Posted on 06/30/2014 5:12:40 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In the hyper-partisan world of Washington, it's too easy to fall into the trap of being either 100 percent Democrat or an all in Republican. But many Americans struggle to neatly define themselves on this two party spectrum, instead believing in a healthy mix of both liberal and conservative ideological truths to varying degrees.
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a typological study, in which they discovered that most Americans fell within eight distinct political ideologies, outside of the standard two party system our government runs on.
There groups are as follows: the Strong Liberals, who are pretty much what most people would describe as true-blue Democrats – wealthy, educated, and optimists in their belief that government can and should do good to help it's citizens. Slightly less liberal are the Faith and Family Left, socially conservative and racially diverse, but still very liberal in their belief in activist government and social welfare programs. Both these groups would likely describe themselves as solid Democrats.
Groups that are liberal, but might prefer to be called Independents rather than Democrats include the Next Generation Left, a young and educated demographic that is extremely liberal on the social issues, but less supportive of social welfare and generally be okay with Wall Street and corporate growth. Practically the opposite of this, but still considered on-the-fence Democrats are the Hard Pressed Skeptics, the working poor who vote Democratic and believe the government should help people get by, but deeply cynical that government actually understands their struggle.
On the right, the Steadfast Conservatives are described as your typical Tea Party adherent, socially conservative, wary of big government and isolationist, pretty much your Ted Cruzs of the world. This group makes up the Republican base along with Business Conservatives, who differ from their Tea Party brethren in their trust for corporations, especially Wall Street, and belief that immigration can be a good thing. Lastly on the conservative side are the Young Outsiders, who are more likely to describe themselves as Independent despite voting Republican. These are young people who are strongly supportive of liberal social issues, yet hate government activism and are more economically conservative as well.
The last group, identified by Pew as the Bystanders, make up 10 percent of the population, and are the people who choose not to vote and be a part of the political process. Largely apathetic toward government as having impact on their daily lives, this group claims to have little knowledge of political affairs and has an ideology that falls directly in the middle of the spectrum.
Considering this array of political opinion, there's no wonder that many Americans feel less than enthusiastic about voting. For a majority of Americans, an election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, or let's say Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz, is simply an exercise in choosing the least to two evils rather than finding a political voice that actually speaks to what they believe in.
Same here.
Oh, well.....according to the survey I am Steadfast Conservative.
“At best, government is a necessary evil; at worst, it is an intolerable one.”
____________________________________________________________
You are right. Unfortunately, the USA, which Obumbo wants to make into the USSA, is becoming more ans more intolerable.
I expect 99% of all Freepers would answer the same way. Even though there are deep deep fault lines here. Just shows Pew Punks have no idea who we are. Or care.
I didn’t see the Christian Right in there ... as they didn’t quite fit into those groups they specified.
Their ‘steadfast’ category has a big problem. We aren’t isolationist in the sense they use. We are for ‘America First’. We also think that ‘Insert country here First” should be practiced by ‘Insert country here’.
When the two intersect positively, Great! Songs ‘round the campfire and group hugging. When they don’t, See “America First” as the priority position.
That cuts way down on Government and Government spending. Also keeps us Constitutional.
I meant that the poll implies that Tea Party folks think that all immigration is bad. It does not distinguish between legal and illegal immigration at all. And there is no nuance at all.
Your best fit is...
Steadfast Conservativealong
with 12% of the public.
“Comments? “
Way oversimplified, and neglects that there are those who fervently believe in revolutionary communism, and those who are motivated by class and racial divisions. The divisions we are dealing with are not all innocuous.
I don’t know. I’m a conservative in the exact same vein my grandfather, my uncle, and their neighbors and friends were. To me, that was no-guff, common-sense, morally straight conservatism.
It’s funny, because nowadays I’ll see so-called, self-professed “conservatives” on blogs and on FoxNews, who have stances that are not just pro-amnesty, pro-fag marriage, and pro-dope... but ALL THREE! And they call themselves conservative. To hell with that! In my book, these people are nothing but pathetic, wishy-washy libs as far as I’m concerned.
And that 12% is power. Perhaps we should use it as such and drop the failed ‘gospel’ of lesser evil GOPEism.
Time for them to bend to our will or side with Dems openly...like last week.
I am neither a dimoCommie nor a RinoPublican. I am a Monarchist. I serve a coming King of King and LORD of Lords. He, Jesus Christ is the one whom I serve. To heck with the other two.
Fox ect. hell...we have had ‘conservatives’ right here on FR like that zotted. Many remain that have one of those positions and push them.
And the conservatives are the poor, uneducated, pessimists clinging to their guns and bibles?
Last I heard the conservatives are more educated and more productive. We are optimistic about ourselves.
i don’t know. America, as Imsee it from work, has a huge political leaning, the one of bourgeois stupid.
These people who worry more about football or what not, because their feelings and feet are too delicate to step in the brave zone of talking about serious matters. Now and then a small discussion comes up about the malaise, nut, nah, the rest is “don’t bother me and my zombi show and my beer”.
Bingo!
It is the TEA Party types who are more independent these days
If you are totally against 99% of the government but oppose legal drugs the libertards will call you a communist.
So the left had:
33 words describing “strong” liberals
28 words for faith & family left
33 words for the next generation left
The right had:
62 words describing steadfast conservatives
(a little extra bs thrown in for good measure)
38 words for the “young outsiders”
And last but not least the Bystanders
60 words.
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