http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/opinion/sunday/tuning-out-the-democrats.html?_r=1 Why Voters Tune Out Democrats By STANLEY B. GREENBERG Published: July 30, 2011 Stanley B. Greenberg is the chief executive of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a polling company that works with center-left political parties in the United States and abroad. Perhaps the president finds solace in knowing he’s not alone. During this period of economic crisis and uncertainty, voters are generally turning to conservative and right-wing political parties, most notably in Europe and in Canada. ... But in smaller, more probing focus groups, voters show they are fairly cynical about Democratic politicians’ stands. They tune out the politicians’ fine speeches and plans and express sentiments like these: “It’s just words.” “There’s just such a control of government by the wealthy that whatever happens, it’s not working for all the people; it’s working for a few of the people.” “We don’t have a representative government anymore.” This distrust of government and politicians is unfolding as a full-blown crisis of legitimacy sidelines Democrats and liberalism. Just a quarter of the country is optimistic about our system of government — the lowest since polls by ABC and others began asking this question in 1974. But a crisis of government legitimacy is a crisis of liberalism. It doesn’t hurt Republicans. If government is seen as useless, what is the point of electing Democrats who aim to use government to advance some public end? ... Our research shows that the growth of self-identified conservatives began in the fall of 2008 with the Wall Street bailout, well before Mr. Obama embarked on his recovery and spending program. The public watched the elite and leaders of both parties rush to the rescue. The government saved irresponsible executives who bankrupted their own companies, hurt many people and threatened the welfare of the country. When Mr. Obama championed the bailout of the auto companies and allowed senior executives at bailed-out companies to take bonuses, voters concluded that he was part of the operating elite consensus. If you owned a small business that was in trouble or a home or pension that lost much of its value, you were on your own. As people across the country told me, the average citizen doesn’t “get money for free.” Their conclusion: Government works for the irresponsible, not the responsible. ... What should Democrats do? ... Finally, progressives have to be serious about reducing the country’s long-term deficits, constraining special interest spending and tax breaks and making government accountable to the ordinary citizen. The deficit matters to people and has real meaning and consequences. A government that spends and borrows without the kind of limits that would govern an ordinary family is going to have big troubles. Voters I’ve studied say things like, if “we keep spending like this, we’re going to be bankrupt and there won’t be anything for anybody,” especially “our children.” The final straw is the government’s decision to continue spending and to put the country deeper into debt and more dependent on China. ... Recently, it has been the conservatives, the Tea Party members and the anti-immigrant groups who understand the anger with government, and rush in to exploit it. Perhaps now, with the debacle in Washington, liberals will become instinctively angry with this illegitimate government and build their politics from there.
I've always found liberals more passionate as people in general, so they are yell more, lie more and provide better sound bites. That seems to capture more people initially. But their passion is sometimes a catalyst that can be either good or bad- but more gets done usually. The conservatives seem to be older and not dynamic, but they have a tendency to roll up their sleeves more and actually do the work that needs doing- and without media fan fare.
That is one confusing article. The writer, who is supposedly a liberal, keeps giving examples of how people are mad at conservatism, and keeps concluding that those people will therefore vote Republican. Weird. He says that liberals haven't reined in spending, yet he should know they're the ones who balanced the budget in the Clinton years, and Republicans put it way out of balance as soon as they could. This pollster writer is a liberal? With friends like that liberals don't need enemies.
random fact that seems like a good place to share: voters are more likely to be republican when they see an american flag.
Greenberg is absolutely a left leaning pollster, and as credentialed as one can get in the polling business. Is it a pollster's job to produce results his clients want to see, or to get honest results that are useful in making decisions? I think the latter, and he's doing his job. The advice in his article is based upon his experience and the data. The results are that people have seen enough of progressivism and don't like it.
My vantage point on voter behavior comes through my company, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, and its work for center-left parties globally, starting with Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. For the last decade, I have worked in partnership with James Carville conducting monthly polls digging into America’s mood and studying how progressives can develop successful electoral strategies. (I am also married to a Democratic congresswoman from Connecticut, Rosa L. DeLauro.) In analyzing these polls in the United States, I see clearly that voters feel ever more estranged from government — and that they associate Democrats with government. If Democrats are going to be encumbered by that link, they need to change voters’ feelings about government. They can recite their good plans as a mantra and raise their voices as if they had not been heard, but voters will not listen to them if government is disreputable.
Bold face "conservative" and "liberal" refer to what follows, not what precedes. Although after awhile, I started conversing with the author on what preceded. But in smaller, more probing focus groups, voters show they are fairly cynical about Democratic politicians’ stands. either They tune out the politicians’ fine speeches and plans and express sentiments like these: “It’s just words.” liberal There’s just such a control of government by the wealthy that whatever happens, it’s not working for all the people; it’s working for a few of the people.” “We don’t have a representative government anymore.” conservative This distrust of government and politicians is unfolding as a full-blown crisis of legitimacy sidelines Democrats and liberalism. Just a quarter of the country is optimistic about our system of government — the lowest since polls by ABC and others began asking this question in 1974. what the hell is the following? But a crisis of government legitimacy is a crisis of liberalism. It doesn’t hurt Republicans. If government is seen as useless, what is the point of electing Democrats who aim to use government to advance some public end? Hey stupid, they didn't say government is useless, they said it's not working well. Liberals say that too, idiot. ... Our research shows that the growth of self-identified conservatives began in the fall of 2008 with the Wall Street bailout, well before Mr. Obama after Bush and most Republicans in Congress had passed the first stimulus embarked on his recovery and spending program. The public watched the elite and leaders of both parties rush to the rescue the author stated this too late to change the impression he just made that it was only Obama. liberal The government saved irresponsible executives who bankrupted their own companies, hurt many people and threatened the welfare of the country. liberal When Mr. Obama championed the bailout of the auto companies and allowed senior executives at bailed-out companies to take bonuses, voters concluded that he was part of the operating elite consensus. If you owned a small business that was in trouble or a home or pension that lost much of its value, you were on your own. liberal, anti-business As people across the country told me, the average citizen doesn’t “get money for free.” Their conclusion: Government works for the irresponsible, not the responsible. voters saying businessmen are irresponsible is not a Republican sentiment ... What should Democrats do? ... Finally, progressives have to be serious about reducing the country’s long-term deficits, constraining special interest spending and tax breaks and making government accountable to the ordinary citizen. The deficit matters to people and has real meaning and consequences. A government that spends and borrows without the kind of limits that would govern an ordinary family is going to have big troubles. not a word about how almost all the cumulative deficit is on Republican presidents' heads, very little on Democrats--it's mainly antiwar Democratic voters who say: Voters I’ve studied say things like, if “we keep spending like this, we’re going to be bankrupt and there won’t be anything for anybody,” especially “our children.” The final straw is the government’s decision to continue spending and to put the country deeper into debt and more dependent on China. ... Recently, it has been the conservatives, the Tea Party members and the anti-immigrant groups who understand the anger with government, and rush in to exploit it. No moron, they aren't the ones who understand others' anger, they ARE the ones who are angry--who do you claim they are trying to understand, dumbshit? Perhaps now, with the debacle in Washington, liberals will become instinctively angry with this illegitimate government and build their politics from there. polls show most voters see the debacle as being on Republicans not Democrats--and did this fake liberal just say liberal government is illegitimate? Why I do believe the fraud did ----- As I said, a confusing article from a fake liberal who doesn't have his head screwed on straight. He shows how voters are liberal, then concludes they are conservative.
Congrats, Denny. What a great find. I believe this is a watershed moment in American politics. The Tea Party has tapped into a deep and fundamental distrust of government that is growing stronger by the moment. The wastefullness and excesses that are part of liberal government are becoming more and more obvious under Obama, and it could possibly lead to a huge defeat for him next November. When people distrust government, then smaller government is seen as a very good thing. That's the Republican position, and that's what is resonating across the country right now with ordinary voters.
