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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Suck it, liberals

Then vote that way, dammit!

Americans are more than twice as likely to identify themselves as conservative rather than liberal on economic issues, 46% to 20%. The gap is narrower on social issues, but conservatives still outnumber liberals, 38% to 28%.

[. . .]

These results are based on Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-6. Since 2001, the poll has asked Americans to say whether they are liberal, moderate, or conservative on "economic" and, separately, "social" issues. The interpretation of what qualifies as social or economic issues is left to the respondent, given that the question does not define or provide examples of these types of issues.

Note that in both the economic and social-issue categories, there are 34 percent who commit to neither side. It's that third that's undoubedly screwing things up.

Comments

littlejohn
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 12:55pm

I'm not surprised so few people want to call themselves "liberal." Republicans did a very impressive job of turning "liberal" into an insult during the Reagan years.

But we both know that the overwhelming majority of voters calling themselves "conservative" will say they favor the 40-hour work week, Social Security, Medicare, the ban on child labor, anti-pollution regulations, and, well, you get it. They're not really conservative.

It's like the people who curse "Obamacare," but favor continued coverage for children up to age 26 and prohibitions against holding pre-existing conditions against policy-holders. In other words, they're actually *for* Obamacare; they just don't want to pay for it.

Further, regarding foreign military adventures, a traditionally liberal folly, Republicans are certainly not "conservative." The problem with this survey is that the words "conservative" and "liberal" are generally not used in a coherent way these days. George W. Bush was easily one of our most liberal presidents. Bill Clinton, who gave us a budget surplus, was far more conservative.

Tim Zank
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 8:14pm

"I'm not surprised so few people want to call themselves "liberal." Republicans did a very impressive job of turning "liberal" into an insult during the Reagan years."

Good Lord, again you blame someone else for your misfortune. 

Those mean old Republicans made us look bad, eh? 

Are you people ever responsible for anything in your life? 

gadfly
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 9:35pm

@littlejohn:

 Bill Clinton, who gave us a budget surplus, was far more conservative.

In 1994, Bill Clinton raised taxes and the Democrat  liberals then claimed that move resulted in budget surpluses that the press called "Clinton Surpluses."   But when the Republican majority, led by Newt Gingrich took over the House beginning in 1995, the 1996 Clinton budget proposal, when it arrived, projected deficits of $200 billion or more in every year for the next 10.  Under Newt's leadership, the House passed a trillion dollars in spending cuts over ten years and that, combined with the revamping of welfare programs, resulted in four years of budget surpulses in Clinton's second term.  Instead of claiming credit where it was not due, Slick Willie should have been thanking Newt.  

Bill Clinton had lots of adjectives that would describe him, but "conservative" is not one of them.                                                                                        

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