- Social:
Langer Research Associates and ABC News
Founder and President of Langer Research Associates, and chief pollster for ABC News
PROFILE
Gary Langer
Guest
FROM Gary Langer
To the Point
Trump Trashes Trade, Clinton Tries to Stay on Top Recent national polls show Hillary Clinton has opened a lead on Donald Trump -- a few weeks ahead of both parties’ nominating conventions. World events can shake up the race -- and in the last few days Trump has been seizing on the populist sentiment of the Brexit vote, doubling down on trade fears during a swing-state tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio yesterday, making clear his strategy of going after working-class white men.
To the Point
Another President, Another Presidential Library America's 43rd President now has the country's 13th presidential library. The George W. Bush Presidential Center houses the bullhorn from Ground Zero, the pistol from Saddam Hussein's spider hole and a statue of two favorite dogs. How much is there on missing weapons of mass destruction or Wall Street bailouts? Do Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld or Karl Rove get much attention? Every president since FDR has a similar mix of historical fact and self-serving propaganda assembled on his behalf. We look at the contents, the architecture and the symbolism of Bush's Center in Dallas and at the role of presidential libraries in our political life.
Which Way, L.A.?
Will There Be Compromise or Continued Gridlock? Despite widespread predictions that it might take weeks to decide the election, Mitt Romney conceded at 1 this morning in Boston. Shortly afterwards, President Obama spoke . With the election finally over, it's time for Washington to focus again on how to govern the nation. Have any new lessons been learned from yesterday's voting? How much will politics — and policy — stay the same?
To the Point
Will There Be Compromise or Continued Gridlock? The popular vote was almost even, but President Obama won big in the Electoral College. Control of the House and the Senate did not change at all. Despite the evidence of a polarized nation, exit polling reveals an electorate that's evolving along demographic lines. There's talk of the Reagan Revolution fading at last as both parties form new coalitions. We hear about white men, women, Hispanics, and youth. In the meantime, can a re-elected president and a lame-duck Congress keep the nation away from the "fiscal cliff" and set the stage for bipartisanship?
Which Way, L.A.?
The Uncertain Economy and the Presidential Campaign Yesterday, President Obama and his Republican challenger were both in Ohio. Today, it was another swing state: Virginia, where they both managed to touch on the economy. Conflicting economic indicators make it hard to predict a presidential election that's focused on the economy. Are the candidates increasing confusion by failing to lay out specific proposals?
To the Point
It's the Economy, Stupid This year's presidential campaign is supposedly about the economy, but economic indicators make political predictions more confusing than ever. Consumer confidence is on the rise, for example, but consumer spending is on the decline. Does that favor Obama , Romney — or is it a draw? Is economic uncertainty one reason that neither candidate has been very specific about plans for economic improvement? We compare what they have said and how they stand in the latest polls. Whatever the numbers show now, how long will they last?
Which Way, L.A.?
Campaign Strategy and Science The Presidential election is close. Mitt Romney makes a speech; Barack Obama appears on a talk show, a super PAC saturates the airwaves with an ad... For the most part President Obama's advantage in swing states is within the pollsters' margins of errors. Conventional wisdom would have the candidates blanketing those states with ads, perhaps swinging by Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio for speeches and local media interviews. But there is work done quietly and away from the cameras, strategy having to do with statistics, and surveys and mailings that are often overlooked, but perhaps even more vital than the splashy mass-broadcast electioneering. Micro targeting number crunchers are experimenting with elections in fascinating ways. It’s this little noticed statistical detective work that is driving many of campaigns decisions and will be the key factor in actually convincing people to vote.
To the Point
Campaign Strategy and Science The Presidential election is close. Mitt Romney makes a speech; Barack Obama appears on a talk show, a super PAC saturates the airwaves with an ad... For the most part President Obama's advantage in swing states is within the pollsters' margins of errors. Conventional wisdom would have the candidates blanketing those states with ads, perhaps swinging by Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio for speeches and local media interviews. But there is work done quietly and away from the cameras, strategy having to do with statistics, and surveys and mailings that are often overlooked, but perhaps even more vital than the splashy mass-broadcast electioneering. Micro targeting number crunchers are experimenting with elections in fascinating ways. It’s this little noticed statistical detective work that is driving many of campaigns decisions and will be the key factor in actually convincing people to vote.
Which Way, L.A.?
Can the Republicans Weather More than One Storm? To the Point is in Tampa this week, where Tropical Storm Isaac has forced the Republican National Convention to wait a day before getting down to business tomorrow. Yesterday, former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee addressed the Faith and Freedom Coalition with other religious conservatives. Today the Convention will be gaveled to order by Party Chairman Reince Priebus and then immediately recessed until tomorrow. The GOP faces some heavy political weather, with Ron Paul refusing to get on board and social issues clouding the focus on the economy. As the carefully choreographed TV show has now shrunk to just three days, convention planers are struggling to coordinate their messages. With polls still showing a virtual dead heat, this is the last major chance for the Republicans to get a leg up on President Obama before the televised debates. We hear from outside the arena and from inside the Convention Center. Can Mitt Romney heal his party's divisions? Is Paul Ryan making a difference? (In addition to our guests, we hear the voices of Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Chathryn Walters and others.)
To the Point
Can the Republicans Weather More than One Storm? To the Point is in Tampa this week, where Tropical Storm Isaac has forced the Republican National Convention to wait a day before getting down to business tomorrow. Yesterday, former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee addressed the Faith and Freedom Coalition with other religious conservatives. Today the Convention will be gaveled to order by Party Chairman Reince Priebus and then immediately recessed until tomorrow. The GOP faces some heavy political weather, with Ron Paul refusing to get on board and social issues clouding the focus on the economy. As the carefully choreographed TV show has now shrunk to just three days, convention planers are struggling to coordinate their messages. With polls still showing a virtual dead heat, this is the last major chance for the Republicans to get a leg up on President Obama before the televised debates. We hear from outside the arena and from inside the Convention Center. Can Mitt Romney heal his party's divisions? Is Paul Ryan making a difference? (In addition to our guests, we hear the voices of Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Chathryn Walters and others.)
Which Way, L.A.?
Obama, Romney and Presidential Messaging With five months to go until the presidential election, tens of millions of dollars are already being spent on campaign advertising. The Obama campaign got into trouble with some of the President's own supporters this week with a TV commercial featuring laid-off workers at a company sold by Bain Capital when Mitt Romney was in charge. When prominent Democrats attacked the Obama attack ad, the Romney campaign struck back . Are you listening? What are the risks of turning you off instead of turning you on?
To the Point
Masters of Persuasion Are Aiming for You It's not even summer and the presidential election is five months away, but campaign advertising has hit TV and the Internet earlier than ever as each candidate tries to define the other before he can define himself. The "electronic dogs of war" have already been loosed by the Obama and Romney campaigns, along with assorted Political Action Committees. The Obama campaign got into trouble with some of the President's own supporters this week with a TV commercial featuring laid-off workers at a company sold by Bain Capital when Mitt Romney was in charge. When prominent Democrats attacked the Obama attack ad, the Romney campaign struck back . What works with an electorate that's barely paying any attention at all? Is it time to go negative? How can voters tell the truth from the outright lies?
Which Way, L.A.?
The Southern Primaries and the GOP Rick Santorum won both Alabama and Mississippi yesterday. Newt Gingrich took second place in states even he said he needed. Santorum is claiming he's now the real, conservative alternative to Mitt Romney , who came in third. If Romney can't capture the Southern conservative base of the party, why is he still the likely GOP nominee?
To the Point
The 'Solid South' Isn't So Solid After All Mitt Romney is lucky there were two other candidates in Mississippi and Alabama, even though he lost to them both. One alone would have swamped him. But, including Hawaii and American Samoa, he got more delegates yesterday than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum , who won both primaries and is claiming to be the real, conservative alternative to Romney. Even though Romney's a loser with the conservative base of his party, he's still the favorite to win the GOP nomination. Does that mean the South doesn't matter? Will Santorum's double win push Gingrich out of the running? Does Romney still have a chance to prevail before the convention in Tampa?
Which Way, L.A.?
Campaign Rhetoric and the State of the Union Address President Obama told a joint session of Congress that he inherited an economy in free fall. He said, "The state of the union is getting better," even though partisan differences have thwarted his efforts to make it better still. He used the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden to call for unity. Today, the President is on the road, taking the messages of last night's State of the Union speech to voters across the country. We summarize the results, get partisan reactions and hear from Americans in different parts of the country.
To the Point
Americans Respond to the State of the Union President Obama told Congress and the American people last night that, "the state of our Union is getting stronger." It was an upbeat message in marked contrast to the doom and gloom expressed by Republican challengers in town halls, television ads and 18 televised debates. The President asked for unity, but acknowledged partisan gridlock, and advocated tax reforms that sounded tailored to fit Mitt Romney. We hear excerpts and political analysis, and talk to Americans outside the Beltway what they heard when their President spoke to them. (This story was informed in part from sources in the Public Insight Network .)
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To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?