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  1. Top stories via NBC Politics
    1. Image: Political Leaders Speak At 2012 Fiscal Summit In Washington
      Getty Images
      With fiscal Armageddon in sight, who's got the leverage?
  2. More news
    1. GOP charts path to Senate majority through Neb. primary

      Republicans face a tight three-way race for a Senate nomination in Nebraska, one of the states that the GOP hopes to win this fall to put the party on the path to taking control of the upper chamber.

    2. Image: Speaker of the House John Boehner (© J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
      AP
      Boehner lays down markers on year-end 'fiscal cliff'
    3. Boehner stakes legacy on extracting more spending cuts
    4. A day of contradictions for Obama
    5. Obama talks gay marriage, Title IX, smoking, more on The View
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  1. Dispatches from NBC embeds via First Read
    1. Romney: U.S. 'on the verge of a manufacturing resurgence'

      By NBC's Andrew Rafferty: Republican nominee Mitt Romney made the case that manufacturing is on the brink of a comeback, but made no mention of the $2 billion loss by one of Wall Street's most recognizable banks.

    1. Possible VP contenders decry fiscal woes at summit

      By NBC's Alex Moe: Two potential Republican vice presidential contenders had the same warning Tuesday afternoon: it is time to fix the country’s fiscal problems now.

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Video

  1. Anti-Romney ad will air in five swing states

    Bill Burton, co-founder and senior strategist of Priorities USA, explains how the pro-Obama Super PAC is trying to paint Mitt Romney as a corporate raider who cared only about profits instead of the well-being of workers.

Video

  1. JP Morgan will be part of Senate hearings

    The Senate Banking Committee will hold Wall Street hearings that include a closer look at the practices that led to a $2 billion loss for financial giant JP Morgan Chase. Sen. Bob Corker discusses.

Video

  1. Who is best equipped the fix the economy?

    In an election that turns on the economy, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are each doing their best to disqualify the other. USA Today’s Susan Page discusses.

Chart: Voter Confidence Index

Barack Obama

Democrat

With an impressive electoral victory and a nation eager to turn the page in Washington, President Obama started his term with high expectations, and a high VCI. Charged political debates over federal stimulus spending and health care reform coupled with big Republican wins in the midterm elections and a stalled economic recovery have led to an erosion of voter confidence.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec
20093434232841305-6611-1-9
2010-14-23-18-16-22-24-35-33-39-36-28-42
2011-21-22-38-38-2-27-36-49-63-54 -53-45
2012-29-21-21-23-19
data
updated
5/15/12
PRESIDENTIAL VCIs

Shown below is each President's last VCI prior to the presidential election. Hover over items for more information.

Ford '76
25
Gerald Ford
Carter '80
-72
Jimmy Carter
Reagan '84
62
Ronald Reagan
Reagan '88
15
Ronald Reagan
Bush '92
-84
George H.W. Bush
Clinton '96
18
Bill Clinton
Clinton '00
45
Bill Clinton
Bush '04
-11
George W. Bush
Bush '08
-116
George W. Bush

What is the VCI and how is it calculated?

You are using a browser that does not support the canvas element. Some parts of the Voter Confidence Index are not displayed. Learn more about canvas.
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Slideshow

Political cartoons

    1. Scranton Times Tribune, Politica
      The Week in Political Cartoons

      Msnbc.com's political cartoonists take a look back at the past week.

Chart: Delegate count

Video: Exclusive on financial crisis; same- sex marriage debate resparked

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Profile: Presidential candidates

Data:

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  1. More from First Read
    1. Romney pushes debt-driven message in return to Iowa
    2. Republican Fischer upsets rivals in Nebraska Senate primary
    3. Bush: Embrace change over 'so-called stability' in Arab Spring
    4. Boehner stakes legacy on extracting more spending cuts
    5. Possible VP contenders decry fiscal woes at summit
  2. More from NBC Politics
    1. Romney wins Nebraska, Oregon primaries
    2. A day of contradictions for Obama
    3. Boehner lays down markers on year-end 'fiscal cliff'
    4. Republican Fischer upsets rivals in Nebraska Senate primary
    5. Bill Clinton, Paul Ryan headline fiscal summit talks
  3. Related videos & slideshows
    1. Video
      Anti-Romney ad will air in five swing states
    2. Video
      JP Morgan will be part of Senate hearings
    3. Video
      Who is best equipped the fix the economy?
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