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Title: Snapshot of a split America
Source:
The Miami Herald
URL Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/ ... apshot-of-a-split-america.html
Published: May 11, 2011
Author: TIM RUTTEN
Post Date: 2011-05-11 19:46:40 by lucysmom
Keywords: None
Views: 17298
Comments: 37
One of American politics’ most comforting nostrums is the notion that we always are united by far more than what divides us. It’s a sentiment Barack Obama repeats frequently in his speeches, and both the president and California Gov. Jerry Brown are relying on it to help them move toward resolution of government’s worst budgetary crisis in generations. A comprehensive new survey of the American electorate by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, however, indicates that the most politically engaged Americans now are fundamentally opposed to compromise, divided on virtually every basic national question and separated from each other by everything from their race to the choice of where they get their news. Moreover, the increasing numbers of independents, who’ve theoretically pushed national politics to the center with their preference for middle-of-the-road policies, no longer are particularly moderate. California has traversed this sort of political landscape for more than a decade, and now the rest of the nation seems poised to discover that it’s a difficult and discomforting place. The nation’s partisan alignment, according to Pew, now closely resembles California’s: 25 percent of the registered voters hold views that make them “mostly Republican”; 40 percent incline “mostly Democratic”; and 35 percent are independents of various stripes.
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#1. To: Capitalist Eric, A K A Stone, Fred Mertz, Godwinson, go65, war, no gnu taxes, Skip Intro, ferret mike, jwpegler, brian s, mcgowanjm, minimggold (#0)
We are now Americans, second.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
How is the second group different than the first group??? Both are part of the libertarian spectrum.
It's no different than it's been for 30 years. In 1984 Reagan carried all of the independents and got nearly 59% of the vote (25% GOP + 35% independent = 60%). Mondale barely got 40%. In 1992, a lot of the independents abandoned the GOP. Bush got 37%,Perot got 19%, and Clinton got 43% (not much more than Mondale). The Perot voters in 1992 aren't a whole lot different than Tea Party members today. I was lightly involved with Perot in 1992, and they are the same types of people as the Tea Party -- salt of the earth, hardworking, very rural, mostly white,and pissed as hell...
Apparently they don't self identify as libertarian.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
that the government might take away their medicare....
"Thats because your basically and idiot." Polls actually show that most of them are wealthy urbanites.
America...My Kind Of Place... "I truly am not that concerned about [bin Laden]..." I was not aware of just how bad the flooding was; thanks for posting.
I guess that is why so many are leaving California, it's full of liberal socialist slugs. Where I live the slugs are, maybe, 14 % of registered voters.
You seem to be an expert on slugs. Project much?
It's an Alaska thing.
They are? Population, California Does anyone in Alaska know what the hell they're talking about?
I am.
LOL!! Not the slugs, the real people.
LOL!! It's an American awakening.
Can't read a graph? Unfortunately, nobody is leaving California, dingus. The state population has grown over 9% in the last ten years. That's fortunate for people like you, since we pay more in taxes then we receive in benefits, unlike parasites like you who live in the welfare states.
All them liberal, socialist slugs and still California has the eighth largest GDP in the world.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
LOL!! The banksters are fleecing the slugs and you like it.
Yeah, the illegals are piling up like crazy.
The image “ The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
LOL!! Proud of being a liberal/socialist slug, are you.
Yet Alaskans are tops in the nation for being socialist slugs. The only reason you can even exist there is due to the good graces and hard work of those living in the lower 48. if we stopped sending you our goods and commodities most of your population would all die in the first winter.
Not to mention our hard earned money. I think they hate us and call us names because they're jealous of our success and mild climate.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
I think it's a diversion. While they try to portray themselves as leading the simple life, in reality their lifestyle is quite expensive to maintain year around and extremely wasteful of resources.
It leads to a sense of entitlement.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
LOL!! Stupidest thing I have ever heard.
LOL!! Stupidest thing I have ever heard. For every federal tax dollar paid by Alaskans, the state gets back $1.84 from the federal government. Contrast with California - we get back $0.78 for every dollar we send to Washington. California giveth and Alaska taketh - which is the slug?
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
25 percent of the registered voters hold views that make them “mostly Republican”; 40 percent incline “mostly Democratic”; and 35 percent are independents of various stripes It's no different than it's been for 30 years. Actually this poll is heavily weighted towards Dem voters by a two to one margin over Republican voters. Same thing with the laughable AP poll out this week showing a ridiculous 60% approval rating for Owe-bama's job performance.
Proxy IP's are amusing.....lmao
LMAO! You think it has something to do with the total number of people living in each place or could it be that a huge liberal/socialist commune is collectively so dumb they have adopted a proven failure of a political dogma that will eventually leave them in abject poverty?
It would be interesting to see how Alaskans would handle paying their own way instead of sliding through life on big oil and contributions made by donor states.
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
LOL! I think it would be more interesting to see what the hapless commune dwellers are going to eat after they foolishly let their socialist administrators bleed them dry. I can imagine it will not be pretty. Most everyone I know here will hunt, fish and grow food and take care of themselves same as we do now.
Most everyone I know here will hunt, fish and grow food and take care of themselves same as we do now Since Alaska is the poster child for the for the commune/company town dweller, please let us know in ten years.
"http://first-draft-blog.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5ced53ef0148c7a28c4b970c-320wi"
LOL! That is a really stupid thing to say. The only thing close to a commune here is the collection of city slugs who migrated to Anchorage from "down there". Most of them can not take care of themselves and are scared silly to leave the city. At least they will not be surrounded by 10s of millions of starving commune dwellers when the socialist utopia dies. Not a pleasant prospect being killed and eaten by a savage hoard of slugs.
You know what's really stupid? An old geezer who types LOL! as the start of every post.
I only do it when I actually laugh about the stupid stuff you write. Some of it is so childish it is just hilarious.
No giggles, you do it all the time, just like your homo pal yukon.
LOL!! Now that is really childish.
Nope. The Pew numbers add up. Over the years, I've found Pew to be very accurate in term of political demographics. The Democrats have a hard floor of about 40% of the national vote in Presidential elections. Yet, the Democrats have only barely reached 50% twice in the last 42 years (1976 and 2008). Most of the time, they are in the low 40s (which represents their base and a handful of independents). On the other hand, the GOP Presidential vote swings wildly (from 61% to 37%) depending on whether or not an independent candidate is in the race. The lesson is that independents are largely default GOP voters unless the GOP screws up. Unfortunately, the GOP screws up a lot, just like they did under Bush. Pew has this exactly right.
That has nothing to do with how Pew weighted the pool of those they asked, JW. Its heavily democrat.
Proxy IP's are amusing.....lmao
For generations, historians and political analysts have identified a predilection for pragmatic problem-solving over ideology as the defining — and distinctive — characteristic of American political life. Clearly, that’s a thing of the past, and with it, the impulse to bipartisanship. As we’ve seen in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing last week, that now extends to foreign policy too. In California, we’ve watched this shift away from compromise bring effective government virtually to a halt. It’s not an experience we can afford to repeat on the national level.
#2. To: lucysmom (#0)
Perhaps the most striking of Pew’s findings is the realization that independent voters remain free of party but not of ideology, ranging from libertarians (now 10 percent of registered voters) to a group that, the poll says, takes “conservative positions on questions about racial policy and the social safety net” but is “very liberal on social issues.” This latter bloc (14 percent of the electorate) is overwhelmingly white, younger than most, is not particularly religious and lives in the suburbs.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."-- Charles Duell, Commissioner of US Patent Office, 1899
#3. To: lucysmom (#0)
(Edited)
25 percent of the registered voters hold views that make them “mostly Republican”; 40 percent incline “mostly Democratic”; and 35 percent are independents of various stripes
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."-- Charles Duell, Commissioner of US Patent Office, 1899
#4. To: jwpegler (#2)
How is the second group different than the first group??? Both are part of the libertarian spectrum.
#5. To: jwpegler (#3)
and pissed as hell...
Badeye posted on 2011-04-29 10:30:22 ET
#6. To: jwpegler (#3)
salt of the earth, hardworking, very rural, mostly white
--GW Bush
#7. To: lucysmom (#0)
25 percent of the registered voters hold views that make them “mostly Republican”; 40 percent incline “mostly Democratic”; and 35 percent are independents of various stripes.
#8. To: eskimo (#7)
#9. To: Fred Mertz (#8)
Project much?
#10. To: eskimo (#7)
I guess that is why so many are leaving California
#11. To: Fred Mertz (#8)
You seem to be an expert on slugs.
#12. To: Skip Intro (#10)
They are?
#13. To: Skip Intro (#9)
It's an Alaska thing.
#14. To: eskimo (#12)
Not the slugs, the real people.
#15. To: eskimo (#7)
I guess that is why so many are leaving California, it's full of liberal socialist slugs. Where I live the slugs are, maybe, 14 % of registered voters.
#16. To: lucysmom (#15)
All them liberal, socialist slugs and still California has the eighth largest GDP in the world.
#17. To: Skip Intro (#14)
Can't read a graph?
#18. To: eskimo (#16)
cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
#19. To: lucysmom (#18)
#20. To: eskimo (#19)
LOL!! Proud of being a liberal/socialist slug, are you.
#21. To: mininggold (#20)
if we stopped sending you our goods and commodities most of your population would all die in the first winter.
#22. To: lucysmom (#21)
I think they hate us and call us names because they're jealous of our success and mild climate.
#23. To: mininggold (#22)
#24. To: mininggold (#20)
Yet Alaskans are tops in the nation for being socialist slugs.
#25. To: eskimo (#24)
Yet Alaskans are tops in the nation for being socialist slugs.
#26. To: jwpegler (#3)
#27. To: lucysmom (#25)
For every federal tax dollar paid by Alaskans, the state gets back $1.84 from the federal government. Contrast with California - we get back $0.78 for every dollar we send to Washington. California giveth and Alaska taketh - which is the slug?
#28. To: eskimo (#27)
You think it has something to do with the total number of people living in each place or could it be that a huge liberal/socialist commune is collectively so dumb they have adopted a proven failure of a political dogma that will eventually leave them in abject poverty?
#29. To: lucysmom (#28)
It would be interesting to see how Alaskans would handle paying their own way instead of sliding through life on big oil and contributions made by donor states.
#30. To: eskimo (#29)
LOL! I think it would be more interesting to see what the hapless commune dwellers are going to eat after they foolishly let their socialist administrators bleed them dry. I can imagine it will not be pretty.
#31. To: Rek (#30)
Since Alaska is the poster child for the for the commune/company town dweller, please let us know in ten years.
#32. To: eskimo (#31)
LOL! That is a really stupid thing to say.
#33. To: Skip Intro (#32)
An old geezer who types LOL! as the start of every post.
#34. To: eskimo (#33)
I only do it when I actually laugh about the stupid stuff you write.
#35. To: Skip Intro (#34)
#36. To: Badeye (#26)
(Edited)
Actually this poll is heavily weighted towards Dem voters
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."-- Charles Duell, Commissioner of US Patent Office, 1899
#37. To: jwpegler (#36)
Nope. The Pew numbers add up.
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