A Lot Of Goforth’s Out There

By Kleinheider Posted on June 16, 2009 at 12:40 pm

Chris Sanders reminds us about that the MTSU Poll that indicates that Sherri Goforth is not alone.

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Tags: MTSU Poll, Sherri Goforth  

MTSU POLL: One In Six Tennesseans Admit To Telling Racist Jokes About The President

By Kleinheider Posted on March 3, 2009 at 11:58 am

The newest poll on state and national issues in Tennessee is out from our friends over at Middle Tennessee State University complete with charts and graphs. Some of the more interesting findings below.

THE LEGISLATURE: “Meanwhile, the proportion of Tennesseans who approve of the state Legislature’s job performance has slid from 39% in the fall to 34%. The last time the Legislature’s approval rating sank this low was in fall 2005 and spring 2006, when Tennesseans were absorbing news of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Operation Tennessee Waltz” sting that led to the arrests of several legislators on bribery charges….The best predictor of disapproval is frequent newspaper reading.”

RACIST JOKES: “Nearly one in six Tennesseans has told a joke about Barack Obama’s race, and three-fourths say they’ve heard or read at least one, even though only 15 percent of Tennesseans say they would find such a joke funny.”

IRAQ: “Just over half (53 percent) of Tennesseans say sending troops to Iraq was “a mistake,” while 38 percent say the move was not a mistake, and the rest aren’t sure.”

WINE IN GROCERY STORES: “Sixty-two percent of state residents say grocery stores should be allowed to sell wine, while just over a quarter (26%) disagree, and 12% don’t know.”

BREDESEN: “Gov. Phil Bredesen’s approval rating has slipped to 52%, down from 58% in the fall and well below his tenure’s high of 72% in Spring 2004.”

“Among demographic factors, education makes the biggest difference, with under half (45%) of Tennesseans without a college degree expressing approval of Bredesen compared with nearly two-thirds (64%) of those with a college degree.”

STATE INCOME TAX: When asked to choose between the two statements: “Tennessee should amend its constitution to forbid the state from ever introducing a tax on personal income” and “Tennessee should introduce a tax on personal income to lower sales taxes and eliminate taxes on groceries,” 46% of Tennesseans support constitutionally banning a state income tax, and 40% support introducing a state income tax with cuts in sales and food taxes.

ABORTION: A majority of Tennesseans (52%) say abortion “should be legal under some circumstances, but not others.” Smaller percentages say either that abortion should be illegal under all circumstances (25%) or legal under all circumstances (19%).

OBAMA: Fifty-three percent of Tennesseans say that they approve of how President Barack Obama has done his job so far, and only 27% of Tennesseans disapprove. In the 2008 election, 57% of Tennessee voters cast their ballots for Obama’s Republican rival, John McCain, while only 42% voted for Obama

SEE ALSO:
Sean Braisted
R. Neal

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Tags: abortion, Barack Obama, MTSU, MTSU Poll, MTSU survey, Phil Bredesen, President Obama, racial politics, racist jokes, State income tax, state legislature, wine in grocery stores  

New MTSU Poll: 22% Of Hillary Supporters Will Vote For McCain

By Kleinheider Posted on September 29, 2008 at 11:39 am

According to a new poll, in a state which Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary by a commanding percentage and which includes a large swath of those conservative Appalachian voters, Barack Obama still has trouble in the race against John McCain:

The McCain campaign seems to have had modest success at attracting supporters of former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, whom 22 percent of Tennesseans say they voted for in the Democratic primary. A quarter of those who voted for the junior senator from New York in Tennessee’s Democratic presidential primary say that they would now vote for McCain and Palin in the general election. However, 56 percent of those who report that they voted for Clinton in the primary say that they would now vote for Obama and Biden. The rest of Clinton’s supporters remain undecided at this point or say they would vote for someone other than McCain or Obama.

In state politics, Republican also enjoy an advantage:

Fully 47 percent of Tennesseans are satisfied with the direction the state is going, but only 34 percent of Democrats are satisfied compared with 59 percent of Republicans and independents.

Lamar Alexander, as expected, polls well in his race versus Bob Tuke:

Republican incumbent Sen. Lamar Alexander outpolls Democratic challenger Bob Tuke 50 percent to 26 percent among likely voters in Tennessee’s race for U.S. Senate, but about a fourth (23 percent) say they aren’t yet sure whom they favor.

A plurality of Tennesseans want more church in their state:

Fully 41 percent of Tennesseans think politicians say too little about religion, while 26 percent say the amount is about right, and 23 percent say there is too much religious talk.

View entire report here. Press release available here.

SEE ALSO: Grantham is Talking

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Tags: Barack Obama, Bob Tuke, John McCain, Lamar Alexander, MTSU Poll, Nashville, religion, Tennessee