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    The Complicated Politics of Free Trade

    Crafting effective U.S. trade policies in an era of rapid economic globalization is tough. But the politics of free trade are even tougher — particularly for Democrats, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Read the full analysis at pewresearch.org

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    Wise Men, er, Cable Guys Bearing Gifts

    CramerWhat do Bill O’Reilly, Anderson Cooper and Jim Cramer have in common? The three cable news personalities are all hawking their own line of gifts — from varsity jackets to fitness kits to bobblehead dolls. If you’re wondering how to spend those holiday gifts of cash you may have gotten, here’s a chance to declare your loyalty in the fierce cable news wars.

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    The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be

    That’s the number of Americans who now rate the quality of the life they expect to be leading five years from now higher than their current quality of life. As recently as 2002, more than six-in-ten (61%) Americans said their future would be better than their present.

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    At the Top of the Public’s Mind in 2006: Gas Prices

    That’s the number of Americans who said in May that they were following the news about high gas prices very closely–making prices at the pump the most closely tracked of any other story, including Iraq, during 2006.

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    There’s a Robot on the Line for You

    That’s the portion of registered voters who received recorded telephone messages in the final stages of the 2006 mid-term election. These so-called “robo-calls” were the second most popular way for campaigns and political activists to reach voters, trailing only direct mail as a key tool of political communication.

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    Expect an Improved Economy

    That’s the number of Americans, about one-in-five, who think the economy will be better off a year from now, while 18% say it will be worse off, and most Americans (56%) say it will be about the same as now.

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    States Step Ahead on Health Care Reform

    Massachusetts has accomplished the improbable: It got Democrats and Republicans to agree on how to provide nearly every resident with health insurance. And it did so without boosting taxes or pushing aside private health plans. Other states – from Vermont to California — are also trying to close the uninsured gap.

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    Surpluses, Social Issues Mark 2006

    Statehouses awash in surpluses ventured into new projects in 2006, from first-in-the-nation preschool for all 3-year-olds in Illinois to a space pad in New Mexico plus advances on such issues as health care, immigration, the minimum wage and global warming that stymied Congress.

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    The Wordy Tony Snow

    That’s the average number of additional words in the White House press briefings given by Press Secretary Tony Snow compared with his relatively laconic predecessor Scott McClellan. As a result, the typical briefing now lasts about 10 minutes, or 30% longer than under McClellan.