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Two polls that signal the United States is still a center-right nation
Hotair ^ | 01/13/2012 | Tina Korbe

Posted on 01/13/2012 2:23:00 PM PST by SeekAndFind

It's true that ultra-conservatives (and I'm one of them!) often wrongly assume they'll be backed up by the public at large when they support "Hail Mary" policies (balanced budget amendments, a fair tax, the Ryan plan, etc.) or when they wish for a complete repudiation of the Obama presidency in the 2012 presidential election. We get ourselves into trouble by telling ourselves “fairy tales that everyone is on [our] side and just waiting to discover the fact.” The Tea Party, as it turns out, is not a microcosm of the entire country.

Nevertheless, the United States is still a center-right nation, as two recent pieces of evidence attest. Firstly, Gallup yesterday released a poll that shows conservatives remain the largest ideological group in the U.S.

Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This marks the third straight year that conservatives have outnumbered moderates, after more than a decade in which moderates mainly tied or outnumbered conservatives.

The percentage of Americans calling themselves “moderate” has gradually diminished in the U.S. since it was 43% in 1992. That is the year Gallup started routinely measuring ideology with the current question. It fell to 39% in 2002 and has been 35% since 2010. At the same time, the country became more politically polarized, with the percentages of Americans calling themselves either “conservative” or “liberal” each increasing.

Secondly, Gallup today released a poll that shows Americans remain relatively unconcerned about income inequality, suggesting that most still buy into the American idea that all human beings deserve equal opportunity but not necessarily equal results.

Although Americans’ economic confidence is edging up, it is still low on an absolute basis, and economic concerns remain the dominant response when Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the country. Gallup included this open-ended question in its Jan. 5-8 survey to find out more about the underlying nature of Americans’ economic concerns as this election year begins. Readers are encouraged to read all 1,000 Americans’ verbatim responses to this question.

Americans’ concerns about the federal deficit and the inability of elected officials in Washington to deal with the economy, including the executive and legislative branch, tracks with the very low ratings that the government and Congress have received over the past year.

Few Americans say that inequality or the gap between the rich and poor worries them, and a small 3% mention that the power of corporations and their influence on the economy is what worries them the most about the economy. …

Obama’s focus on inequality and the lack of a fair chance in today’s economy for middle- and low-class Americans does not reflect Americans’ top economic concerns, at least as measured by Gallup’s open-ended question. But, a small percentage of Americans mention the unhealthy power of big business or corporations or the rich.

In other words, Obama’s class warfare rhetoric might help to shore up his base, but does little to reach mainstream Americans.

Taken together, the polls ought to be a reassurance that conservatives could move the ball steadily down the field just by relentlessly pursuing policies that are in line with what the majority of Americans really want.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: centerright; conservatism; usa

1 posted on 01/13/2012 2:23:01 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

How in hell did Obama get elected?


2 posted on 01/13/2012 2:25:50 PM PST by Signalman
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To: SeekAndFind

We have to hope the electorate at large stops paying attention to the MSM before we slide completely into a totalitarian socialism.

But I ain’t holding my breath.


3 posted on 01/13/2012 2:26:03 PM PST by wolfpat (Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. -- Cicero)
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To: Signalman

It helps when your opponent is McCain.


4 posted on 01/13/2012 2:26:38 PM PST by TheRealDBear
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah, we are a center/right nation as we elect obamas, kennedys and their ilk and drift into socialism. Yup, that article is more pablum for the wishful thinkers.


5 posted on 01/13/2012 2:27:32 PM PST by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: Signalman

RE: How in hell did Obama get elected?

By sweet talking the American people ( most don’t pay attention ) into believing that he is a centrist.


6 posted on 01/13/2012 2:32:44 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
People may tell pollsters (correctly) that they are 'conservative' but they are easily swayed by the leftmedia that is totally liberal and uses every means possible to make sure that the majority vote for liberals and don't oppose liberal causes, such as 'gay marriage'. They use guilt and the 'bandwagon effect' (everyone is doing it) as well as the 'empathy' ploy and that reliable old chestnut, 'fairness' to push people who don't hold firm, core political convictions but are otherwise relatively conservative in their daily lives to go along with liberal policies and vote for liberal politicians. Obama received many votes from white folks that very much wanted to be able to say that they voted for the First Black President and that trumped any concerns about what, exactly, the First Black President really stood for. Now, they know. Obama pulled it off in '08 but he won't be able to do so in 2012.
7 posted on 01/13/2012 2:37:07 PM PST by Jim Scott
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To: SeekAndFind

We are a sad sack nation. Doesn’t matter if half the nation is conservative because the other half is not. And,they want free stuff. They want to work 21 hours a week and receive Catalac style health care craddle to grave. They want to retire at 50.


8 posted on 01/13/2012 2:40:06 PM PST by Leep
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To: SeekAndFind
The Gallup poll is completely useless for this reason. It is purely SUBJECTIVE. This is not a 50 question survey that then places the applicant on a square grid to show where their political leanings lie. All it asks is “Are you very conservative, conservative, moderate, liberal or very liberal”. My experience is the public always think they are more conservative than they really are. Most liberals I would imagine regard themselves as moderates. People like Fred Barnes or say even GW Bush probably think they are conservatives, but they are most definitely moderates.
9 posted on 01/13/2012 2:58:43 PM PST by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
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Slap those Dems!




10 posted on 01/13/2012 3:17:01 PM PST by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
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To: Signalman

It was all about shifting, we may be center right but like, but one thing we have inherited from Western Europeans is our generally very short attention span when it comes to political parties. We often have an inability to tolerate, and even fear of, any one party dominating for more than 8 years. The only exceptions I know of were FDR and Reagan, who theoretically could have easily won a third term if we allowed it. Didnt exactly help that Bush had alienated his support base along with that of his political opponents, much like Clinton before him.


11 posted on 01/13/2012 3:18:11 PM PST by emax
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To: SeekAndFind

Center-right country? Prove it, America, by voting out 0bama in November.

Failing that, the poll will be revealed as BS.

It`s that simple.


12 posted on 01/13/2012 3:35:02 PM PST by ScottinVA (Liberal logic: 0bamacare mandate is acceptable... but voter IDs are unconstitutional.)
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To: wolfpat

Polls can be twisted to say anything. Just watch how effective the polls are in Shaping public opinion. Watch how MSM polls will tell people how to vote and that the economy is better—that Obama is the smartest man out there and the best president since Lincoln. Polls lie.


13 posted on 01/13/2012 3:40:31 PM PST by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll)
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To: Signalman

60-40 is landslide territory.

55-45 (with McCain attracting 5/35 moderates) was the result.

50-50 with (10/35) moderates is victory for conservatives.


14 posted on 01/13/2012 3:55:07 PM PST by BenKenobi (Rick Santorum - "The Force is strong with this one")
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To: Signalman

White guilt, s**t-for-brains young people, a near total monopoly of the media and entertainment industries, an unimpressive Bush presidency, and a tired old John McCain as a candidate.


15 posted on 01/13/2012 4:18:04 PM PST by GenXteacher (He that hath no stomach for this fight, let him depart!)
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To: emax
The only exceptions I know of were FDR and Reagan, who theoretically could have easily won a third term if we allowed it.

FDR DID win a third term. They changed the Constitution to protect us from it happening again.

16 posted on 01/13/2012 10:07:04 PM PST by CT
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To: CT

Sorry, I meant to say that FDR did win a third term and it was Reagan who COULD have won a third term. My bad. In any event, I think those were perhaps the only 2 presidents who were popular enough so that the people would let them break with tradition, much less blatantly violate the Constitution.


17 posted on 01/16/2012 12:07:42 AM PST by emax
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