Top Policy Priorities for 2012

From Powerline, they've highlighted the latest annual Pew Research Center survey on which issues are the 'top priorities' for the President and Congress this year...

What's helpful with this graph is the ability to see how various issues have shifted in importance over the last 5 years...



In the last 5 years, the economy and jobs have grown in importance by 18% and 25% respectively - reflecting the effects of the 2008-9 recession combined with the anemic and weak recovery we are experiencing.

Concerns about terrorism have dropped by 11 points, but at 69%, still ranks with the size and scope of the budget deficit as the third most important issue Americans want Congress and the President to focus on.

I find the issues that have dropped the most in priorities to be very interesting - addressing illegal immigration, crime, the environment, and global warming all had double digit drops - with global warming being the least important priority this year.

The environment and global warming is are two of the biggest directions and efforts that that the Obama Administration has been focusing on - yet the people don't hold these in the same level of importance as those enacting a ideological direction.

Given the highest priorities for the American people, I do not think President Obama has a record to run on...