WaPo: Democrats Financial Message Could Beat Trump

The Washington Post recently released an extended analysis on how the Democratic Party has increasingly moved to the left of some traditional positions. While 2020 presidential candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) represent a more progressive branch of the Democratic Party that has become popular among some voters, a large share of voters are still uncommitted in 2020. Writer Dani Rodrik posits that Warren and Sanders’ economic plan is the only thing that can stop another Trump presidential victory. “Whether progressive candidates on the left — Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — can claim a large enough share of these potential swing voters will depend less on inherent ideological predispositions than on the framing of the policy issues” Rodrik writes. Rodrik goes on to explain how the term “socialism” holds a negative connotation to Republican-leaning voters. He then cites PRRI data that shows that contrary to that, 47% of Republicans believe “progressive” is a term that describes them well. 

NPR Looks at White Evangelical Voters in North Carolina

NPR’s All Things Considered recently highlighted white evangelical Christians in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and analyzed how they might vote in the 2020 presidential election. PRRI data has routinely shown that white evangelicals are passionate in their support for President Donald Trump. Among those who NPR spoke to was Pearlie Hodges, a Republican who has also voted Democrat, and does not like President Trump. “I think that a lot of people think that Republican equals Christian. If you’re a Democrat, you just questionable. I think our current president is not presidential material. He just isn’t. And he knows nothing about government. He knows nothing about the Constitution. He knows nothing about war, foreign policy, any of that. I support the Republican platform. I vote my conscience. I’ve voted Republican, and I’ve voted Democrat. But the problem here, I believe, is Donald Trump is not presidential material,” Hodges says. After playing Hodges comments, NPR host Audie Cornish notes that PRRI data shows that 64% of the country has an unfavorable view of Trump.

‘OK, Boomer’ and the Viral Meme That Highlighted a Generational Culture War

Throughout 2019, the phrase “OK, Boomer”has been used across the internet by millennials, most often as a derisive retort toward narrow-minded thinking, specifically from the Baby Boomer generation. PRRI’s Ian Huff uses this phrase as a starting point for a new analysis on generational differences between baby boomers and other generations. “The dismissiveness of ’OK, Boomer’ masks some major attitudinal divisions between the youngest generations and Boomers,” Huff writes. Huff notes that PRRI’s 2019 American Values Survey shows that 70% of Gen Z and millennials are not optimistic about the direction of the country, compared to 60% of baby boomers who feel the same. Gen Z and millennials are also more likely (72%) to hold negative opinions on President Trump than baby boomers (60%).

Planned Parenthood Releases Abortion Coverage App

Across the United States, abortion coverage and availability varies from state to state. In order to provide some clarity to changing state regulations and an increase in restrictions, Planned Parenthood has released a new app to make abortion services more transparent. The Abortion Care Finder helps users find the nearest abortion provider based on their zip code, age, and length of their pregnancy. “If the nearest Planned Parenthood is more than 60 miles away, the tool refers users to a map created by the National Abortion Federation that includes independent providers. Though it offers more expansive results and describes abortion laws by state in greater detail, that organization’s map does not give customized results based on personal details or exact location,” Lena Wilson writes in The New York Times. PRRI data shows that a majority (54%) of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all (23%) or most (31%) cases, while four in ten (40%) believe that abortion should be illegal in most (25%) or all (15%) cases. These numbers are essentially unchanged since 2014 when a similar majority (55%) of Americans said abortion should be legal in all (21%) or most (34%) cases, and about four in ten (41%) believed that abortion should be illegal in most (25%) or all (16%) cases.