Who's right and who's left.
From an article by Eric Alterman
More than 30 percent of Americans happily answer to the appellation "conservative," while 18 percent call themselves "liberal." And yet when questioned by pollsters, a super-majority of more than 60 percent take positions liberal in everything but name. Indeed, on many if not most issues, Americans hold views well to the left of those espoused by almost any national Democratic politician.
In a May survey published by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 65 percent of respondents said they favor providing health insurance to all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, and 86 percent said they favor raising the minimum wage. Seventy-seven percent said they believe the country "should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.'' A September Gallup Poll finds that 59 percent consider the Iraq War a mistake and 63 percent agree that US forces should be partially or completely withdrawn.
I just thought this was interesting.
More than 30 percent of Americans happily answer to the appellation "conservative," while 18 percent call themselves "liberal." And yet when questioned by pollsters, a super-majority of more than 60 percent take positions liberal in everything but name. Indeed, on many if not most issues, Americans hold views well to the left of those espoused by almost any national Democratic politician.
In a May survey published by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 65 percent of respondents said they favor providing health insurance to all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, and 86 percent said they favor raising the minimum wage. Seventy-seven percent said they believe the country "should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.'' A September Gallup Poll finds that 59 percent consider the Iraq War a mistake and 63 percent agree that US forces should be partially or completely withdrawn.
I just thought this was interesting.
posted by Angry Democrat at 10/21/2005 03:52:00 PM
4 Comments:
You'd never know it from our newscasts we're subjected to. These statistics should be broadcasted. And the news reporters should be reporting that "a majority of American's do not support what is going on both in Iraq [between the prisoner abuse scandals and the fact that our loved one's are in harms way over a pack of lies], nor how our economy is not faring well and we lack a health care plan, and we obviously lack a disaster response plan. I just posted an article about this from the Times International Section under Misanthrope-excerpt:
"Mr. Wilkerson suggested that the dysfunction within the administration was so grave that "if something comes along that is truly serious, truly serious, something like a nuclear weapon going off in a major American city, or something like a major pandemic, you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that will take you back to the Declaration of Independence." [ok, this is exactly what I'm afraid is the real truth]--and why can't we hear about that on the evening news?
We're on our own, my fellow Americans. We totally lack representation that's of any use.
Who the hell supports a tax cut for the wealthy? I can tell you it's not a majority of Americans scraping by-and I'm talking about the middle class. Never mind our poor old poor. I think there's going to be Anarchy.
I think a lot of people are afraid to say anything because of the whole "don't want to be branded patriotic thing". I think the media will definitely side with whatever opinion will give them the most readers... stong emphasis on the word think.
that should be "branded UN-patriotic" geeeeeez.
These monickers mean so little. A literal dictionary definition of 'liberal' would be someone with a free-market philosophy, a true Adam Smith capitalist.
Most Democrats or people who would have a 'liberal' position as the media defines it don't like the monicker 'liberal' I prefer the term progressive myself...
Post a Comment
<< Home