Surprise! South isn’t like the rest of the country

Last week, Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly put together an interesting chart using results of a weekly nationwide Research 2000 poll. He took the question “Do you have a favorable view of the Republican Party?” and charted the results by region.

R2K_GOP

As the Cookie Monster might note, one of these regions is very much not like the other.

While public attitudes toward the GOP are largely positive here in the South, they are very much negative in the rest of the country. Just 7 percent of voters polled in the Northeast think favorably toward the Republican Party, and numbers in the Midwest (13 percent) and West (14 percent) aren’t much better.

Not surprisingly, charting favorability toward the Democrats would produce a mirror image of Benen’s chart. While just 41 percent of voters think favorably of Democrats, and 50 percent perceive it unfavorably, those national numbers vary widely by region. In the Northeast, 62 percent view the Democrats favorably, while just 20 percent do so in the South.

The poll was done for the liberal DailyKos site, which will no doubt taint it in the eyes of some. But the national numbers it produces track closely with other polls, suggesting that it is not an outlier. Nationally, Research 2000 put Barack Obama’s favorability rating at 54 percent, while the average of major polls at Pollster.com puts it at 53.6 percent. (Here in the South, Research 2000 put Obama’s favorability number at  just 27 percent, with 67 percent viewing him unfavorably.)

The standard question of whether the country is headed in the right direction or is on the wrong track also suggests the Research 2000 findings are in the mainstream. Its results put the numbers at 40 percent right direction, 54 percent wrong track, while the poll average at Pollster puts it at 38.6 percent right direction, 54 percent wrong track. In other words,  the poll “trues up” pretty well.

And yes, we here in the South are considerably more pessimistic about the country’s direction than our fellow Americans. Just 30 percent say we’re headed in the right direction, while 63 percent say we’re on the wrong track.

450 comments Add your comment

Scooter

September 22nd, 2009
4:36 pm

smoochie

September 22nd, 2009
4:27 pm

Maybe Obama is reading to his kids. :grin:

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:38 pm

md

citizens of MASS vs. SA dictator

if you really don’t see the difference you’ve got the golgothan
for brains.

funny thing…when the citizens get together we can do all kinds of things.

there’s this thing called “constitutional amendments” all dictators do it!

one of them there amendment thingys…..well that was the bill of rights……approved by the citizens……oops I mean all the dictators of the United State of America!

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:39 pm

Kamchak! Good one! I saw a retarded bumper sticker this past weekend:

America – Born, July 4, 1776; Died November 8, 2008.

Oh, the drama.

Speaking of drama, what is the wingnut obsession with Chavez and them telling us what we think?

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:39 pm

damn those dictators who repealed prohibition and gave women the right to vote!

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:40 pm

Bosch

Don’t be a dictator!

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm

Mrs. G.,

I prefer to be a tyrant. It just looks cooler on my business cards:

Bosch, Tyrant

GayGrayGeek

September 22nd, 2009
4:44 pm

Bschie – Speaking of drama, what is the wingnut obsession with Chavez and them telling us what we think?

The Wingnuts are so used to being told what to think that they believe EVERYONE needs to be told what to think.

Eli Jones

September 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm

Would you like to see Barack Hussein Obama Impeached? Well get in line!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/impeach-obama

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm

Senior or Junior Grade?

Hef

September 22nd, 2009
4:46 pm

Ms Godzilla – I was with you until that crack about women being able to VOTE!!!!

moonbat betty

September 22nd, 2009
4:46 pm

HOPE AND CHANGE

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm

Eli

Your work is paying off…look 6 or 7 new names in 24 hours…..

Scooter

September 22nd, 2009
4:48 pm

Bosch,may you can be a Czar. They out-rank Tyrants don’t they? :grin:

AmVet

September 22nd, 2009
4:48 pm

Bosch it is obvious that ANYBODY who would put such a moronic bumper sticker on their car voted for you know who. Twice.

You would think that GWB will go down in history as the greatest of all time! Better by far than Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson and Truman. COMBINED!

The reality is that George of the Bungle was more inept than even Hoover. More imperious than even Reagan. More criminal than even Nixon.

He is ASSURED of being one of the very worst two or three US Presidents ever. And arguably may end up at the very bottom of the list.

And the always duped fake conservatives pretend NONE of it ever happened…

Hef

September 22nd, 2009
4:48 pm

Bosch-It would’nt be authentic without a menacing picture, I know I use my driver lic pix on mine.

Taxpayer

September 22nd, 2009
4:49 pm

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm
Mrs. G.,

I prefer to be a tyrant. It just looks cooler on my business cards:

Bosch, Tyrant

Oh yeah. That’s nothing.

There’s this other guy that signs his stuff with:

Yours Truly,

Cheney, Dick.

Now, THAT takes some bal… , well, on second thought, not really.

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:51 pm

Taxpayer…..could you hand me Bosch’s screen cleaner and a kleenex…..

k, thx

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:52 pm

Mrs. G.,

Hehehehe. Now we know who the bad guys are and we can send our O of O army out to round them up, take away their guns, kill their grannies, and make them all get gay married, and pray on mats.

Fools.

BWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

OMG, wouldn’t it be funny to sign that petition and say something to that effect in the comment section? Just think of the frenzy we could cause.

AmVet

September 22nd, 2009
4:52 pm

Eli, you’re about three years too late, my man!

When the most serially impeachable president in history was wiping his arse with the US Constitution…

md

September 22nd, 2009
4:53 pm

“md

citizens of MASS vs. SA dictator”

Maybe you are the one that needs to do a little research. That SA dictator was “voted in” by the “people”. The masses are easily manipulated, and what happened/is happening there can happen here. I believe a gentleman by the name of Adolf was also an elected representative of his country.

There are just as many cool-aid drinkers in this country as there are in other countries.

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
Ben Franklin

“Capitalism and communism stand at opposite poles. Their essential difference is this: The communist, seeing the rich man and his fine home, says: ‘No man should have so much.’ The capitalist, seeing the same thing, says: ‘All men should have as much.’ ”
–Phelps Adams “

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:54 pm

Scooter,

OR, Tyrant Czar! I like it!

AmVet,

Fer rizzle.

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:54 pm

Bosch…you’re so cute when your a devilish tyrant!

Brilliant!

Paul

September 22nd, 2009
4:57 pm

Mrs. Godzilla 4:43

Standard tactic in such cases is to get them in custody on whatever you can – particularly if you think a crime is about to occur.

My original point was that, under the Bush Administration such arrests would occur and we’d hear all sorts of commentary along the lines of ‘fake! fear! bogus! fascism! laughable!’

but now we get a case analysis.

Back to my mac and cheese -

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
4:57 pm

Mrs. G. and Hef,

Here’s my driver’s license picture:

:evil:

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
4:57 pm

md

the masses are easily manipulated? that might cover you toots.

yep, we’ve spent that last 200 and some years voting all the wealth into the hands of the little people…..OOOOPS! NOT!

give it up, the people of MASS had every right to do what they did and it’s wonderfully, blissfully an American thing to do.

Paul

September 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm

Bosch

New bumper sticker for you (or maybe even a t-shirt).

Okay, so I plagiarized a bit. So sue me (med malpractice sharks are going to need a new line of business).

America – Born, July 4, 1776; Died November 8, 2000; Resurrected November 8, 2008.

See? Work the conservative religious market angle. You could even sell a bunch of’em at evangelical retreats and conferences until they caught on!

Kamchak

September 22nd, 2009
5:01 pm

The masses are easily manipulated, and what happened/is happening there did happen here in 2000.

FYT

Hef

September 22nd, 2009
5:02 pm

Bosch-So that’s YOU!

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
5:03 pm

Paul,

Brilliant! It would probably take them at least until after they paid for it to realize that Obama and the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ were sort of juxtaposed together. I like it!

Bosch

September 22nd, 2009
5:03 pm

Hef,

I was having a bad hair day and was wicked hungover.

I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:

September 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm

bookman take a school day?

And what about Mad Harris, does anyone else not understand what would have happened if school were in session today with all of the road closures?

Who does he think we are, India or something, plunging school buses full of kids into the river?

What a crank.

md

September 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm

The masses are easily manipulated, and what happened/is happening there did happen here in 2008.

You forgot to change that last 0.

Scooter

September 22nd, 2009
5:06 pm

AmVet, me and this keyboard don’t expound to good. I need to stay with one-liners and questions until I learn to type!

md

September 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm

“give it up, the people of MASS had every right to do what they did and it’s wonderfully, blissfully an American thing to do.”

As I said, there are plenty of cool-aid drinkers in this country.

AmVet

September 22nd, 2009
5:08 pm

No worries, Scooter. It’s not like all of the rest of haven’t said something boneheaded from time to time. The difference is that the GWB fans, like him, NEVER make any mistakes…

You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power because some watery tart threw a sword at you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOOTKA0aGI0

Hef

September 22nd, 2009
5:09 pm

Bosch-Hopefully hangover was from some good ol Guinness Stout. Also Yul Brenner look took care of all my bad hair day’s, and my EXTREMELY BEAUTIFULL wife to be loves the look.

md

September 22nd, 2009
5:12 pm

“yep, we’ve spent that last 200 and some years voting all the wealth into the hands of the little people…..OOOOPS! NOT!”

And the reason is the country is still divided 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. If the left ever had the numbers, I would put my money on them voting themselves a raise just like Venezuela thought they were doing. Of course Chavez is bleeding down there driving out all the investments, but he sure has the voters thinking their pot of gold is on the way.

Kamchak

September 22nd, 2009
5:16 pm

The masses are easily manipulated, and what happened/is happening there could have but didn’t happen here in 2008

FYT again.

Hef

September 22nd, 2009
5:17 pm

Ms Godzilla-FYI, I don’t agree with the Mass deal. As I would’nt agree with it the shoe had been on the other foot. If it’s the will of the people then so be it,but if it’s the will of those in power then no.

Scooter

September 22nd, 2009
5:18 pm

AmVet, too funny dude! I have not seen that in a while. :smile:

AmVet

September 22nd, 2009
5:19 pm

This nation was once upon a time NOT a complete plutocracy as it is now.

And because of the criminal and corporate ownership of the government it is now officially an oligarchy – a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

Seriously, does your representative even pretend to try to protect you anymore? Or represent your interests?

At the prodding of the conned they are making it less and less a government of the people, by the people and FOR the people.

And slowly (MUCH too slowly for me) non-Republicans everywhere are starting to wake up to this fact.

This reminds me of neo-cons discussing climatology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4_9kDO3q0w&feature=related

Normal

September 22nd, 2009
5:23 pm

Ok Gang, unwad your thongs and BVD’s…Ol’ Normal has the cure..
All togeter now, All you need is….;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJ2NKp23WU

Normal

September 22nd, 2009
5:25 pm

md

September 22nd, 2009
5:29 pm

The MA shananigans are pure partisan politics.

Both parties do it, and that is why this country is so divided.

Dusty

September 22nd, 2009
5:30 pm

Good heavens, will someone please call Bookman off the golf course? The poor kiddies are playing Bash Bush here again. I mean they never mature beyond bumper stickers and such. A whole crowd of tail gaters, learning to read bumper stickers. I often wondered what liberals did beside post on blogs.

Mz godzie, I like your posts so much better now that you are no longer presenting Dem’s IN THE NEWS. Tres bien.

Scooter, I love you too. Good idea about czars and names.. How’d it go? bosch tyrant. amvet awful, taxie terrific, foxy godzy and texas tall paul…Did I miss anybody? Cute Scoot! KamChak the hack….

By the way, the Smith House has expanded. Still serving good food, even Southern veggies like macaroni. (That’s for you, bosch.)

.

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
5:31 pm

md

the people of Mass have spoken……sorry but you’ll just have to live with it.

Mrs. Godzilla

September 22nd, 2009
5:33 pm

Dusty

so glad I can make you happy….

N.J.

September 23rd, 2009
11:31 am

Exactly. The BBC and even radio programs in Turkey are running stories that overwhelmingly indicate that the Republican Party is no longer a national party. It is a regional one, a party of the South.

Ironic that what was once the Party of Lincoln, hated by the Confederacy is now their pick of political parties.

The latest figures nationally indicate that the public blames the Republican Party for the stagnation in Washington DC. When asked who is doing more to reach bipartisan agreements, the polls put the Republicans in the low 20 percentiles, while Obama gets well over 50 percent. This in the most recent Bloomberg poll. And Democrats still rate higher than Republicans. Republicans are looking at a 70 percent disapproval rating nationally. Democrats are doing about ten points better. In fact Democrats have seen their approval ratings go up since the end of July, while Republicans have seen them drop.

The executive branch currently has a higher favorability than unfavorability rating.

The most important priority the public has is the economy and job creation. But in second place is still health reform. Government spending comes in third. Social issues like gay marriage and abortions are rock bottom, with only 3 percent thinking them inportant, compared to 30 percent for the economy and 21 percent for health reform.

N.J.

September 23rd, 2009
11:47 am

The FEDERAL government cannot amend the constitution. Only the state governments have the power to amend the federal constitution.

No, Hitler didnt “amend” the constitution. He threw out the old one and wrote a new one.

Republicans have pretty much destroyed the nation’s economy. The best period of economic growth occurred when the top tax rates were the highest. The Middle Class was created as a result of those high top marginal tax rates.

Even Herbert Hoover was smart enough to RAISE the top tax rate from 25 to 65 percent in his last year. The Republican was smart enough to know that if you tax personal income at a high rate, the wealthy will not suck it out of businesses, but leave it safely in the form of a factory or plant equipment. Which would have been sold for scrap at the height of the depression if taxes were low.

After a false threat, the Reichstag Fire, Hitler convinced the president of Germany to pass something similar to the Patriot Act, limiting civil liberties, and then pass the “Enabling Act” which gave him a dictatorship.

For that to occur in the United States, the constitution would have to be amended. This requires the vote of the STATE legislatures of 38 states.