Decrease in support for candidate Herman Cain

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150758/Cain-Fall-Gingrich-Rise-Result-Tie-High-Intensity-Score.aspx

            According to the source Gallup, two weeks ago, Herman Cain had a heck of a lot more support than he currently does now. His “Positive Intensity Score” is currently 17 while it was 29 before all the accusations he received regarding sexual harassment. Americans have lost support for Herman Cain over the past couple of weeks. He has been all over the news and it’s not for a good reason. As if we haven’t had enough disgusting things in our news lately with things like the whole Paterno/Sandusky/PennState case, there were allegations that Cain was at fault for sexual harassment. People have lost faith due to the overwhelming amount of negative information they have been receiving about him. Whether it is true or not, people still don’t like the fact he was accused of such a thing and besides, it’s not like he has handled it very well, in most people’s opinions at least. Public opinion will not change on this issue. If Cain is in fact found guilty, people probably won’t be able to accept that. Plus, his lack of professionalism in the matter hasn’t really helped his reputation, especially with those who barely knew him before the allegations came out. The American public is absolutely fickle. Americans change their minds and opinions on things every day, if not by the hour. Therefore, the American public opinion could turn around in a heartbeat somewhat like the way they withdrew their support for Cain in the first place.

Consumers' Holiday Spending Intentions Perk Up in November

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150737/Consumers-Holiday-Spending-Intentions-Perk-November.aspx

            In regards to how much one is planning on spending this Christmas season, the amount has gone up. Compared to last year, when people said they anticipated spending around $714 on Christmas gifts, this year it has gone up to $764. Does this mean the economy is back on its footing, or getting there at least? Hmm maybe, maybe not. However, this does leave us with one piece of information: the increase in holiday sales for this year. Maybe people plan on spending more because of the many saving opportunities that have been made available to them. Americans are thinking that this is the year to splurge on items and take advantage of the retail sales in the stores. If sales were to decrease, people might not plan on spending as much. The chart, found in the link above, gave a visual demonstration of the fluctuation of people’s ideas for a Christmas gift budget. It can seem a bit shocking since so many people are getting laid off these days that an amount such as $764 is the average. As previously stated, I believe that the American people are very indecisive in regards to what they actually want and what they think should happen for the better.

U.S. Cold and Flu Season Kicks Off in Typical Fashion

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150770/Cold-Flu-Season-Kicks-Off-Typical-Fashion.aspx

            As a preventative, most Americans receive a Flu Shot once a year. This is in the hopes of having the flu pass them by during the upcoming cold and flu season. As the season seems to get underway, the graph’s lines go up. More and more people get the flu during the coldest months of the year. Around February, the number of people with the flu starts to drop since the warmer months of spring are just around the corner. People believe that the flu shot reduces their chances of getting the flu, which it does. The flu shot is a popular thing for everyone to get because of its benefits. I don’t think people will just one day stop having faith in the flu shot. Then again, there are some who choose not to receive it. So, the argument of whether the opinion on the shot will change or not is somewhat in the air even though, as of right now, people don’t seem to be losing faith in it. Americans seem to pretty trusting in the flu shot, so this leads me to believe that people will continue to receive the shot in years to come which would actually represent consistency. Therefore, in regards to the flu shot, I think Americans are rather consistent and conscientious, especially because it is their health.

2012 Presidential Matchups

Election 2012: Obama 46%, Cain 36%

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/2012_presidential_matchups

            It looks like Republican Herman Cain is far behind Democrat Barack Obama as of right now. A recent telephone survey resulted in Americans believing that our current president: Barack Obama has 46% of the support, while Herman Cain only has about 36% of the people’s support. The majority of Americans are seeing Herman Cain in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Obama on the other hand, has done some great things for his country and some people are anxious to see what he is going to do next. Therefore, Obama, the more popular figure right now, has a better shot than Cain. There’s doubt that public opinion will change from supporting Obama more than Cain to the other way around, especially since Cain has not been put on a pedestal lately. It hasn’t really changed because Obama has been a more popular figure than Cain because, well, he’s president which means he is better known than Cain. I do not think the public is fickle on this issue because I think they are using good judgment on who should be the next president. People aren’t being wishy-washy on the topic because they feel as though Obama is fitter for the job.

Gallup Daily: U.S. Economic Conditions

http://www.gallup.com/poll/110821/Gallup-Daily-US-Economic-Conditions.aspx

            The link above contains a graph depicting the average of Americans views on the country’s economy as either “excellent,” “good,” “only fair,” or “poor.” More Americans believe that the economy is in a poor state right now rather than an excellent one. People feel this way because of the many people losing their jobs and getting laid off. The lack of job opportunities is just one of the many reasons that the people of America see their economy in a bit of a predicament. More pollers answered with “poor” than “good” or “excellent.” Public opinion could change if the economy were to change, obviously. So, until something extreme is done to fix the problem, Americans’ opinions will stay right where they are. It has changed recently, as in the last several years or more, however the change did not occur overnight. I don’t think that the Americans are fickle in a sense that they can’t stick with one view, however, I think it’s only natural to change one’s opinion as the economy or any other issue also changes.