Hope For Change
By Mitch Berg
Conservatives are now #1:
The increased conservatism that Gallup first identified among Americans last June persisted throughout the year, so that the final year-end political ideology figures confirm Gallup’s initial reporting: conservatives 40% outnumbered both moderates 36% and liberals 21% across the nation in 2009.
And it’s not just a little bit:
Since 1992, there have been only two other years — 2003 and 2004 — in which the average percentage of conservatives nationwide outnumbered moderates, and in both cases, it was by two percentage points (in contrast to the current four points).
Three more years of Obama bode well for that gap, I think.
But the interesting question for me is “what does conservatism mean” these days.
Expect a much longer piece on the subject later this week. I can say that, since I was working on it long before I saw this poll result…
January 7th, 2010 at 9:02 am
I’ve been thinking quite biy on this subject as well. What will the effects of Obama.Reid/Pelosi far left radicalism have on that 36% that declare as moderate?
January 7th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
I don’t think they voted for the policies of the far-left moonbat extremists that are running all three branches of the government now, Kermit.
Bush ran as a centrist and governed as a centrist. I would like to here Obama, Pelosi, and reid explain the difference between their policy goals and the policy goals of a socialist.
January 7th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Terry, we just heard Pelosi brag about how transparent Washington is; I’m sure your question has been explained already. NOT.
I’ll set my expectations slightly lower; I would like PeeveeBoy/DG/Flush explain the differences between their ideology and socialism, or Liberal Fascism for that matter.
January 7th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Nancy will laugh and tell you “Lots of things are said during elections”. STFU you serf.
January 7th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
‘Three more years of Obama bode well for that gap, I think.’
Maybe, maybe not. The Dems are doing a good job of pushing people away, much like a magnet on a table pushes metal away from it. But until the GOP gets their own magnet working to pull people towards them, I think that poll has moved as much as it is going to for now.
January 7th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
It’s nice to hear that people are repulsed by the Democrats ramming through their pet excesses. But I wonder if there’s really a market for conservative candidates?
Can you imagine showing up at a Melvin Carter For City Council rally to urge an end to destructive welfare policies that foster generations of dependence (Mel represents Frogtown, one of the poorest sections of St. Paul). Can you imagine the howls of protest when you suggest that single motherhood is the single biggest predicter of child poverty, or question whether there might be a link between Black youth school dropout rates, unemployment rates and incarceration rates?
Shoot, I still get blank looks when I poke fun at the logic behind CRA: “Just because you’re poor is no reason you shouldn’t have a nice house.”
YES IT IS! That’s EXACTLY the reason. It’s not about racism or life’s lottery or lack of diversity. The reason you can’t have nice things is because you’re POOR. So stop being poor.
Stop doing things that make you poor and keep you poor. Stay in school until you graduate. Don’t get pregnant before you’re married. Work at LEAST 40 hours per week. Quit smoking. Quit drinking. Don’t do drugs. Don’t buy lottery tickets. Don’t commit crimes and don’t hang around people who do. Drive a servicable beater, not a show-off eye-catcher. Use credit cards only for life-threatening emergencies. Get off your ass, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, make something of yourself.
I can hear the snickers already, and I’m writing on a Conservative blog. There’s no way this message will resonate with AC and his posse.
But what else is Conservatism but subsidiarity and self-reliance?
.
January 7th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
K-Rod loves to say “liberal fascism.”
He’s so stupid.
January 7th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
“Can you imagine showing up at a Melvin Carter For City Council rally to urge an end to destructive welfare policies that foster generations of dependence (Mel represents Frogtown, one of the poorest sections of St. Paul). Can you imagine the howls of protest when you suggest that single motherhood is the single biggest predicter of child poverty, or question whether there might be a link between Black youth school dropout rates, unemployment rates and incarceration rates?”
Not only can I imagine it, I can remember it. After T-Paw’s first budget, the entire Saint Paul legislative delegation (Sandy Papshmere, Cy Thao, Carlos Mariani) held a “we’re all fucked now” meeting to whip up a bit of leftist hatred.
The audience was 99% lefty, and me.
After listening to a young gal squirt tears about how her life was being ruined by the cuts to social programs, I stood up and told that audience that it was a crime to have heard such a smart, articulate gal stand up and admit that she had bought into the Democrat lie (pointing at the table full of DFL scrubs) that all she was, and would ever be, could be measured in how much welfare she received.
You can imagine the response!
Good times…good times.
January 7th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
is there video?
January 8th, 2010 at 9:43 am
The real Conservative resurgence will come if they pass health care “reform.” Can you imagine the effect that $2000/year/person in new taxes, with even more for married couples, and no new benefits will do to the liberal’s message?
January 8th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
AssClown must have taken a quick break from sphincter polishing. Don’t worry, AC Jr is “helping”.