Harper's Index

9 Jun 2008 //
*Click here for a PDF of the June 2008 Harper's Index*

1/5 Portion of Barack Obama supporters who said in April they would not vote for Hillary Clinton if she became the nominee.

1/4 Portion of Clinton supporters who said this about Obama.

51 Percentage of John McCain supporters in March 2000 who said they would not vote for George W. Bush.

39 Percentage who still said this in October 2000.

4 Number of the last four general elections in which the nominee who served in an overseas war lost to the one who didn't.

3 Number of these elections in which the loser was a decorated war hero.

23 Minimum number of U.S. Army generals fired or replaced for cause during World War II.

1 Number during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

3/10 Portion of Afghanistan now controlled by its government, according to the U.S. national-intelligence director.

91,600 Number of Iraqis who receive regular payments from the U.S. government in exchange for not fighting.

16 Number of U.S. senators who have paid campaign funds to family members since 2000.

50 Estimated percentage of the 143 million tons of U.S. beef recalled in February that had already been eaten.

23 Minimum percentage that had been consumed by children in school lunches.

2,764 Number of U.S. public schools whose entire student body remains in classes year-round.

+20 Percentage change since last year in the number of people receiving assistance from U.S. food banks.

-9 Percentage change since then in the amount of food that the federal government has donated to the banks.

-51, -73 Percentage change since Katrina in the number of New Orleans residents on food stamps and welfare, respectively.

2/5 Estimated portion of global births that go undocumented.

Sources: Gallup Poll; Pew Research Center for the People and the Press; Brian Schaffner, American University; Harper's research; Lt. Col. Robert Bateman; U.S. Army Public Affairs;
Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Multi-National Force-Iraq; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington; U.S. Department of Agriculture;National Association for Year-Round Education; America's Second Harvest; U.S. Food and Nutrition Service; Louisiana Department of Social Services; UNICEF

*Click here for a PDF of the June 2008 Harper's Index*