NEWS AND OPINION:
New approval ratings may not be so promising for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has not emerged unscathed following the acrimonious government shutdown. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of 900 U.S. adults released Monday finds that positive sentiments about Ms. Pelosi suffered during the shutdown.
The numbers: 28 percent of Americans gave Mrs. Pelosi a thumbs up, a quarter were either neutral or unsure, and 47 percent rated her unfavorably. In the breakdown of the final finding, 34 percent had a “very negative” feeling toward the speaker, while 13 percent had a “somewhat negative” reaction. Analysts, however, have taken notice that her unfavorability number was 41 percent in an identical poll last month. That’s an increase of 6 percentage points.
But thanks to strategic coverage, the phenomenon may not get much notice. NBC simply skipped the negative outcome.
“On Monday’s ’Today’ show, NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker eagerly touted the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing that 50 percent of Americans blamed President Trump for the partial government shutdown. However, missing from her report was any mention of the survey showing a rise in negative opinion of House Speaker Pelosi,” writes Kyle Drennen, a senior analyst for Newsbusters.org.
“Welker then used the end of the shutdown to tee up fawning coverage of Democrats jumping into the presidential race: ’It’s all energizing Democrats as the race for 2020 heats up.’ The news media love to report on poll numbers that are unfavorable to Republicans, but reporters are loathe to mention polling results that present bad news for Democrats — even when both sets of statistics are from the same survey,” Mr. Drennen points out.
SOTU AT LAST
For those who wonder what the heck is going on with President Trump’s State of the Union address, rest assured that progress has been made. The State of the Union address will take place in approximately 168 hours — Feb. 5. It portends to be a positive event.
“The president is looking forward to addressing the American people, talking about our booming economy, the great work we have done to help all American workers as well as talk about our strength in foreign circles and what we have been able to do. For example, in moving toward denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula. We have a great story to tell, and the president is looking forward to addressing the American people,” White House director of strategic communication Mercedes Schlapp tells Fox News.
THE TRUMP EFFECT
“Pro-Growth: Say what you want about President Trump, but he has brought more economic freedom to the U.S. And that’s what’s driving the economy today. In just one year, the U.S. climbed six places to 12th worldwide on the Heritage Foundation’s 25th annual Index of Economic Freedom. The U.S. index score of 76.8 is the highest since 2011,” says an Investors Business Daily editorial, which explains that the Heritage rankings are based a dozen factors that include tax burdens, protection of property rights, labor laws and judicial effectiveness.
“The reason for the U.S. gain was mainly the tax cuts and deregulatory efforts under Trump. The gains would have been bigger had it not been for the growing budget deficits, minimum wage laws, and Trump’s trade battles. Nevertheless, it’s a welcome relief from the previous eight years, which saw economic freedom steadily decline under President Obama. In fact, during Obama’s tenure, the U.S. plunged from 6th place down to 18th on the Heritage freedom rank, in the wake of tax hikes and massive new financial, insurance and environmental regulations,” the editorial said.
“The freedom index is a powerful reminder that while redistributionist policies — like those currently in favor among Democrats — might be emotionally satisfying, they won’t grow the economy or boost prosperity,” it noted.
THE TRUMP HOTEL EFFECT
President Trump has scored a major victory in the hotel world. The Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital recently made Forbes Travel Guide’s elite roster of the “World’s Most Luxurious Hotels” — one of only 58 such hotels on the planet. In addition, Forbes presented the site with its significant “Five Star” award, this after a single year of operation. But wait, there’s more. On Monday, TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, ranked the Trump hotel in Washington fourth on its list of top luxury hotels in the U.S. — and No. 7 among all hotels in the nation.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, credited his creative team for the honors. Indeed, from the beginning, the team remained true to an “American design aesthetic,” and were careful to preserve the character of the building, which looms 315 feet above Pennsylvania Avenue and is the second-tallest structure in town.
Once called the Old Post Office Building, it was built in 1899 and treated to a $200 million restoration, opening two years ahead of schedule in late 2016.
Just five blocks from the White House, the site boasts 16-foot ceilings, glittering chandeliers, soaring windows, original woodworking and a handsome palette of federal blue, ivory, soft gold and deep red. At 13,200 square feet, the Presidential Ballroom is the largest in the region. The signature “Trump Townhouse” suite — all 6,300 square feet of it — has a private entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue, and is, uh, six times the size of the Oval Office.
ONE FOR LINDSEY
The Republican National Lawyers Association reveals that its 2019 Ed Meese Award — named after the 65th U.S. attorney general — goes to Sen. Lindsey Graham. The organization praises him for upholding the rule of law “in the face of adverse political challenges.”
The South Carolina Republican will receive his award at the National Press Club in April and will be the venerable guest of honor at a private event “at a D.C. location of renown.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 50 percent of Americans say President Trump “says what he believes”; 82 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of Democrats agree.
• 50 percent say Mr. Trump is a conservative; 65 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of Democrats agree.
• 30 percent are unsure about his ideology; 9 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of Democrats agree.
• 13 percent say Mr. Trump is moderate; 18 percent of Republicans and 7 percent of Democrats agree.
• 3 percent say he is a liberal; 4 percent of Republicans and 3 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-22.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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