National pollsters tell state lawmakers what to expect

On the closing day of NCSL, two national pollsters sat down with state legislators and laid out the top issues on the minds of American voters, per this story from NCSL NEWS. The two, Kellyanne Conway and Celinda Lake, made the following points:

• The top two concerns are the cost of energy and a troubled economy.
• There is a dramatic rise in people who think the economy is in bad shape.
• 75% think we are in a recession.
• Obama is leading McCain by 2-6 percentage points, but no one has a clear advantage.
• Housing, mortgage foreclosures, have dropped down in the list of priorities. People are starting to blame the victims, not the lenders.
• 91% of voters have health insurance.
• While they do not expect state lawmakers to solve the war in Iraq, they are critical of the lack of services and support for veterans and look to the states to address this issue.
• Voters are in the mood for a change. They do not have confidence in Washington, so they are looking to their state legislatures to solve problems.