Click here to see the results of Gallup's annual study of political trends in the U.S. on a state by state basis. Overall, Americans were much more likely to self-identify as conservatives than as liberals in 2013, though that gap continues to shrink from previous years.
People like Sean Hannity love to say America is a center right country & I don't believe it – how could a center right country elect BO twice, a Democrat Senate, a House with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, & a current small Republican majority in the House most of whose Members are not conservative?
A study of the Gallup website above will show that the answer is in the number of people who classify themselves as moderates.
My own experience & observations are that moderates are much more likely to vote Democrat than Republican meaning they actually are Democrats. For example (believe it or not) NJ is +3.1 more conservative than liberal (29.6 – 26.5) but has 38.9% who self identify as moderate. Conservatives cannot win state wide in NJ because the relatively low 29.6% level of conservatives is too low a starting point for the rest of the electorate to be able to overcome the hurdle to get to 50% to ensure victory – Steve Lonegan recently lost his Senate bid totaling 44% of the vote which is the level conservatives max out @ in NJ. SC starts with 45.1% conservatives so the hurdle to get to 50% is much easier. Before any one asks - Christie got 60% of the vote against a very weak opponent & Christie is no conservative.
Do your own analysis of your state & you may get a different political insight into what is happening there.
Gallup has conducted a State of the State study every year since 1992. In 2013 it had a random sample size of 178,527 adults, aged 18 & older, living in all 50 states & DC so a lot of work went into the study. Hope you enjoy the website but more importantly I hope you learn something of value from it.
Always knew moderates vote Democrat.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your above post. I might be wrong, but conservatives in Congress will have a lot of explaining to do, such as NOT
ReplyDeleterenewing long term unemployment benefits to people unemployed for long period of time. I know, people will say it is a "gravy train" for the unemployed. If you were out of work, (because of lack of work in your field), and were receiving unemployment benefits - then no longer receiving them - would you vote for a conservative?
What to do - I do not know .
I faintly recall, I was too young then, about a "bonus march" in the 1920s. Veterans who did not have jobs, organized a march on
Washington DC to get some benefits. Federal troops tried to stop them. I do not know what happened. You can do some research on it.
Have a great day, Carol and you.
The Historian is referring to the Bonus Army Marchers - a large group of WWI veterans & their families who marched on Washington in 1932 to try to get an advance of a promised military benefit-bonus that was scheduled for payment in 1945 as a delayed military pension. These veterans were losing their houses, businesses, farms, & in general their livelihoods & hoped to collect their pensions early.
DeletePresident Herbert Hoover ordered the military led by General Douglas MacArthur & Majors Dwight Eisenhower & George Patton to remove the Bonus Army from Washington. After the Bonus Army was run out of town their former camps were burned.
A second, smaller Bonus Army returned in 1933 at the start of FDR's Administration - these marchers were offered jobs in the Civilian Conservation Corps at Fort Hunt, Virginia, which most of the marchers accepted. In 1936, Congress paid the veterans their bonus nine years early - this step involved overriding FDR's veto.
Thanks for reply. I did not remember that there were two Bonus Marches. I only faintly remember the first one.
DeleteYes the US and clearly NJ is NOT center right. Take even the recent survey where approx 70% view Big Gov is a major problem. Throw in questions about specific entitlements and that 70% becomes irrelevant. The US has become quite a Nanny State. Much work needs to be done to reverse this. The grass root is an excellent place and u are a clear leader in this space. we need to constantly confront the low information voter or the main stream media brainwashed citizen.
ReplyDeleteDoug - Could you please provide your definitions of "conservative", "liberal" and "moderate"?
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated.
The Gallup study is a self-identifying process of the three categories with people regarding themselves as conservatives saying they want small government, the liberals really wanting large government, & the moderates somewhere in between but when it comes down to it they are big government people. Other than the words "saying" for conservatives & "really" for liberals I think this is pretty standard. The problem exacerbates itself when the ones saying they want small government realize they are losing government benefits themselves, like many Tea Partiers have, & vote against what are known as conservative candidates. Accordingly liberals & moderates are pretty clear but conservatives need some extra scrutiny because they are a moving target.
DeleteThe problem with labels are in many cases they don't accurately portray reality. The media loves to pigeonhole everyone into neat packages.
DeleteI certainly don't see myself (or think of you & Carol for that matter) as "Conservatives. We are looking for "Tax Reform", Immigration Reform, Change in Monetary Policy, just to name a few issues. So what exactly are we seeking to "conserve?"
I have heard it said that Conservatives are looking to "conserve" the ideals of the founding fathers. The founding fathers were not conservatives, they were REVOLUTIONARIES, looking to change the world.
For instance, how would George Bush be labeled (big spender / social conservative)?
How about Pat Buchanan? (Trade Protectionist)?
Richard Nixon (Gold standard / Price controls) ?
Dwight Eisenhower (National Highway System)?
I think you hit it on the head when you spoke of people claiming to be of small government persuasion UNTILL they lose their government goodies. And this is one of the main reasons that small government will always lose, inside the beltway the apparatus is stacked against them.
I do think Liberals could have the similar problem. When you speak to them they claim people should "do more" (pay higher taxes, give to charity, etc). Ask to see their tax returns and the excuses come hard and fast, they are very afraid to expose their hypocrisy.
And this is where the battle can be won, get the grassroots to a fever pitch and give the "liberals" all the "class warfare" they want.
I know many have a problem with the term "moderate". I am not one of them. As mentioned above Moderate can be a Populist movement and accomplish good things if coupled with a proper attitude and restraint.
Another suggestion is for our side to get away from the term "Liberal" in describing our enemies. They are not Liberal in the classical sense (freedom and liberty), we are the true Liberals.
And the term "Liberal" has positive connotations in the English language. Once again we are playing into their hands.
And small government people have to get over the idea that Washington Republicans (Boehner, Ryan, etc) are on our side. They aren't. They talk a good game and then promptly surrender when in sight of the enemy.
Very true and a big problem.
ReplyDelete