With President
Obama's victory, many analysts spoke of a Democratic realignment. In
Epic Journey, we suggested that such speculation was premature at best. Some recent survey data justify our caution. On party identification,
Gallup reports:
In August, an average of 45% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned to the Democratic Party, while 40% identified as Republicans or leaned to the Republican Party. This 5-point advantage represents a decided narrowing of the gap between the parties from the 17-point Democratic advantage in January.
President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders have close ties to organized labor. Those ties may prove to be a political liability. In advance of Labor Day,
Gallup finds:
While 66% of Americans continue to believe unions are beneficial to their own members, a slight majority now say unions hurt the nation's economy. More broadly, fewer than half of Americans -- 48%, an all-time low -- approve of labor unions, down from 59% a year ago.
