and those debates prepared soon-to-be President Obama for the rigors […]

In the United States these days, about 95 percent of all new “laws” are written by bureaucrats rather than approved by Congress. A pair of recent news stories documents the dangers of bureaucrats gone wild. Last week, the U.S. officially defined 70,000 ways we can get sick or die. These classifications must be used by […]

Despite the oversized field and non-traditional candidates, the battle for the Republican presidential nomination is starting to shape up in familiar ways. There will be a champion of the establishment wing taking on the champion of the party base to determine the nominee. One interesting possibility is that this year’s finalists could both be young, […]

A fear is sweeping over official Washington. Like teenagers whose lenient parents have let them get away with way too much over the years, Washington’s political class is afraid that this time the voters really mean to give the politicians what they deserve. Both Democratic and Republican voters are unhappy and have shown great reluctance […]

The key to understanding the 2016 Republican presidential primary process is recognizing how completely the GOP establishment has lost touch with reality. The first signs of cluelessness were evident in the infamous GOP “autopsy,” an effort to figure out what went wrong in 2012. Released just months after President Obama’s re-election, the report began with […]

To many in Washington, there’s little question that the 2016 presidential election should feature a dynasty rematch between the Clinton and Bush families. To most outside of Washington, that’s the last match-up they want to see. The difference could perhaps be described as a tale of two Americas. The past 15 years have been a […]

In mid-August, Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post provided further evidence of how our political system is both badly broken and dominated by insiders. “Dear Democrats,” he wrote, “It’s too late to start over.” Cillizza argued that “Democrats threw their lots in with Clinton more than a year ago.” Keep in mind he’s saying that […]

It’s been amusing in recent weeks to watch Washington pundits grappling with Trumpmania and the surge of Bernie Sanders. To say that the rise of these unusual candidates has been unsettling for the political elites would be a gross understatement. Still, while the process is causing them some angst, most insiders still expect the final […]

The big winner of the way-too-early first debate of the presidential primary season wasn’t even on the stage for the prime-time event. Carly Fiorina won the “undercard” event earlier in the evening. She did so in convincing enough fashion that the next big question for political junkies will be whether she can make it into […]

Politicians are often accused of pandering and rarely wage public fights against things that are popular with their voters. That’s what makes the willingness of politicians to take on Uber and the sharing economy all the more puzzling. Why on earth do they want to antagonize the tens of millions of Americans who benefit from […]