Poll: 1/3 Adults UNAWARE Repub Party Is More Conserative Than Dem Party

[kpete]

The Uninformed Bloc
by Scott Winship

......................

But for now, let me just draw your attention to a piece by Stephen Earl Bennett in a fairly new publication called Public Opinion Pros http://www.publicopinionpros.com/................

The whole point of polling is to obtain an accurate picture of the state of public opinion and preferences, but if voters are generally uninformed, then we might hesitate to craft public policies around those preferences. Furthermore, uninformed voters might be vulnerable to deceptive framing of policy debates, such that their preferences may be quite malleable, which of course renders polling data problematic as a guide to strategy. The textbook example illustrating both points is the majoritarian belief that Saddam Hussein had a hand in the 9/11 attacks, which greatly facilitated the Administration’s goal of invading Iraq and overthrowing Hussein.

So, to put it in provocative terms, how ignorant is the electorate? Bennett found that nearly one-third of adults were unaware that the Republican Party is more conservative than the Democratic Party. And lest the reader think that this is an expression of cynicism rather than a lack of knowledge, Bennett found that whether or not respondents knew there were major differences between the two parties was associated with the amount of knowledge they had of major politicians and the parties but not with their levels of governmental trust.

Only one in ten adults knew who Denny Hastert is. Out of eight similar questions about politicians and the two parties, the average adult got just 4.5 right. One-third of adults said they follow politics “hardly at all” or “only now and then”.

more at:
http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2006/08/the_uninformed_bloc.php

[bryant69]

1. I'm not sure how to take this

In away it reminds me a lot of the articles michael moore was writing around the 2000 election, arguements that convinced me to vote for Ralph Nader (to my shame).

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Nozebro]

3. Why do you say "to your shame"? nt

nt

[bryant69]

5. I live in Florida

Bryant

[CollegeDUer]

10. Don't worry; Gore won florida and Choicepoint and Diebold stole it back

Nader is a worth candidate and a good man in my opinion, but maybe going at the Presidency while noble was not the best effort at the time.

[Love Bug]

13. uh-oh

:popcorn:

[Nozebro]

2. At least the question was framed properly, because BOTH parties are

definitely conservative, though some would argue that "right-wing" is even more accurate than "conservative", and it certainly does seem to be the case. As Gore Vidal famously said: "there's only one party (the property party) and it has two wings".

[skipos]

4. 55% voter turnout in McGovern vs. Nixon

if THOSE candidates weren't different enough for the 45% who didn't take the 5 minutes to vote, they ain't NEVER gonna vote.

Most Americans just want a beer and some TV.

[BuyingThyme]

6. I'm in the third.

The Republican Party is not conservative at all.

[helderheid]

9. couldn't agree more n/t

[nradisic]

7. How long will it take to sink in?

Folks,

It has already been duly established that 30% or so of the US population is so ignorant that they might as well be brain dead. How many times do we need to be surprised? Just look at Shrub's approval numbers...about 30%. Same shitheads...

[lies and propaganda]

8. how could they NOT know?

if you didnt know shit from shinola about politics,I cant see how you couldnt know the basic tenets that the parties subscribes too.

[TheFriedPiper]

11. I bet tha 1/3 can tell you who Brad Pitt is dating, though

Our culture is stupid. We value stupidity and shun intelligence.

We support American Idol, Country 'music', and drive SUVs.

And then we wonder why the rest of the world laughs at us.

[Kurovski]

12. Where's the closest brick wall?

:banghead:

[Straight Shooter]

14. Republicans are not conservative. They are reactionary.

As for people who don't follow politics, I know a gal who said to me, "Just tell me who to vote for, you don't have to tell me why."

Well, I appreciate that she trusts my judgment, but there are millions like her who are trusting the judgment of the backwash bushbots, too.