Now’s the time to find a ‘quality job,’ Gallup poll shows

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     In this Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 photo, a man poses for a photo in front of heavily armed police officers standing guard outside Trump Tower in New York. Donald Trump plans to come home to Trump Tower for a few days starting Sunday, the first time since his inauguration. New York City police are planning a slight security clampdown in the area around the skyscraper for the duration of his visit. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

    In this Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 photo, a man poses for a photo in front of heavily armed police officers standing guard outside Trump Tower in New York. Donald Trump plans to come home to Trump Tower for a few days starting Sunday, the first time since his inauguration. New York City police are planning a slight security clampdown in the area around the skyscraper for the duration of his visit. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

    NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller sits down for his weekly conversation with Gallup’s Frank Newport to talk about trends in U.S. opinion.

    Right now is a good time to find a “quality job” — that’s according to 59 percent of Americans polled — and the highest Gallup has recorded in over 16 years of measuring on a monthly basis.

    A recent update shows the job approval rating for Congress in Gallup’s monthly reading for August is at 16 percent — the lowest in over a year.

    President Donald Trump’s support among Republicans — presumably his core base — is at 82 percent last week, tied for the lowest of his administration.  Plus, appealing to his base raises questions about just who it is the president believes he is representing while in the White House.

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    Arizona Senator John McCain’s overall rating is up slightly since our last measure in 2015, from 53 percent favorable to 58 percent favorable. But — and this is the fascinating part — Republicans have become less positive, with their view of McCain dropping by 10 points from 61 to 51.

    Democrats’ view of the Republican Senator, however, have skyrocketed, from 49 percent favorable two years ago to 71 percent now. That’s the type of high ratings Democrats usually only reserve for their own famous party members.

    At the same time, Sen. Majority leader Mitch McConnell’s image — after his failed attempt to get the Senate to pass a healthcare — has dropped slightly from 27 percent favorable earlier this year (pretty terrible to begin with) to 23 percent today.

    Listen to the conversation above.

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