Over and over I hear the mantra from @kylesellers, Americans like Obama but they prefer Republican and/or conservative policies. CNN just did a clever polling question to tease out the policy preference. It’s a change on the gold standard of polling the right track/wrong track question. They asked whether Obama’s policies, Congressional Democrats’ policies, and Congressional Republicans’ policies move this country in the right or wrong direction.
BARACK OBAMA: 63% Right Direction 35% Wrong Direction
DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS: 57% Right Direction 40% Wrong Direction
REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS: 39% Right Direction 57% Wrong Direction
Obama’s policy support is roughly the same as his overall support. So much for the myth that his popularity was merely personal. As an alternative vision for America, Republicans poll exactly the opposite. This stands to reason as the Republican strategy is to move in the complete opposite direction of the President. If Obama is viewed as moving the country in the right direction, Republican opposition is thus viewed as obstruction, moving it in the wrong direction. Since Obama was elected we’ve had a right track/wrong track reversal that’s 10 times faster than either Reagan or Clinton. We are far enough into the Obama Administration to conclude that the American people didn’t just repudiate George W. Bush, but Republicans in general.
Another interesting effect is the “halo effect” for Congressional Democrats. The overall support for Congressional Democrats is 42/50. So, here we have this message: we don’t like the Congressional Democrats but we like their policies, presumably because they are viewed as the implementers of the President’s popular policies.
As I see it, the only real option for the GOP is to go with an Obama “lite” strategy because full on opposition just doesn’t work. That is, implement Obama’s (and the country’s) priorities just cheaper. I realize that for most conservatives this deviates too far from core principles. My response to such conservatives is this: which is better a marginal influence or none at all?
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I hope we’re not descending into Marxism, though it certainly appears that we’re heading in that direction. Government involvement in private industry is getting to be unconscionable. The whole economic mess was initiated by the government getting into the mortgage business and providing loan guarantees for people that never would have been eligible without the government. Wall Street compounded the problem by securitizing the debt leading to the collapse. We recently had the government providing an $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers on their taxes. When that didn’t work, the government changed it to where now they get the $8,000 at closing. Once again we’re subsidizing people who can’t afford the houses their buying. Couple that with the government building cars, banking, ,controlling energy and trying to get into medical care (20 % of GDP)—All with our tax dollars. It sounds like socialism at the very least. What direction would you venture to say we are going?
I especially like the quote where the Pravda author says Russians would not “roll over and give up our souls”. I’m reading The Gulag Archipelago right now and that’s exactly what the author chides the Soviets for doing. To say we are descending into Marxism is just hilarious. The test, and the only test, will come Nov 4 2012. Until then it’s just ramblings.
By the way Seattle had yet another rally. After the tax teaparty we had a prop 8 rally attended by 5x the tax crowd. Todays health care rally in support of Obama drew thousands. I haven’t seen the latest count. If that’s Marxist support bring it on.
The above post was from another blog– Here is a link to the article:
original post on NAVITOR, Sat. May. 30, 04:32pm
“The American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed.”
Not my words, and no need to wonder how completely the drive-by MSM is covering comrade Obama’s tracks anymore. Pravda is now more conservative than the New York Times. Yes, these are the printed words of Pravda. Pravda!
It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.
True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists…
Pravda summarizes our dire situation nicely in it’s final sentences. Please be sure to access the full article in the post article link…T
…The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?
…The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is.
I have posted a counterpoint here: http://bipartreport.com/2009/05/americans-like-obama-but-not-his-policies/
Thanks, @rblinne, I think this is a very important conversation for us to have. I am going to take some time though and respond in detail.
I’m gathering together a list of poll data, and am going to see if I can post a response as a post rather than a comment, since the multiple links will send the spam filter into red alert mode!