Archive: Enumerati
House Republicans Have Spent 15 Percent of Their Days Since 2011 Trying to Repeal Obamacare

43

Number of days since Republicans took over the House that they have devoted time to voting on repeal of President Obama’s signature health care overhaul. Thursday’s 37th vote to repeal means they have held votes on only 281 days since taking power in January 2011, and Republicans have spent no less than 15 percent of their time on the House floor on repeal in some way.

South Breaks Stereotypes…Or Not

10 of 20

Number of places on the Amazon “Most Well-Read Cities” list that are in the South, including number one, Alexandria, Va.; number two, Knoxville, Tenn.; number three, Miami; and number five, Orlando. The ranking is based on book, Kindle, and magazine sales, and Knoxville might not make next year’s list. It ranked high this year because of the massive quantity of copies of Fifty Shades of Gray its residents bought.

IRS Asked One Tea Party Group 55 Questions

55

Number of questions the IRS asked one tea party group, including demands for names of all its donors and volunteers, The Daily Mail reports.

Palin Leads Alaska Senate Straw Ballot

32%

Percentage by which Sarah Palin (R) leads a possible Republican U.S. Senate primary, followed by Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell (R) at 30% and 2010 GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller (R) at 14%, a new Harper Polling survey in Alaska finds.

Proms Are Being Hijacked by 1% Kids

$1,139

What the average family plans to spend on their child attending a prom this year, putting the event out of reach for an increasing number of high schoolers. Custom-made dresses (to avoid possible duplication), new shoes, hair styling, professionally applied makeup, tanning sessions, limousine and tux rentals, flowers, dinner reservations, and after-parties are frequently “required” to enjoy the event.

Fewer Think Obama Can Get Things Done

49%

Of the public says President Obama is “able to get things done,” down from 57% in January and closer to his levels of confidence in 2012, a new Pew Research poll finds. But the vast majority of Americans, 67%, believe Obama is fighting hard for his policies, a quality that has been questioned in the wake of legislative setbacks.

Fannie Mae is Paying Dividends Almost Equal to Its Bailout

$59.4 billion

Amount of a dividend Fannie Mae will pay to the U.S. Treasury, the company said Thursday after reporting a record first-quarter profit,” the Wall Street Journal reports.”Fannie’s expected payment will bring to $95 billion the amount of dividends it has paid to the Treasury, compared to $116.1 billion in aid it absorbed between 2008 and 2011.”

Obama’s Approval Rating Remains Much Higher Than Congress’

51%

President Obama’s job approval rating. By comparison, just 22% approve of the job Republican leaders in Congress are doing, among the lowest approval rating for congressional leaders from either party in 20 years. A record-high 80% say Obama and Republican leaders are not working together to address important issues facing the country, and by nearly two-to-one (42%-22%) more blame Republican leaders than Obama for the gridlock.

House Prepares to Vote Down Obamacare — Again

33rd or 37th

Number of times the U.S. House of Representatives will have tried — unsuccessfully — to repeal the 2010 health-care reform law when it comes up for a vote next week, the Washington Post reports. Congressional aides can’t agree on the actual number of votes.

Republicans are in Trouble Because White Voters are Becoming a Minority

17%

Percentage of the non-white vote Mitt Romney received in last year’s presidential election, Pew Research finds. “Non-whites were 26.3% of all voters in the 2012 election, a record high share. But they compose an even higher share of all U.S. adults age 18 and older — 33.9%. By 2020 this share will rise to 37.2%, and by 2060 it will be 54.8%, according to Census Bureau projections. If the racial voting patterns from the 2012 election persist, the electoral playing field for future Republican presidential candidates will become increasingly difficult.”