Rasmussen conducts weekly polls on issues. Looking at these weekly poll results shows the very small microscopic shifts in public opinion on the very pressing issues of our time. Poke around the site if you have time. You can find the public's support for issues like the various health care proposals, a second stimulus package, Obama's handling of foreign policy, as well as individual races for various offices. The Passing Scene Cafe believes that Rasmussen has the most extensive polling outfit in the country. Quinnipiac polling is fairly reliable as well, but its scope is limited to the northeastern region of the country. John Zogby's polling is probably the worst.
Polling public opinion, of course, is an inexact science. Poll results tend to jump around depending on how the question is framed. Supporters of the Democratic Party's health care proposal, for instance, have seized on a New York Times/CBS poll result showing support for a "public option" to be somewhere around 65%. This poll result appears to be an outlier--it not flush with other poll results asking the same question, nor does it comport with other poll questions, e.g. the President's "handling" of health care in particular. Furthermore, the wording of the question emphasizes "competition" between public plans and private plans. Wording the question differently, e.g. emphasizing "government control" or "displacement of private sector" produces markedly lower poll numbers.
I should probably devote another post entirely to the issue of polling. Many allege that sophisticated pollsters like Dick Morris and Karl Rove have used polling to influence or shape public opinion, rather than simply take a snapshot of it. A few examples below:
-"Do you agree with the far Right's view that President Bill Clinton should be impeached for marital infidelity?" This poll makes a lot of assumptions. First, no one to my knowledge has suggested that President Clinton be impeached for marital infidelity. He was to be impeached for charges relating to an independent investigation, e.g. obstruction of justice, lying under oath to investigators, and withholding of evidence. Secondly, people who answer this particular poll might think that support for Clinton's impeachment was relegated only to the far Right. Therefore, an independent voter might think, "well..gee...I'm certainly not one of those Timothy McVeigh/James Dobson wackos, so I better answer 'No.'" As a result, many moderates and independents would answer "no" and President Clinton's pollsters would produce a poll result showing very low public support for the impeachment proceedings.
-"If there was a possibility that Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9/11, would you support the invasion of Iraq?" Again, there was NO evidence at all the Saddam attacked on 9/11, nor did the 9/11 Commission report find evidence of a collaborative effort. However, this question makes it seem as though there was a very good chance that Iraq and Al-Qaeda collaborated, or at least it's within the realm of possibility. Therefore, this poll question can be used to artificially inflate public support for the invasion of Iraq.
I should note quickly that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only. I have no evidence that these questions were asked by the aforementioned pollsters.
Anyways, back to Rasmussen. In the wake of the financial crisis last fall and early this year, Rasmussen uncovered a poll result that showed 53% of Americans prefer capitalism over socialism. This was a period of momentary "dumbness" of America. However, having witnessed a year of what Democratic party rule looks like (three years if you count the 2006 mid-term elections), Americans seem to have wised-up a bit. The latest Rasmussen poll shows "finds that 76% of voters now say a free market economy is better than one managed by the government. Only 10% prefer an economy managed by the government."
Does this spell doom for the Democrat's agenda? The Passing Scene Cafe welcomes the debate. And to all my liberal friends, I personally am throwing the gloves off.
The poll also has these interesting results. Read the whole thing if you have time.
Seventy percent (70%) of U.S. voters believe that big business and big government generally work together against the interests of investors and consumers.
Highlighting a preference for free markets, only 29% of Americans believe the U.S. economy will be helped more by decisions made by government officials than by decisions made by business leaders to help their own businesses grow.
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