Polls

New figures from Gallup place President Obama's reelection bid in a precarious gray zone between the one-term exit of presidents like George H.W. Bush, and successful second-term victories like those of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Combining Obama's job approval rating with several evaluations of public sentiment on the economy, Gallup's indicators show that the president is performing better than he was just a year ago, but his numbers are nonetheless lackluster compared with those of his predecessors.

The campaign for president has moved into an anxious phase for political junkies: A lot is going on, but nothing is really happening. Mitt Romney has largely consolidated support among his Republican base, matching the support that President Obama has among Democrats. Now, the two sides are testing the messages they will deploy with increasing intensity over the next five months as they seek to motivate their supporters and woo the undecided few. All that produces a lull in political news, which gets filled with pseudo-events and polls - lots of polls.

CINCINNATI - The Rev. Chris Beard is a theological conservative, make no mistake about it. He believes the Bible is the word of God. He believes the Holy Spirit speaks to him directly. He believes, as an article of faith, that abortion and same-sex marriage are wrong. Still, when a group of religious leaders in Ohio held two days of meetings in Cincinnati recently to talk about economic and racial justice, issues usually associated with the political left, there was Beard, a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher with a disarming smile, a shaved head and a set of convictions that knock holes in the stereotypes about white evangelical Protestants.

In spite of the attention paid to the controversy over Elizabeth Warren's purported Native American heritage, the Democratic Senate hopeful has tightened the race against incumbent Sen. Scott Brown, according to new polling. The race is now well within the margin of error of the latest Suffolk University/7NEWS poll , with Brown holding a single point lead over Warren, 48% to 47%, with 5% of voters undecided. The numbers show a steady rise for Warren, who in February was 9 points behind Brown, 49% to 40%. “This leaves both campaigns no choice but to spend tens of millions of dollars in an all-out war to woo the 5% of voters who will decide this election,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said.

PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., which operates one of the nation's largest health-maintenance organizations, on Monday issued scorecards for its medical groups in California, a move company officials say is aimed at stoking competition and improving physician services to consumers. The firm's so-called quality index marks the first time an HMO has made rankings of its medical groups available to the public.

If those who show up in the opinion polls don't also take the time and interest to show up in the election polls, the results may well be "polls" apart! BONNIE COMPTON HANSON Santa Ana

It wasn't that long ago--just a matter of days, really,--when the talk in South Carolina was about Mitt Romney turning a triple play, taking the three first GOP presidential contests of the year and shifting his drive toward the nomination into cruise control. But as voters head to the polls Saturday in rainy South Carolina, they do so with Rick Santorum, not Romney, now certifiably the winner in Iowa and Newt Gingrich poised to upend Romney in the Palmetto State. Recent polls have suggested that Gingrich has overtaken Romney in the state, but the pendulousness of the Republican electorate in just the last few days means that the race remains open-ended, giving the former Massachusetts governor a chance to pull it out. Gingrich's main problem remains the unwillingness of conservative voters to rally behind a single anti-Romney, splintering between him, Santorum and Ron Paul.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, trailing in the polls that measure the race for the GOP presidential nomination, turned on Tuesday to foreign policy with a sharp attack on President Obama’s Mideast policies and a call to beat back the neo-isolationist wing of his own party. Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations, Pawlenty criticized the Obama administration’s response to the series of anti-government protests --  known as the Arab spring -- that have swept through the Mideast.

The campaign for president has moved into an anxious phase for political junkies: A lot is going on, but nothing is really happening. Mitt Romney has largely consolidated support among his Republican base, matching the support that President Obama has among Democrats. Now, the two sides are testing the messages they will deploy with increasing intensity over the next five months as they seek to motivate their supporters and woo the undecided few. All that produces a lull in political news, which gets filled with pseudo-events and polls - lots of polls.

With both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney increasingly focused on their all-but-certain contest, now is a good time to look at their relative standing in head-to-head polls - a baseline for the race to come. Until mid-spring of the election year, a president's approval rating historically has provided a better gauge of his re-election prospects than horse-race polls. That starts to change around this point in the year, when polls matching the two candidates begin to have some reliability at forecasting the race, according to data compiled by the Gallup organization.

Attention, Los Angeles shoppers: Time to start stocking up on cheap canvas tote bags.The City Council agreed Wednesday to require supermarkets to stop using plastic bags in 10 months (for large stores) to 16 months (for smaller shops). The ban, which The Times' editorial board

A vast majority of Americans say they eat more whole grains and fresh produce than they did five years ago, but many believe the federal government needs to do more to ensure greater access to locally produced fresh food, according to a new survey.   Eighty-four percent of adults surveyed said federal food programs should focus more on supporting smaller, local fruit and vegetable farmers and should provide incentives for development of new businesses that offer "locally produced healthy food," according to the poll, which was commissioned by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Half of Americans say it's easier to do their taxes than it is to figure out how to eat healthfully - and 23% described their diets as extremely or very unhealthful, according to an annual survey conducted by an industry-supported nonprofit group and released on Wednesday. Taste trumps all, with 87% of people calling that the No. 1 factor in their decisions about buying food and beverages. Price (73%), healthfulness (61%) and convenience (53%) followed. (Price was more important for consumers younger than 50, healthfulness for those who are older.)

After weeks of competition, we are down to the finale of "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday night, when the final three competitors will learn who has won, and who goes home without the Mirrorball Trophy. Breaking down the three remaining competitors:William Levy: The world's perfect man, whom every woman loves. All he has to do is smile and hearts flutter around the world. And every time I see him, I think I'm looking in a mirror.

Monday was a busy day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the tight end front.First they traded former all-pro Kellen Winslow to the Seattle Seahawks for an undisclosed conditional draft pick in 2013. Then they signed another ex-pro bowler in free agent Dallas Clark, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.Last season Winslow led the Bucs in receptions (75) and was a very close second in receiving yards to Mike Williams (771 to 763).

Stan Van Gundy is kind of a grouch. The now-former coach of the Orlando Magic may not always have had the best of relationships with his players, particularly a certain superstar the organization is trying desperately to keep beyond next season.But is that a good enough reason to fire a coach who led the team to a 259-135 record and playoff appearances in all five of his years with the team, including the Eastern Conference championship in 2009?

It's become one of the core questions in a presidential reelection year - are you better off now than you were four years ago? For President Obama, a new poll has an ominous answer.   Thirty percent of respondents in a ABC News/Washington Post survey said they are not as well off financially now than they were when Obama became president, compared with 16% who said they are better off. More than half said things are about the same.   It's no wonder Obama has tried to reframe the question.

WASHINGTON -- Almost two weeks after President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, polls provide some measure of the impact - zero. Gallup's tracking poll average for May 1-7 - the period that ended with Vice President Joe Biden's statement that he supported same-sex marriage -- showed Mitt Romney ahead of Obama by three points - 47%-44%. And the tracking poll average over the past seven days? Romney ahead of Obama by three points - 47%-44%. In between, neither candidate's standing in the poll changed in any significant way . (Some Democrats believe Gallup's poll underestimates the size of the minority vote, but whatever may be the poll's flaws, they wouldn't change the before and after comparison.)