Washington (CNN) - Delivering this week's Republican internet and radio address, Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Nebraska, discusses a number of new policies and laws which the GOP says hurt - rather than help - small businesses.

Related: Obama uses weekly address to push small biz bill

"Isn’t it time, Mr. President, to tone down the rhetoric and to govern?," Johanns says in the weekly GOP address.

Johanns adds, "You talk about creating jobs and that sounds good, but your policies just do the opposite – with a fiercely anti-business tone."

(Read Johanns' full remarks after the jump)

Republican Weekly Address
Delivered by Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Nebraska
July 31, 2010

“Hello, I’m Senator Mike Johanns from the great state of Nebraska.

“I begin with a very sincere question for our President.

“Isn’t it time, Mr. President, to tone down the rhetoric and to govern?

“I’m a relatively new member of the U.S. Senate. But, I’ve had an opportunity to serve in the Cabinet; to govern a state; and to serve as the Mayor of a wonderful community.

“And I learned early on that to advance an agenda, a leader needs to pull people together.

“You talk about creating jobs and that sounds good, but your policies just do the opposite – with a fiercely anti-business tone.

“Let’s take an honest look at the impact of your agenda.

“More than 80 percent of jobs are provided by the private sector. Those are the jobs that put food on the table, pay the mortgage, and send our children to college.

“Our small businesses generate 65 percent of the new jobs.

“In Nebraska, we like to call them our Mom and Pop enterprises.

“These are really good people who don’t want to get caught-up in a political debate.

“They want to get up in the morning, head to work and find creative ways to build their businesses.

“And your policies, Mr. President, are hurting them.

“Let me give you an example: embedded in your health care law – under Section 9006 – is a job-crushing provision.

“It affects every business, every church and charity; every state and local government.

“It requires all of them to track their purchases and when they hit $600 with any vendor in a year – for any services or supplies – your health care law requires them to file a 10-99 form with the IRS and with that vendor.

“This will create a mountain of new paperwork – increasing it by as much as 2,000 percent, according to one study.

“One small business owner in Nebraska did an analysis and came to the conclusion it will cost his business an extra $15 thousand dollars a year.

“Now that may not sound like much here in Washington, but to a small business in Nebraska, that would go a long way to putting another American to work.

“Instead, that money will pay for paperwork… and for what purpose, Mr. President?

“Even the National Taxpayer Advocate – a division of the IRS itself – predicts there will be little benefit and a mess of erroneous tax penalties.

“This foolish policy hammers our business community when we should be supporting their job growth.

“It’s only one example of how the Administration’s promise to support small businesses really rings hollow.

“Then there’s the employer mandate in the health care law, which studies confirm will divert money from wages.

“It forces employers to provide government-approved coverage or pay a tax of $2,000 per employee.

“Another example: the new Medicare tax.

“The majority of small businesses pay taxes at the individual level, so this new $210 billion tax will hurt; hitting businesses that employ between 20 and 200 workers especially hard.

“And that’s one-quarter of our workforce.

“To put it simply; your actions thus far, Mr. President, don’t encourage small businesses to hire employees.

“You’re signaling to the business owners that they best be very cautious, not only because of the flurry of new taxes and regulations, but also because a national energy tax is next on your agenda.

“It's time to stop pushing anti-growth policies and start supporting a real job growth agenda.

“After all, what matters most is what we actually do, not what we say.

“I'm Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska. Thank you for your time.”

Washington (CNN) - President Obama used his weekly internet and radio address to discuss the auto industry's future and to press for passage of the Small Business Jobs Act, a measure which Obama says Senate Republicans are blocking.

Related: Republican says Obama's agenda hurts small businesses

(Read Obama's full remarks after the jump)

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Detroit, Michigan

Hello everyone. I’m speaking to you from the GM auto plant here in Detroit, Michigan, where a hopeful story is unfolding in a place that’s been one of the hardest hit in America.

In the twelve months before I took office, American auto companies lost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Sales plunged 40 percent. Liquidation was a very real possibility. Years of papering over tough problems and failing to adapt to changing times – combined with a vicious economic crisis – brought an industry that’s been the symbol of our manufacturing might for a century to the brink of collapse.

We didn’t have many good options. On one hand, we could have continued the practice of handing out billions of taxpayer dollars to the auto industry with no real strings attached. On the other hand, we could have walked away and allowed two major auto companies to go out of business – which could have wiped out one million American jobs.

I refused to let that happen. So we came up with a third way. We said to the auto companies – if you’re willing to make the hard decisions necessary to adapt and compete in the 21st century, we’ll make a one-time investment in your future.

Of course, if some folks had their way, none of this would be happening at all. This plant might not exist. There were leaders of the “just say no” crowd in Washington who argued that standing by the auto industry would guarantee failure. One called it “the worst investment you could possibly make.” They said we should just walk away and let these jobs go.

Today, the men and women in this plant are proving these cynics wrong. Since GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, our auto industry has added 55,000 jobs – the strongest period of job growth in more than ten years. For the first time since 2004, all three American automakers are operating at a profit. Sales have begun to rebound. And plants like this that wouldn’t have existed if all of us didn’t act are now operating maximum capacity.

What’s more, thanks to our investments, a lot of these auto companies are reinventing themselves to meet the demands of a new age. At this plant, they’re hard at work building the high-quality, fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow – cars like the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt that can run 40 miles before taking a sip of gasoline. Throughout Michigan, an advanced battery industry is taking root that will power clean electric cars – an industry that produced only 2 percent of the world’s advanced batteries last year, but will now be able to produce as much as 40 percent in a little over five years. That’s real progress.

There’s no doubt that we have a long way to go and a lot of work to do before folks here and across the country can feel whole again. But what’s important is that we’re finally beginning to see some of the tough decisions we made pay off. And if we had listened to the cynics and the naysayers – if we had simply done what the politics of the moment required – none of this progress would have happened.

Still, even as these icons of American industry are being reborn, we also need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s small businessmen and women, as well - particularly since they’re the ones who create most of the new jobs in this country.

As we work to rebuild our economy, I can’t imagine anything more common-sense than giving additional tax breaks and badly-needed lending assistance to America’s small business owners so they can grow and hire. That’s what we’re trying to do with the Small Business Jobs Act – a bill that has been praised as being good for small businesses by groups like the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business. It’s a bill that includes provision after provision authored by both Democrats and Republicans. But yesterday, the Republican leaders in the Senate once again used parliamentary procedures to block it. Understand, a majority of Senators support the plan. It’s just that the Republican leaders in the Senate won’t even allow it to come up for a vote.

That isn’t right. And I’m calling on the Republican leaders in the Senate to stop holding America’s small businesses hostage to politics, and allow an up-or-down vote on this small business jobs bill.

At a time when America is just starting to move forward again, we can’t afford the do-nothing policies and partisan maneuvering that will only take us backward. I won’t stand here and pretend everything’s wonderful. I know that times are tough. But what I also know is that we’ve made it through tough times before. And we’ll make it through again. The men and women hard at work in this plant make me absolutely confident of that.

So to all the naysayers out there, I say this: Don’t ever bet against the American people. Because we don’t take the easy way out. That’s not how we deal with challenge. That’s not how we build this country into the greatest economic power the world has ever known. We did it by summoning the courage to persevere, and adapt, and push this country forward, inch by inch. That’s the spirit I see in this plant today, and as long as I have the privilege of being your President, I will keep fighting alongside you until we reach a better day.

Thanks.

These allegations are very troubling,' President Obama said of Congressman Charles Rangel, in an interview with CBS.

Washington (CNN) - President Obama gave his thoughts on Friday regarding the ethics investigation into New York Rep. Charlie Rangel.

"I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served– his constituents very well. But these allegations are very troubling," Obama said in an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith. "He's somebody who's at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens." Obama added.

Obama's comments come just hours after the House ethics committee recommended that Rangel be reprimanded.

House ethics committee investigators have recommended that Rep. Charlie Rangel be reprimanded.

Washington (CNN) - Democratic Members of the New York Congressional delegation expressed support Friday for their colleague Rep. Charles Rangel, despite the charges leveled against him by the House ethics committee.

At a regular meeting of the New York delegation, which Rangel did not attend, the congressman was the first topic of discussion.

Representatives came "to discuss the situation with their embattled colleague," said one Congressional staff aide who was at the meeting.

"I think the New York delegation feels very strongly, very supportive of Charlie Rangel," said Rep. Edolphus Towns, a fellow New Yorker who has served with Rangel for almost three decades. "He's done so much for New York City, New York State and the nation."

Rep. Gary Ackerman, who organized and ran the meeting, said "I thought Charlie should be on the agenda. And with Charlie on the agenda, Charlie thought he shouldn't be at the meeting in case someone wanted to say something that they wanted to openly express. So Charlie wasn't at the meeting."

According to two Congressional staff aides who attended the meeting and asked not to be identified, Rep. John Hall praised the long-serving Congressman for a lifetime of service.

But Hall was also cautious about publicly expressing his support for Rangel, saying he prefers not to speak to the media about the situation until the ethics process concluded.

"Lots of people don't feel comfortable talking about other people's problems," said one aide.

Hall declined requests to be interviewed for this story.

Ackerman chalks up his ardent defense of Rangel to the many years they have served together in Congress.

"Those of us who are closer to him than most...known him for a longer period of time, are enthusiastically supportive of him," said Ackerman. "There are sometimes members with less seniority that get a little bit nervous because they are less personally secure."

Rangel's staunchest supporters said they would remain by his side if an ethics trial gets underway in the coming weeks.

"He's our leader. There's no doubt about it," said Towns.

"When you look at Charlie Rangel you hear Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York," said Ackerman. "He is Mister New York."

Washington (CNN) - Senate Republicans have an internal memo from the Department of Homeland Security which they say shows the Obama administration "conspiring" and "scheming" to allow millions of illegal immigrants to stay and work in the United States

At issue is an 11-page memo prepared for the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services entitled, "Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform." It was obtained by Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, who said the intent of the memo is "...to find very secret creative ways to unilaterally circumvent the law and have a backdoor to amnesty."

The memo says, "The following options... used alone or in combination... have the potential to result in meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action."

It lays out how to reduce the threat of removal for many illegal immigrants through administrative and regulatory changes... characterizing one as "a non-legislative version of amnesty."

USCIS says it was merely a brainstorming memo. In a statement, the department said, "Internal memos do not and should not be equated with official action of policy of the Department... DHS will not grant deferred action or humanitarian parole to the nation's entire illegal immigrant population."

Grassley says it is "ridiculous" to think a memo containing this kind of detail was drawn up without specific direction from someone in the administration. "Bureaucrats don't write memos like that for the fun of it," he said.

Grassley and 11 other senators are asking Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to disclose how many times DHS has used its "discretionary authority to let people who are illegally in the country to stay."

A news release from Grassley's office stated, "This authority is meant to be used only in unusual, emergent or humanitarian circumstances.

The administration has yet to answer our letter about reports that it may be planning a large-scale, defacto amnesty program through deferred action and parole."

The letter was signed by Sens. Grassley, Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), David Vitter (R-Louisiana), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama.)

Washington (CNN) – Sen. Ben Nelson said Friday that he will not support Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court, but will vote for the cloture, a move that will help bring the nomination to an up or down vote.

"As a member of the bipartisan 'Gang of 14,' I will follow our agreement that judicial nominees should be filibustered only under extraordinary circumstances," Nelson said in a statement. "If a cloture vote is held on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, I am prepared to vote for cloture and oppose a filibuster because, in my view, this nominee deserves an up or down vote in the Senate."

But one yes vote doesn't lead to another, the Nebraska Democrat said.

"However, I have heard concerns from Nebraskans regarding Ms. Kagan, and her lack of a judicial record makes it difficult for me to discount the concerns raised by Nebraskans, or to reach a level of comfort that these concerns are unfounded. Therefore, I will not vote to confirm Ms. Kagan's nomination," Nelson said.

The current solicitor general and former Harvard Law School dean is expected to easily win confirmation, but likely with less Republican support than the nine GOP votes Justice Sonia Sotomayor garnered a year ago.

Update 7:01 p.m. ET:

In a statement released Friday evening, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire, said that he will vote in favor of Kagan's nomination.

"Ms. Kagan and I may have different political philosophies, but I believe that the confirmation process should be based on qualifications, not ideological litmus tests or political affiliation. I will vote for her confirmation," Gregg said.

"Ms. Kagan has pledged that she will exercise judicial restraint and decide each case that comes before her based on the law, with objectivity and without regard to her personal views. She also has served the American people under two different administrations and has a strong legal academic background. She is qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court."

On Wednesday, Sen. Olympia Snowe said she will vote to confirm Elena Kagan to the high court, making her the fourth Republican to come out in support of President Obama's nominee. Gregg is the fifth Republican to signal support for Kagan.

–CNN's Alexander Mooney and Mark Preston contributed to this report

Former Vice President Al Gore will not face prosecution on an allegation of sexual assault from 2006.

(CNN) - Former Vice President Al Gore will not face prosecution on an allegation of sexual assault from 2006.

The allegation, brought forth by Molly Hagerty, claims Gore sexually abused her during a professional massage at the Hotel Lucia in Portland on October 24, 2006.

The Portland Police Bureau did not recommend prosecution "due to a lack of credible evidence," according to the Multnomah County district attorney's office.

"After evaluating the materials submitted by PPB I have concluded that I agree with the assessment that a sustainable criminal case does not exist," Senior Deputy District Attorney Don Rees wrote in a memo Friday. "Ms. Hagerty's detailed statement ... is insufficient to support a criminal charge given other contradictory evidence, conflicting witness statements, credibility issues, lack of forensic evidence and denials by Mr. Gore."

Gore's office in Nashville, Tennessee, released a statement saying the former vice president was pleased with the finding.

"Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago," the statement reads. "He respects and appreciates the thorough and professional work of the Portland authorities and is pleased that this matter has now been resolved."

Read the full memo here.

(CNN) – Camera crews caught up with former President Bill Clinton on Friday in Rhinebeck, New York, the site of his daughter's upcoming wedding.

While he mostly kept quiet as he moved through the crowd that had gathered after his arrival, when asked by a reporter if he was excited, Clinton said "you bet"

The follow up question: "Is your daughter going to look beautiful?"

"She looks beautiful every day to me," Clinton said

There are reports of lavish spending on the wedding: seven figures, some reports say even eight figures.

But a longtime Clinton family friend pushes back, telling CNN National Correspondent Jessica Yellin the cost is actually less than $1 million. Regarding the many wedding planners who are guessing at the cost of Chelsea's wedding – this Clinton family friend tells CNN, "Maybe it's because these planners said they couldn't do it for less than 2 to 5 million – that's exactly why they weren't picked as the planner."

Washington (CNN) – Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was forced to cancel an appearance Friday before a national meeting of black journalists due to food poisoning.

"While traveling out West the Chairman came down with a bad case of food poisoning," an RNC spokesman said in an email to CNN. "He is disappointed to miss the opportunity to take part in this valuable dialogue and looks forward to engaging with NABJ in the very near future."

Steele had been in New Mexico on Thursday to attend a fundraiser for GOP gubernatorial nominee Susana Martinez.

The RNC spokesman told CNN that Steele had not been to the hospital, but that the chairman had consulted a doctor.

Steele was scheduled to address the National Association of Black Journalists, which is holding its annual meeting in San Diego.

Read the full NABJ statement:

National Association of Black Journalists Convention Convention Chair, Elise Durham was informed by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s advance team this morning that Michael Steele was canceling his panel discussion scheduled for 4:00 pm today because of food poisoning.

The RNC statement reads, "While traveling out West the Chairman came down with a bad case of food poisoning. He is disappointed to miss the opportunity to take part in this valuable dialogue and looks forward to engaging with NABJ in the very near future."

Steele was scheduled to appear at NABJ one day after former USDA Regional Rural Director Shirley Sherrod indicated that she will take legal action against conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, who she said caused her to lose her job.

Sherrod , who appeared before hundreds of journalists at the NABJ Convention yesterday, was forced to resign after Breitbart posted a video excerpt of a speech she gave to the NAACP and accused her being a racist.

Steele is scheduled to appear at a RNC fundraiser with Breitbart in California next month.

When asked by Durham if there was any relationship between his cancellation and the fundraiser, Special Assistant to the Chairman, Joey Smith said, “We don’t comment on our finance events and never have.”

–‪Dawn Angelique Roberts Communications Chair, National Association of Black Journalists

President Obama speaks at a Chrysler plant in Detroit, Michigan on Friday. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/AFP)

Detroit, Michigan (CNN) - President Barack Obama, speaking at a Chrysler plant here Friday, praised the recovery of the embattled U.S. auto industry and celebrated the tough choices he says made a comeback possible.

"Last year, many thought this industry would keep losing jobs, as it had for the better part of the past decade. Today, U.S. automakers have added more than 55,000 jobs since last June," said Obama.

He said both Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Corp. have rebounded from the depths of their government-brokered bankruptcies and are back on track to grow.

Obama was scheduled to tour a GM plant later in the day, where he will also likely make the case for why the federal government's investment in the auto industry was a wise move.

In the 12 months before he took office, he said the U.S. auto industry had lost hundreds of thousands of jobs and had seen its sales drop 40 percent.

Obama cited estimates that suggest more than 1 million people would have lost their jobs if Chrysler and GM, two of the three big U.S. automakers, had been allowed to liquidate.

Ford Motor Co. was the only one of the so-called "Big 3" that did not take a government bailout.

"Today, this industry is growing strong. It's creating new jobs. It's manufacturing the fuel-efficient cars and trucks that will carry us toward an energy independent future," said Obama.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday he expects Sarah Palin to make a presidential run in 2012.

Washington (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, himself weighing a presidential run in 2012, said Thursday that he expects Sarah Palin to be among the Republican contenders seeking the GOP nomination.

Asked to size up the prospective field during an interview with conservative magazine Newsmax, Gingrich rattled off a list of Republicans he expects to run.

"Well there are going to be lots of Republican running: Gov. Romney clearly, Gov. Palin, Gov. Huckabee, Gov. Mitch Daniels, Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Tim Pawlenty. I think John Thune, the senator from South Dakota is going to get in. Ron Paul is probably going to run again. So I think it will be a lively campaign, there will be a lot of good candidates," Gingrich said.

None of the politicians mentioned by Gingrich have announced a run for President, and Gingrich himself said he will announce his decision next year.

"Calista [his wife] and I, along with our family, will make that decision in February or March," Gingrich said. "For the moment, I'm totally focused on trying to help Republicans win the biggest possible election this fall."

Asked if Palin would be a strong candidate for President, Gingrich said she has the potential to be just that.

"I think she is already a very strong personality and has the potential to be a very strong candidate," Gingrich said.

Washington (CNN) - A traffic stop can be unnerving enough, but try it with thousands of people listening in as you're pulled over.

Police in suburban Washington stopped Congressman Dan Lungren, R-California, on his way to work Friday morning, right in the middle of a live interview with a radio station in his home district.

Just as CNN Radio affiliate KFBK in Sacramento began the interview on Lungren's International Megan's Law bill, listeners heard the officer say sternly "can you hang up the phone, sir?"

Lungren told the host, "I have to get off the phone in just a moment here. Can I call you in just a second? I'm sorry – I'm talking to a police officer here."

The station took a break, with the host saying "that was interesting". Moments later, the Congressman was back in the phone, noting with a chuckle he was driving "just slightly over the speed limit".

Lungren joked "I guess I was just excited to be on the radio".

As the officer ran his information, he continued the interview, discussing the bill that passed the House of Representatives this week requiring sex offenders to tell officials 21 days before they leave the country.

And in the end, Lungren Communications Director Brian Kaveney told CNN the officer who stopped him along the George Washington Parkway in Virginia let him off with a warning.

Georgia's former secretary of state Karen Handel will get some campaign support from Sarah Palin.

(CNN) – Sarah Palin's dropping into Georgia to weigh in on the state's increasingly bitter Republican gubernatorial battle, one day before the primary runoff election.

According to the campaign of GOP candidate Karen Handel, Palin will team up with Georgia's former secretary of state at a get out the vote campaign rally on Monday August 9. The next day Handel faces off against former Rep. Nathan Deal in the runoff contest.

Handel was endorsed before the July 20 primary by the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Palin's backing appeared to quiet some on the right who criticized Handel as not being conservative enough and appeared to help Handel rise in the final polls conducted before the primary.

Handel came out on top in that contest, capturing 34 percent of the vote in an eight candidate field. Deal finished second with 23 percent of the vote. Since no candidate won 50 percent, the top two finishers moved onto an August 10 runoff. Since the primary, former Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has also endorsed Handel. Deal has the backing of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"I'm coming to Georgia to campaign with my friend Karen because it is absolutely critical that Georgians nominate an ethical leader and a true conservative," says Palin in a statement released by the Handel campaign.

That statement and a new Handel commercial that describes her opponent as "a corrupt relic of Washington, DC" may be referring to accusations that Deal used his position in politics to make deals with the state of Georgia that earned him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Deal denies any wrongdoing and his campaign criticizes Handel for her "line of attack" and says she has "no new ideas for Georgia."

The winner of the Republican runoff will face off in November against former Gov. Roy Barnes, who easily captured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

House ethics committee investigators have recommended that Rep. Charlie Rangel be reprimanded.

Washington (CNN) - House ethics committee investigators have recommended that Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York be reprimanded, according to one of those investigators, Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas.

A reprimand would be a relatively light punishment, compared with censure and expulsion. The recommendation was made to the ethics committee before Thursday's public hearing detailing charges against Rangel.

The full committee and the House would have to approve any sanction against Rangel.

Asked about the recommendation, Rangel initially told CNN on Friday that it's "untrue." Rangel's attorney, however, later said that the embattled congressman "misspoke" and the possibility of a reprimand "was one of a number of issues addressed in settlement discussions."

The committee has accused Rangel, a Harlem Democrat, of 13 violations of House rules involving alleged financial wrongdoing and harming the credibility of Congress.

Among other things, Rangel has been charged with using his influence to solicit donations for a college policy center bearing his name from corporate heads and others with business before the powerful House Ways and Means Committee that Rangel chaired until forced to give up the leadership position earlier this year.

Other charges involve alleged income tax and financial disclosure violations, as well as improper use of government mail service and letterhead.

An ethics committee trial of Rangel is still set to be held, most likely in September, barring a settlement between Rangel and the committee members.

– CNN's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report



 A new CNN poll explores how Americans view political parties. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)


Washington (CNN) – With just over three months until November's midterm elections, a new national poll gives a picture of how Americans view the two political parties battling for control of Congress.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday, Democrats hold a 46 to 39 percent advantage over the Republican party on the question of which party cares more about the needs of people like you, with the Democrats and the GOP tied on which party can bring the kind of change the country needs.

But the poll indicates that the Republicans have a small to significant edge on several other measures.

The GOP is slightly ahead when it comes to which party agrees with you on the issues (a two point advantage) and on which party can improve the economy (a three point advantage). The Republicans hold an eight point margin over the Democrats on which party shares your view of the government and which party can effectively manage the government.

Full results (pdf)

According to the survey, the GOP is 14 points ahead of the Democrats on which party can protect the country from terrorism and which party is patriotic.

The survey also indicates that six in ten Americans say the government is now doing too much, and a majority say that the government should promote traditional values.

"These results illustrate the reasons why the Democrats are now behind on the so-called 'generic ballot' question," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The Democrats manage no better than a virtual tie on issues, but they are behind when it comes to handling the government. And when the presidency is not at stake, the congressional elections are the only way that voters can do something about the direction the government will take."

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted July 16-21, with 1,018 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

(CNN) – Bob Costantini and Candy Crowley discuss guests on State of the Union and the issues of Charles Rangel's ethics charges, plus the growing U.S. death toll in Afghanistan.

Washington (CNN) – The heated debate over a controversial Arizona immigration law which partially took affect this week could push Hispanic voters away from a Republican party looking for their support, according to the findings of a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday indicates that on the question of which party cares more about people like you, Hispanic respondents pick the Democrats over the Republicans by 27 points. And when asked which party agrees with you on the issues that matter most to you, Democrats hold a 25 point advantage among Hispanics.

Full results[pdf]

But Republicans hold a 44-38 percent advantage among Hispanics on which party can do a better job improving the economy.

"Most Hispanics also say that the government is doing too much that should be left to businesses and individuals," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

Although economic conditions are the No. 1 issue to all racial groups, the number of Hispanics who pick the economy is only 34 percent. By contrast, 49 percent of whites and 47 percent of blacks name the economy as the country's top problem.

"Some of that difference between Hispanics and other groups is due to a higher number of Hispanics who name immigration (11 percent) as the top problem, but education (10 percent) and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (13 percent) also draw attention from Hispanics.

The poll's release comes one day after parts of the Arizona immigration law took effect, while a federal judge blocked several of its most controversial aspects. The preliminary injunction, issued Wednesday, means that police are prevented for the time being from questioning people's immigration status if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.

CNN poll numbers released on Tuesday also show that Hispanics remain in the Democratic camp, but there are some indications that the GOP may make headway among them. Hispanics favor the Democratic candidate for Congress in their district over the GOP candidate by a 54 to 39 percent margin.

"That's an indication that Democrats will again capture the Hispanic vote in November. But they probably won't win this key demographic group with the kind of margin they got in 2006, when the Democrats racked up a 69 to 30 percent advantage that helped the party regain control of Congress," says Holland.

According to the survey, 57 percent of Hispanics approve of how President Barack Obama is handling his job overall. Obama gets low marks from Hispanics on the economy and illegal immigration, but they heartily approve of his track record on health care.

What does the future hold for Hispanic politicians?

Fifty-six percent of all Americans say there is an excellent or good chance that a Hispanic will be elected president in the next 20 years. That sounds good, but it lags far behind the number who forecast that a woman will be elected president (81 percent), and also is less than the number who say that a black other than Barack Obama (65 percent) will be elected in that time.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted July 16-21, with 1,018 adult Americans questioned by telephone, including a special sample of 308 black and 303 Hispanic respondents. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

TOPICS: Opinion of parties, opinion of government, most important problem, chances of electing a president who is black, Hispanic, female.

Full results (pdf)