Opinion polls can be useful, or they can be distractions. Whether they are accurate snapshots of the moment's truth depends. It can depend on the methodology and the motives of the pollsters. Or, it can depend on how much the respondents gamed the process by answering questions in a way to tilt the results. After all, no one is obliged to tell pollsters the truth.
And, sometimes a poll can be quite entertaining. The poll mentioned above falls into that category for me. Here are some other results:
- 77 percent said that public school students ought to be taught the book of Genesis to learn how the world was created; 51 percent said that sex education should not be taught in public schools.
- 55 percent said gays should not be allowed to serve in the armed forces; 73 percent said openly gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools.
- 53 percent said Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than Barack Obama.
The results do offer some insight into why Republican candidates often strike the rather backward, anti-intellectual poses they do in primaries and in opposing Democrats. And, it may also underline why it's practically useless to try to compromise with Republican politicians who fear answering to voters who hold fast to beliefs such as those reflected in the aforementioned poll.
-- H/T to Chris Bopst
5 comments:
Backward and anti-intellectual poses? Such as personal responsibility and smaller government? I don't know why I bothered replying when I already know you have an extremely left-leaning viewpoint but I just hate it when folks on either side of the coin try to minimize and degrade the opinions of those that don't agree with them. As far as I'm concerned extremists on both sides deserve the "crazy" label.
Jeff E.
Sorry your feathers got ruffled, but attempts at humor always run that risk. My remarks weren't about extremists on both sides. They were on a particular poll, the eye-popping results of which I'm sure will be much-discussed in the next few days.
And, the numbers from the poll suggest that some of the views/beliefs you might like to characterize as "extreme" may be actually be held by MOST Republicans.
Only 63% believe he's a socialist?
Obviously, there's 37% of Republicans who aren't paying attention ... or are socialists themselves and don't have the courage of their convictions to admit it.
Potentially... granted I bet you could take a poll intended to expose the "humor" of extreme left-leaning beliefs and you'd get a result showing that Republicans aren't the only crazy ones. I wonder what percentage of Democrats would say abortion is an acceptable method of birth control or if man is responsible for regulating the climate? And I bet you'd get an alarming number who believe George W. Bush knew about 9-11 before it happened. None of this is really humorous though unless you have dog in the hunt which I don't. What I will find mightily humorous is the look on the faces of Democrats and Republicans when Americans realize there are more choices than just Blue and Red. It's coming and very soon IMO.
Hey James:
USSR Socialism = Government controlling all means of production
USA Socialism = Creating legislation prohibiting insurance companies from "dropping" gravely ill enrollees...
You wingers are crazy, just listen...
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