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Fox News Poll: Voters disagree with vision Obama expressed in State of the Union

Many American voters are not on the same page as President Obama when it comes to the mood of the country and his economic proposals. Yet significant improvements in perceptions of the economy are boosting approval of the president -- and less than half of voters want his executive actions repealed.
First, Americans don’t think we’re the happy family President Obama described in his State of the Union speech.  A new Fox News national poll released Wednesday finds that by a three-to-one margin, voters see America as a dysfunctional family rather than as the “tight-knit” grouping Obama claimed we are (73-24 percent).
Click here for full results of the poll (pdf)
Men, women and voters of all age groups endorse the dysfunctional description, and even a majority of Democrats -- 61 percent -- agrees. Still, Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to call America a tight-knit family (37 vs. 14 percent).
Voters also sharply disagree with the president’s strategy of taking government actions to help improve economic conditions specifically for the middle class. By a 26-point margin, they think government policies should help improve the economy for everyone (61 percent) rather than target actions just for the middle class (35 percent). Even voters describing themselves as middle class think the focus should be on improving the economy overall (59 percent) rather than just for the middle class (37 percent). 
When it comes to helping everyone versus the idea of “spreading the wealth,” voters are more evenly divided. Forty-six percent think it is a good idea and 45 percent a bad idea to use some of the money government collects in taxes to “spread the wealth” to others who are less well off. That’s unchanged since 2008 when it was also 46 percent good idea vs. 45 percent bad.
Perhaps predictably, that view breaks down along income-related lines. Voters in households earning less than $50,000 like the idea of spreading the wealth (by a 12-point margin), while those earning $50,000 or more don’t like it (by a 9-point margin). Those voters describing themselves as middle class are more evenly divided: 45 percent call it a good idea and 47 percent say bad idea.
Roughly two-thirds of Democrats think spreading the wealth is a good idea (69 percent), while two-thirds of Republicans say the opposite (68 percent).
There’s more agreement that things are improving, as 53 percent of voters think the economy is getting better. That’s up 10 percentage points from 43 percent in September -- and marks a new high during Obama’s presidency. The previous high was 49 percent recorded in both October 2012 and May 2010. Still, for 36 percent of voters it feels like economic conditions are getting worse. 
Those living in higher-income households (58 percent) are more likely than those in lower-earning households (48 percent) to say the economy is getting better. In addition, voters under age 45 (59 percent) are more likely than those ages 45 and over (48 percent) to feel things are improving.
Democrats (72 percent) are more than twice as likely as Republicans (35 percent) to say things are looking up on the economy. 
Despite a record-high number saying the economy is improving, only 19 percent say they are better off financially now than when Obama took office. Some 28 percent feel they are worse off, while a slim 52-percent majority says their family’s financial situation is about the same.
Sunnier perceptions of the economy have helped Obama’s job rating: 45 percent of voters approve of how he is doing, while 51 percent disapprove. While his rating is still in negative territory, this is the first time since October 2013 that approval of the president’s performance has been this high. Last month, 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved. 
The increase in approval of Obama comes mainly from independents: 45 percent approve now, compared to just three in 10 in early January (31 percent) and December (30 percent).
And Congress also gets its best ratings in more than a year, although that’s not saying a lot: 18 percent approve, while 73 percent disapprove. The last time approval of Congress was this high was July 2013. In December, 14 percent approved of Congress and 80 percent disapproved.
Now that Republicans control Congress, some wonder if GOP lawmakers will try to cancel or repeal the unilateral actions Obama has taken through executive orders. Voters have mixed views: 45 percent want Congress to repeal Obama’s unilateral actions, yet 39 percent disagree. 
Political identification plays a big role in that assessment: most Republicans want Obama’s executive orders repealed (by 71-17 percent), while Democrats oppose that idea (60-23 percent). Independents split: 40 percent for repeal and 40 percent against.
Pollpourri
Voters resoundingly reject Obama’s proposal to start taxing so-called 529 college savings accounts: fully 82 percent call that a bad idea, including 80 percent of Democrats. The disapproval climbs to an overwhelming 88 percent among parents. The White House announced late Tuesday it will withdraw plans to tax these accounts. 
More than four in 10 American voters describe themselves as middle class (43 percent), and another 13 percent say they are “upper” middle class. Even 38 percent of those with household annual income over $100,000 consider themselves middle class.
Just 15 percent of voters think the country is safer than when Barack Obama became president. More than twice as many -- 34 percent -- feel the country is less safe now. The largest number -- 50 percent -- say things are the same.
The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,009 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from January 25-27, 2015. The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Arizona monitoring 1,000 people who could have been exposed to measles

Arizona health officials are keeping tabs on 1,000 people, including 200 children, who could have been exposed to measles at a Phoenix-area medical center.
The outbreak originated in California's Disney parks has now spread to the state. Those who have been exposed to the disease who have not been vaccinated are being asked to stay from for 21 days or wear masks if they have to go out in public.
"To stay in your house for 21 days is hard," State Health Services director Will Humble said. "But we need people to follow those recommendations, because all it takes is a quick trip to the Costco before you're ill and, 'bam,' you've just exposed a few hundred people. We're at a real critical juncture with the outbreak."
Health officials do not know the number of how many children were vaccinated for measles or their age ranges. Children under a year cannot receive the vaccination for measles, mumps or rubella, but can get an immunity booster.
Arizona is second in the number of cases traced to Disney parks last month, next to California. Measles has been confirmed in Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Nebraska as well.
The Arizona woman whose case was confirmed Tuesday in Maricopa County came into contact with a Pinal County family that traveled to Disneyland, but did not have telltale signs of measles like a rash when she visited the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center. Maricopa County health director Bob England declined to say whether she'd had the measles vaccine, which isn't 100 percent effective in stemming the spread of the disease.
"Unfortunately, she came down with the disease and by the time it was recognized had already exposed a large number of children at the facility," he said.
Masks are being placed outside health care facilities and signs went up outside placed in Kearny warning customers and employees that they could have been exposed to measles.

Romney takes aim at Clinton in Mississippi speech

Mitt Romney used a speech at Mississippi State University on Wednesday to strike at Hillary Clinton's foreign policy and economic credentials in what could be seen as a sneak preview of the 2016 presidential race.
Romney, making his third public appearance since it was revealed he is considering a third run for the White House, addressed students at the university and took pre-selected questions, cracking jokes about himself and making 2016 references. He criticized President Obama's foreign policy, as well as his handling of the economy.
He did not, however, say whether he would seek the White House in 2016.
"I'm thinking about how I can help the country," he told hundreds of students.
In his comeback bid, Romney has focused particular attention on the poor and middle class as he tries to broaden his appeal after being cast in 2012 as an out-of-touch multimillionaire.
"How can Secretary Clinton provide opportunity for all if she doesn't know where jobs come from in the first place?" Romney said, squarely attacking the Democrats' potential 2016 nominee.
"We need to restore opportunity, particularly for the middle class," Romney said. "You deserve a job that can repay all you've spent and borrowed to go to college."
In a follow-up question-and-answer sessions, he added: "The rich are fine in America. They're fine almost regardless of who's the president."
Before his evening address on campus, Romney stopped at the popular barbecue joint Little Dooey, bounding out of a black SUV to shake hands with employees, townspeople and students.
He displayed a good sense of local priorities with his choice of tour guides: MSU head football Coach Dan Mullen and his wife, Megan. Dan Mullen praised Romney's record in business and as governor of Massachusetts. "I would certainly endorse Governor Romney," he said.
When one well-wisher told Romney he'd been his choice for the White House in 2012, the former Massachusetts governor smiled and replied, "I wish I was there right now."
A few minutes later, Romney and the Mullens chatted over barbecue, comparing their business, political and sports experience. When Mullen — who led his Bulldogs to an Orange Bowl appearance last season — mentioned the difficulty of losing, Romney asked, "So what do you do?"
In his address, Romney outlined three principles that could serve as the foundation of a campaign: national security, improving opportunities for the middle class and ending poverty. The latter two principles are newly prominent for Romney, and he's explained them with references to his personal faith and work in the Mormon church — personal testimony he didn't always offer in 2008 and 2012.
In previous campaigns, Romney fueled his critics with high-profile missteps tied in some way to money. No gaffe was bigger than his remark — secretly recorded at a high-dollar Florida fundraiser — that he didn't worry about the 47 percent of Americans who "believe they are victims" and "pay no income tax."
On Wednesday night, he managed to joke about his wealth, insisting his public life isn't about generating attention or speaking fees. "As you may have heard," he said, "I'm already rich."
A Clinton spokesman did not immediately respond to Romney's remarks, although the Democratic National Committee fired back.
"We don't really need to hear a lecture on 'where jobs come from' from a guy who's best known for bankrupting companies and profiting off of outsourcing," DNC spokesman Mo Elleithee said.
Romney has acknowledged privately in recent weeks that he will make a decision about the 2016 campaign soon. While Romney was the overwhelming establishment favorite in the last election, the likely 2016 field includes other economic conservatives — including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who have taken steps towards campaigns of their own.
He currently has a skeleton staff working largely on a volunteer basis, although Romney has more than $2 million in his presidential campaign fund as of late November, which would give him a significant head start over some competitors should he enter the race.
At Mississippi State, Romney sidestepped any mention of his would-be Republican rivals, instead using Clinton and Obama as foils.
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cluelessly pressed a reset button for Russia, which smiled and then invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation," Romney says. "We need to help make the world a safer place."
He blasted Obama for not doing enough to prevent Iran from expanding its nuclear capabilities, and endorsed House Speaker John Boehner's controversial invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.
Romney also criticized the Democrats' "war on poverty," saying it's time to abandon the "liberal policies" of President Lyndon Johnson and his successors. "It's finally time to apply conservative policies that improve America's education system, promote family formation and create good-paying jobs," he said, though he avoided any policy specifics.
The university's Student Government Association invited Romney before he'd talked of a 2016 campaign. Romney aides said he is donating his $50,000 speaking fee, minus his travel costs, to CharityVision, a Utah-based organization that offers eye care to the poor.

New purported ISIS ultimatum to Jordan: Release Iraqi woman by sundown or pilot dies

The saga of a Japanese journalist and Jordanian military pilot held by the Islamic State terror group has taken a new turn with the release of a message promising to extend the deadline for Jordan's release of a female Iraqi prisoner.
The message, read in English by a voice the Japanese government said was likely that of hostage Kenji Goto, was released online late Wednesday after Jordan offered to hand over the Al Qaeda-linked would-be suicide bomber to the Islamic State group, or ISIS, in exchange for Jordanian air force pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh.
"I am Kenji Goto. This is a voice message I've been told to send to you. If Sajida al-Rishawi is not ready for exchange for my life at the Turkish border by Thursday sunset 29th of January Mosul (Iraq) time, the Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh will be killed immediately," the voice on the recording says. The recording did not specify what Goto's fate would be if al-Rishawi was not released. Sunset in Mosul, Iraq is estimated to occur at 5:30 p.m. local time Thursday (9:30 a.m. Eastern). 
According to Reuters, Jordan's government said on Wednesday that it had not received any assurance that al-Kasaesbeh was alive and would only complete the exchange if he was freed as well. Earlier Wednesday, government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani announced that Jordan was willing to trade al-Rishawi for the pilot, but made no mention of Goto. Jordan reportedly is holding indirect talks with the militants through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq to secure the release of the hostages.
The latest recording was distributed via ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts and could not be immediately verified. The Japanese government said early Thursday that it was studying the latest message, but did not immediately confirm its authenticity.
"We think there is a high probability that this is Mr. Goto's voice," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Thursday. He added that the government was in close communications and "deeply trusts" the Jordan government. He said Japan was doing its utmost to free Goto, working with nations in the region, including Turkey, Jordan and Israel.
Suga refused comment on the specifics of the talks with Jordan, saying the situation was developing. The Cabinet met to assess the latest developments, but did not issue any updates.
Efforts to free al-Kaseasbeh and Goto gained urgency after a purported online ultimatum claimed Tuesday that ISIS would kill both hostages within 24 hours if Jordan did not free al-Rishawi.
Japan has scrambled to deal with the crisis that began last week with the release of a video by ISIS showing Goto and another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, kneeling in orange jumpsuits between a masked man who threatened to kill them within 72 hours unless Japan paid a $200 million ransom.
That demand has since shifted to one for the release of al-Rishawi, who was convicted of involvement in deadly Amman hotel bombings in 2005. The militants have reportedly have killed Yukawa, 42, although that has not been confirmed.
"This heinous terrorist act is totally unforgivable," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in parliament Thursday.
Goto was captured in October in Syria, apparently while trying to rescue Yukawa, who was taken hostage last summer.
In Tokyo, Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, has been desperately pleading for the government to save her son.
"Kenji has only a little time left," she said Wednesday.
Releasing the would-be hotel bomber linked to Al Qaeda would breach Jordan's usual hard-line approach to the extremists and set a precedent for negotiating with them.
It would also be a coup for ISIS, which has already overrun large parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military alliance that has carried out airstrikes against the extremist group in Syria and Iraq in recent months.
ISIS has not publicly demanded prisoner releases before and Jordan's main ally, the United States, opposes negotiations with extremists.
Jordanian King Abdullah II faces growing domestic pressure to bring the pilot home. The pilot's father said he met on Wednesday with Jordan's king, who he said assured him that "everything will be fine."
The pilot's capture has hardened popular opposition among Jordanians to the air strikes, analysts said
"Public opinion in Jordan is putting huge pressure on the government to negotiate with the Islamic State group," said Marwan Shehadeh, a scholar with ties to ultra-conservative Islamic groups in Jordan. "If the government doesn't make a serious effort to release him, the morale of the entire military will deteriorate and the public will lose trust in the political regime."
The 26-year-old pilot, al-Kaseasbeh, was seized after his Jordanian F-16 crashed in December near the ISIS de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. He is the first foreign military pilot the militants have captured since the coalition began its airstrikes in August.
Previous captives may have been freed in exchange for ransom, although the governments involved have refused to confirm any payments were made.
ISIS broke with Al Qaeda's central leadership in 2013 and has clashed with its Syrian branch, but it reveres the global terror network's former Iraqi affiliate, which battled U.S. forces and claimed the 2005 Amman attack.