When no political label is safe
Fascinating poll numbers from Rasmussen Reports: Every political label, including “moderate,” has lost popularity since November. “Liberal” comes in last, with only a 15 percent positive/41 percent negative rating, worse than the 19/36 rating it had in November at the peak of Obamamania. Another way of describing it would be that “liberal” has a net rating of minus-26 percent now, versus minus-17 in November.
Here are the net ratings for other labels included in the survey, with November results in parentheses:
Conservative: plus-3 percent (down from plus-15 percent)
Progressive: plus-5 percent (down from plus-24 percent)
Moderate: plus-23 percent (down from plus-32 percent)
The one label that’s holding steady? “Like Ronald Reagan,” which is at plus-16 today…more or less the same as its plus-17 percent back in November. Now, if there were only a politician out there who deserved that description…
(Hat tip: Moe Lane at RedState.)
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7 comments Add your comment
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 12th, 2009
12:54 pm
Could be that lots of people feel like I do, all the politicians are out to help themselves and will take whatever road they think will get them there. I don’t trust any of them.
stands for decibels
September 12th, 2009
1:17 pm
HD, while you’re partly right inasmuch as there’s a lot of alienation during any economic downturn, thus trust is bound to be low…
more likely that this is Rassmussen trying to make lemonade out of lemons. I don’t put much stock in a snapshot of how Americans are self-identifying, it doesn’t mean a whole lot when it comes to which pols are going to be elected, and what legislation is going to be passed.
Rassmussen is a justifiably respected pollster when it comes to calling election outcomes, but during the off-season he’s just another rightie who, nowadays, is looking to provide aid and comfort to conservatives.
I mean, did you read the lede of the linked piece? “”Progressive” is becoming more of a dirty word” — talk about your wishful thinking!
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 12th, 2009
1:40 pm
I don’t put much stock in a snapshot of how Americans are self-identifying, it doesn’t mean a whole lot when it comes to which pols are going to be elected, and what legislation is going to be passed.
I’d agree with that. The only polls that matter are the ones taken the first Tuesday of November in even years. The rest of the time they are usually pointed to by somebody who is using them to support whatever side they are arguing.
I can’t even remember the last time I actually voted “for” someone as opposed to voting for what I considered the “lesser of two evils”.
number1ninja
September 13th, 2009
11:00 am
What is it with you and Reagan, Jay? Are you just excited that a democrat who is as wholly incompetent as he was gets to skate by on a couple of pretty words now?
number1ninja
September 13th, 2009
11:01 am
Ok, what happened? How did I end up here?
Michael Honohan
September 15th, 2009
9:40 pm
The problem with Reagan detractors is they they think of us as all fools. Reagan had a high approval rating of 71% I believe. I think you can put us in two camps.
In one, Reagan was a superman who could do no wrong. Those are the same people who like Dubya. The also think Reagan was a right-wing moral crusader because of his support of the War on Drugs and his attention to the pro-life movement.
Then there are those of us who Reagan as a flawed individual who was also a true believer in American and its promise. While he may have been a litte overboard on the Red Menace, his did clearly see the reality of the Soviet Union and what it would take to make them say Uncle. As for his moral crusade, the drugs thing was really his wife’s and his opposition to abortion was personal and never got in the way of being a secular leader. From his Hollywood days, he certaintly had friends who were gay or used drugs.
Two things stand out about the man in my mind. One was his committment to ideas of limited government. His zeal to bankrupt the Soviets in the Arms Race and the fact that he had a Democrat Congress made it difficult to reaize those goals. He did submit Grace Commission report to Congress who chose not to act.
The second thing that stands out: accountability. When Iran-Contra blew up in his face, he spoke the American People and told them what happened. Then he sent North and Poindexter to Congress to tell the truth and fact the music. What a contrast to Bush wno refused to admit or at least take ownership of a single mistake. Or Cheney, who seems to think the President (and VP!) as the right to do whatever they care to. And to today’s Republcan Party who has to portray any call for accoutability as a deeply partisan attack or a political stunt. (Funny how they called the reprimand of Joe Wilson a politcal stunt when was repremanded FOR a politcal stunt)
It will be a long time before we will seen onther like Ronald Reagan.
And here is where we get to watch right-wing-nuts heads explode: I hold the same esteem for Bill Clinton – the only president in my adult life to present a balance budget and have a surplus. According to Trent Lott himself, Clinton co-wrote much of the Contract with American legistalation. Clinton supported and signed more good conservative legislation than any Republican president you can name.
Michael Honohan
September 15th, 2009
9:43 pm
number1ninja: Incompetent? If you go to nations formerly part of the Soviet Union, you will find that he is regarded as hero. Americans can play off his role in the part of the world, but the people who lived there see it very differently.