Americans Take Inventory of Themselves on the 4th of July, Like What They See
The annual celebration of U.S. independence on the 4th of July is a time for Americans to reflect on the basic nature of their country, the meaning of patriotism, and the direction in which their beloved nation is headed.
For most of us, this means one of two things at this time of radical divisiveness: approximately 40% of us support the current administration, and the remainder do not. Yet these numbers are far more interesting than they might appear at first glance.
As reported here, the vast majority of Americans have values that most would consider “liberal.” Yes, when we are asked to name the first word that comes to mind when they think of Trump, it’s either “strong,” “determined,” and “bold,” or, it’s “arrogant,” “egocentric,” “narcissist,” “incompetent,” “unqualified,” “idiotic,” and “ignorant.” But strangely, these viewpoints have little to do with our positions on key policy areas, where a vast majority of Americans lean left.
In particular, check this out, from the report linked above, including hyperlinks so readers can look at the original sources.
- 82 percent of Americans think wealthy people have too much power and influence in Washington.
- 69 percent think large businesses have too much power and influence in Washington.
- 78 percent of likely voters support stronger rules and enforcement on the financial industry.
- 65 percent of Americans think our economic system “unfairly favors powerful interests.”
- 59 percent of Americans—and 43 percent of Republicans—think corporations make “too much profit.”
- 82 percent of Americans think economic inequality is a “very big” (48 percent) or “moderately big” (34 percent) problem. Even 69 percent of Republicans share this view.
- 66 percent of Americans think money and wealth should be distributed more evenly.
- 72 percent of Americans say it is “extremely” or “very” important, and 23 percent say it is “somewhat important,” to reduce poverty.
- 59 percent of registered voters—and 51 percent of Republicans—favor raising the maximum amount that low-wage workers can make and still be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, from $14,820 to $18,000.
- 96 percent of Americans—including 96 percent of Republicans—believe money in politics is to blame for the dysfunction of the U.S. political system.
- 78 percent of Americans say we need sweeping new laws to reduce the influence of money in politics.
- 73 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
- 80 percent of Americans think some corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes.
- 76 percent believe the wealthiest Americans should pay higher taxes.
- 60 percent of registered voters believe corporations pay too little in taxes.
- 87 percent of Americans say it is critical to preserve Social Security, even if it means increasing Social Security taxes paid by wealthy Americans.
- 66 percent of Americans favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
- 61 percent of Americans—including 42 percent of Republicans—approve of labor unions.
- 60 percent of registered voters favor “expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American.”
- 63 percent of registered voters—including 47 percent of Republicans— favor making four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free.
- 59 percent of Americans favor free early-childhood education.
- 76 percent of voters are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about climate change.
- 68 percent of voters think it is possible to protect the environment and protect jobs.
- 72 percent of voters think it is a “bad idea” to cut funding for scientific research on the environment and climate change.
- 59 percent of voters say more needs to be done to address climate change.
- 84 percent of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.
- 57 percent of Americans believe police officers generally treat blacks and other minorities differently than they treat whites.
- 60 percent of Americans believe the recent killings of black men by police are part of a broader pattern of how police treat black Americans (compared with 39 percent who believe they are isolated incidents).
- 68 percent of Americans—including 48 percent of Republicans—believe the country’s openness to people from around the world “is essential to who we are as a nation.” Just 29 percent say that “if America is too open to people from all over the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation.”
- 65 percent of Americans—including 42 percent of Republicans—say immigrants strengthen the country “because of their hard work and talents.” Just 26 percent say immigrants are a burden “because they take our jobs, housing and health care.”
- 76 percent of registered voters—including 69 percent of Republicans—support allowing undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children (Dreamers) to stay in the country.
- 62 percent of Americans—including 74 percent of millennials (born after 1981)—support same-sex marriage.
All this should be good news for progressives, and it would be, were it not for this important proviso: public opinion and public policy have essentially no bearing on one another–but that’s a matter for another day.
Today, this Fourth of July in America, let us take solace in the fact that most of us here are good people in the most important sense of the world, i.e., we are people of compassion, truth and honor. What happens between now and November of 2020 is anyone’s guess, but good things tend to rain down upon a country largely composed of kind and decent people.
Craig,
Well done! Very well done!
You are to be congratulated! Outside of CNN or the NYT it would be hard to find such a collection of self-serving,inaccurate, bizarre statistic assembled on one page! I congratulate you sincerely on remarkable effort in accumulating so much completely biased and disingenuous information.
A truly heroic effort!
Therefore it’s sad you fall at the first hurdle. The President’s aggregate poll numbers are consistently around 44-46 % (but hey what’s a 12% difference between friends eh?).
However, let’s not quibble about that point, the flaw lies in your assertion “the other 60% do not support the administration”.
That’s not really true is it, eh ? In truth, of the 55 % remaining. less than 28-31% support the Democrats. This leaves at least 24% undecided or supporting minor parties.
The most likely scenario, given the vagaries of the US electoral system and voter habits is at least 30% of the undecided will either not vote, or vote for Trump. Of the remaining 60% the President should win at least 30%, which puts him over the line and a clear winner.
Interestingly, his main increase in support is from Black and Hispanic female first time voters.
I could go through all your accumulation of sources pointing out each inaccuracy or distortion, but it would be tedious.
Just a couple of examples should suffice.
1) ” 65 percent of Americans—including 42 percent of Republicans—say immigrants strengthen the country “because of their hard work and talents.”
This is from a two-year old PEW opinion poll, conducted with 1,893 confirmed respondents derived from particular on-line ‘liberal’ news outlet site readership. (WP in particular). (probably why Pew polling proved disastrously in accurate in 2016).
The wording of the question was deliberately disingenuous. Including positive descriptions such as “hard work and talent”, Pew encouraged a positive response. This not only bad methodology, but deliberate bias.
Had the question been “Do you support illegal migration”, the answer would be dramatically different !
2)” 73 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision”
This statistic is from a 2016 poll, which also placed Hillary Clinton as leading Donald Trump 57% to 37% ! No wonder when the pollster sample is only about 1000 telephone respondents and you ask questions like:
“In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same rights as individuals when it comes to political speech. This decision changed federal law, allowing for unlimited spending by corporations, trade groups, and unions to support or oppose individual candidates, and made it easier for these entities to keep their donations anonymous.After hearing this, do you have a
very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of the Citizens United decision?
Curiously, the poll decided all those “still undecided” should be included as “very unfavorable”! (no record was kept, or at least admitted to exist, of the number of undecided) .
The question followed another question about “dark money” in elections. The obvious implication being Citizens United was about illicit “dark money’.
The inaccuracy of modern polling has as much to do with the difficulty of people no longer answering or even possessing landline phones, as the more disturbing practice of pollsters engineering questions to achieve a result as a propaganda for political advocacy.
As I say, I could go through the rest of your list and expose the inaccuracy or dubious claims of at least 90%, but I think the above is sufficient.
Craig, if I were you, I’d take no comfort from your accumulated mishmash of obsolete, delusional sources.
I’d stop cling to false hope, throw away the rose tinted glasses and be prepared to speak out honestly concerning the real issues occurring around you.
Your policy of failing to condemn, ignoring or refusing to even acknowledge leftist wrong doing, lays you open to charges of hypocrisy which you seem unable to answer.
Can’t you see how this erodes your ability to act as an advocate in matters where you once possessed positive authority ? Why sacrifice your voice to objectively to promote worthwhile causes, just to remain silent about practices which I’m sure in your heart of hearts dismay you? .
Once again I invite you to comment on ;
1) The beating of Asian-American journalist Andy Ngo by black clad, masked Antifa thugs ?
2) Kamala Harris describing President Trump as a ” cowardly criminal predator preying on women and children”. ( When asked whether by predator she meant sexual predator, she replied “use your own judgement” her office later issued a denial she meant sexual).
Is this the sort of political tactic you endorse?
3) Federalist journalist Madeline Osburn, a young white female reporter wrote an article highlighting the lestist media outlets and politicians who had repeatedly claimed the illegal migrant southern border crisis was invented by President Trump and didn’t exist.
Her list included:
The New York Times Editor ” Trump Dreamed Up the Crisis”
CNN Chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta, “nothing resembling a crisis”
MSNBC’S Eddie Glaude Jr. said on “Morning Joe“This is a manufactured crisis. At the heart of this whole thing are a whole bunch of lies,”.
CNN Don Lemon, ” a “manufactured” crisis a lie of trump’s making.
MSNBC host Joe Scarboroug “Americans are ‘Stupid’ for Believing There’s a Border Crisis”
Joe Scarborough: Americans are ‘Stupid’ for Believing There’s a Border Crisis
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough “Donald Trump is spreading these lies there is no crises”
CNN Anderson Cooper: ” The Number of Migrants Seeking Asylum Has Slowed to a ‘Trickle'”.
Univision and New York Times Jorge Ramos, “There’s no crisis, it’s a manufactured crisis.”
New York Times columnist claims Trump, “invented an invasion,the only crisis is in the President’s head.
The Washington Post Editorial Board ” Trump Dreamed Up the Crisis it’s nonexistent”.
You wouldn’t think that this would be so controversial, although a bit galling for leftist Dems and journalist to admit they were all wrong and the President right, but hey that’s politics!
Madeline Osburn also posted a long list of Democrat legislators who endorsed the “No Crisis” claim.
What she didn’t expect was the full fury of the leftist hate machine!
Sadly, Bomb threats, social media hate mail, etc are just part of the modern media world, but what became more frightening was the endorsement by mainstream leftist media and even elected representatives, for Antifa activists describing her as a “racist white bitch” and offering a reward for her “subjugation by gang rape and humiliation”.
These threats became so serious she has to live her life under heavy security and endure many Leftist media and politicians, saying ” while they don’t condone violence” they can understand the “righteous” outrage of the “oppressed” toward her, and she should have thought about the consequences before supporting a fascist!
Craig, do you really endorse these people? Remember the words of Pastor Niemöller ‘
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
When will you speak out against your own ?