Voters Continue to Trust GOP More on Most Top Issues

Voters remain more confident in Republicans than in Democrats this month on virtually all of the key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. But that confidence is not quite as strong as a month ago when the GOP led on all 10.
New Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveying finds Republicans maintaining a double-digit lead on the issue of the economy – 48% to 36%. This is roughly comparable to a month ago.
After being knocked out of first place in October for the first time in nearly two years, the economy bounced back last month as the issue voters view as most important.
October’s exuberance over the housing market appears to have fallen back to the levels seen for much of this year, while long-term confidence appears to be trending down.
Fifty percent (50%) of voters say the country’s economic problems are due to the recession that began under the Bush administration. Forty-two percent (42%) blame President Obama’s policies.
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Just before the president’s major speech outlining his future plans for the war in Afghanistan, voters also give a 13-point edge to Republicans – 50% to 37% - in terms of trust on national security and the war on terror. Similarly, voters trust the GOP more than Democrats on the continuing war in Iraq 45% to 38%.
The longer the president waits to make a decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, the more voter support for that war appears to be ebbing away.
Voter confidence in America’s conduct of the War on Terror has fallen to its lowest level since the first week of January in 2007. Voters are also much less optimistic about the course of the war in Iraq.
Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters say political correctness prevented the military from responding to warning signs from Major Nidal Malik Hasan that could have prevented the Fort Hood massacre.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters oppose the Obama administration’s decision to try the confessed chief planner of the 9/11 attacks and other suspected terrorists in a civilian court in New York City.
The two parties are roughly tied in terms of voter trust on the most troublesome issue of the day, health care. Forty-four percent (44%) trust Republicans more, while 42% give the edge to Democrats. The two parties tied on the issue in September, after Republicans took the lead on it for the first time in August.
Most voters remain opposed to the health care reform plan working its way through Congress.
Democrats are tied this month with Republicans – at 41% each – on the issue of Social Security, an issue the president’s party has generally had the lead on.
The two are almost tied in terms of trust on education, too, with Democrats ahead 41% to 39%.
But on the remaining four issues, the GOP continues to hold the lead in voter trust. Voters trust Republicans by 12 points over Democrats – 45% to 33% - on immigration, nearly doubling the GOP’s lead of a month ago.
Anger about the government’s inability to stop illegal immigration appears to be giving a boost to former CNN host Lou Dobbs’ interest in the White House and to a local Arizona sheriff’s chances to be his state’s next governor.
Republicans continue to maintain a modest lead– 34% to 31% - in the area of government ethics and corruption.
Voters give an 11-point edge to Republicans in terms of trust on taxes, 47% to 36%. Prior to July, the percentage of voters who trusted the GOP more on taxes never reached 50%, although it has done so three times since then.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters now expect their own taxes to go up during the Obama years. Only nine percent (9%) expect their own taxes to go down, despite Obama’s campaign pledge to cut taxes for 95% of Americans.
On the issue of abortion, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats 43% to 38%.
Catholic Church officials remain critical of liberal pro-choice politicians, but voters are evenly divided when asked about the influence religious leaders have on U.S. government policy. Thirty-one percent (31%) say religious leaders have too much influence, but the identical number (31%) say they aren’t influential enough. Thirty-two percent (32%) believe their level of influence is just about right.
Republican candidates have extended their lead over Democrats to seven points, their biggest lead since early September, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.