Interview with Dem Pollster

Chris Cillizza's The Fixx blog has an interview today with Cornell Belcher, the DNC's lead pollster. Belcher recently completed a new poll for the DNC ...

"What has he found? Democrats, despite entering each of the last few presidential elections with an edge in the eyes of voters on pocketbook issues like health care and Social Security, have been unable to close the deal because of questions surrounding their commitment to security and values."

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"As an example, Belcher points to data from the question, 'What does America mean to you?' Asked for a one-word answer, roughly half of the sample said 'freedom.' Belcher's conclusion? 'This idea that we should be about expanding freedom and working in the language and ideals of freedom was something we gleaned from the data,' he said. 'Republicans sprinkle freedom language in everything."'