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Sweet 16 For the Affordable Care Act
This week marks the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Almost two decades after the ACA’s passage, Democrats are still promoting one of their biggest legislative accomplishments and their interpretation of the bill’s benefits. Republicans blame the ACA as the reason why today’s health care system is in dire straits, but they could heed the example of selling a legislative accomplishment over the long haul. After the 2017 passage of the Tax Cuts and
Latest Posts
Where Is The Political Will On Education?
Roll Call: Trump’s Big Bet on Operation Epic Fury
Progress On The Economy
Medicare For All vs. The Current Health Care System
Policy and Politics
Second Time Around For A Government Shutdown?
Neither party came out of last fall’s shutdown as a winner, but Democrats took more hits than Republicans. From our tracking for Winning the Issues, our November post-shutdown survey showed that Republicans ended the shutdown at 37-58 favorable-unfavorable, and in January, are currently at 41-53 fav-unfav. Democrats ended the shutdown
The Politics Of The Status Quo May Be Near A Breaking Point
After the longest government shutdown in history, voter frustration with the political system is high. Both parties are viewed negatively, and among independents, the unfavorables of both parties are close to 70% (Republicans in Congress, 25-68; Democrats in Congress, 23-68). Reflecting the frustration with the status quo, independent voters are
What’s Next After The Shutdown?
The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, with Democrats getting very little in the end. From our new numbers for Winning the Issues (November 15-17), the shutdown was overwhelmingly seen as not worth it (67%) rather than worth it (17%). Only 17% of liberal Democrats and 14% of Democrats said the shutdown was
Progress On The Economy
One of the key questions going into the midterm election will be this: have Republicans made progress on the economy? Since November of last year, we have seen the direction of economy improve slightly from 31-58 to 36-51 in January. This is still a negative view, but going in the
Are Republicans Turning The Corner On The Economy?
The newest BLS numbers for inflation and weekly wages (from December) showed that November’s positive numbers were sustained. This change has largely been as a result of decreased gas prices, and has only emerged in the last two BLS monthly reports. As seen in our most recent survey for Winning
Republicans Are Betting On A Great Economy In 2026. Is That Enough?
Republicans are facing a challenging midterm environment, but they are banking on the economy improving and larger tax refunds coming in 2026. Democrats think that they don’t have to win on the economy, but only need to be competitive on the issue. Third Way’s EVP of public affairs, Matt Bennett, told
Do Voters Believe 40% of Fourth Graders Are Below Basic In Reading?
Our last newsletter asked the question: where is the political will to address the clear challenges we are facing in education? We speculated that voters might see the problem as so challenging, they don’t know how we would begin to solve it. Or, they may not be aware of the
Where Is The Political Will On Education?
At the end of February, the assessment company NWEA released a report detailing their latest findings on learning loss recovery. The results painted a familiar picture. From their analysis of fall 2024 data, a third of schools have recovered in either math or reading, while only one in seven have
What The Latest ACS Data Tell Us About School Enrollment
At the end of January, the Census Bureau released the results of its American Community Survey (ACS), a trove of data about several aspects of American life. This week, we take a look at the latest ACS estimates on K-12 school enrollment (ACS 1-year estimates for 2024) and compare them
Roll Call: Connecting The Dots On The Economy
The Winston Group’s David Winston in today’s Roll Call with the latest on the economy and what we know about how wages have changed relative to prices, gas prices, and the jobs outlook. For Trump and Republicans, however, the biggest challenge remains the economic speed bumps that continue to plague
Roll Call: Trump’s Big Bet on Operation Epic Fury
The Winston Group’s David Winston’s latest column for Roll Call on the United States’ military action in Iran. The domestic political implications of Operation Epic Fury await its conclusion. Eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat is an objective that Republicans supported during Operation Midnight Hammer and most support now. Given Trump’s campaign promise to
Roll Call: Trump’s economic progress report to the country — and what’s next
The Winston Group’s David Winston writes about Trump’s State of the Union speech and the case the president needs to make on the economy in his latest column for Roll Call. Trump’s State of the Union speech this week needed to achieve two objectives. First, it had to give voters