Opportunity In the Making...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


A new Pew Research Center poll just out provides some interesting information on the Obama Romney match up. Obama currently holds the edge in the "liked" category while Romney has the edge with voters when it comes to the "economy". Interestingly enough Romney holds the edge amongst those actively giving a lot of thought to the campaign.

There certainly is volumes that can, and should be be said on the values of educating oneself on the issues of the day and voting intelligently using the faculties of ones own mind. This of course is in direct opposition to catching a few sound bites that sound good and makes you "feel good" about the false comparisons of the two major party candidates.

All indications suggest that the 2012 vote will be a very close one. Barack Obama has never trailed Romney in head-to-head matchups with Romney over the past nine months. Obama currently holds a four-point advantage (50% to 46%) among all registered voters, which is not statistically significant. And if the higher engagement and interest among Republicans persists through the fall, that alone could reduce any advantage Obama has enjoyed.

For example, among the two-thirds of registered voters who say they have given a lot of thought to the campaign, 47% favor Obama and 50% Romney. Similarly, the race is tied among the roughly three-quarters who say they are closely following campaign news (48% Obama, 49% Romney). Obama holds sizable leads among voters who are less engaged with the campaign.

6-21-12 #20

Candidate Romney has failed miserably in the arena of creating enthusiasm for his candidacy. He has been the flip flopper who seemingly has not found his own core set of principles. This plays poorly with the "educated" American electorate. As in... those who do not vote the squishy, feely, altruistic morality the collectivist mindset (the category which the majority of Americans actually fall into) places above that of substance and reality. For candidate Romney therein lies his greatest opportunity. If he finds the courage, and the chutzpah to grab it and run with it he could very well be the next President of the United States of America.

As is typical when incumbents are running for reelection, Barack Obama looms large in the choices of both Democratic- and Republican-oriented voters. Obama’s supporters back him strongly – as strongly as they did in 2008 – and say their vote is an expression of support for the president. And while there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm for Mitt Romney among many who intend to vote for him, their deep dislike of Obama shores up their support for Romney.

Fully 91% of Obama’s supporters have a favorable view of the president, while the same share of his opponents view him unfavorably. But there is an imbalance in the intensity of these feelings. Just over half (53%) of Romney voters have a very unfavorable opinion of Obama, as compared to 38% of Obama voters who have a very favorable opinion.

Romney voters’ intensely negative views of Obama are not matched by equally intense positive views of their own candidate. Although about three-quarters (74%) of those who intend to vote for Romney say they have a favorable impression of him, just 14% say that impression is very favorable.

Because of these differing views of the candidates, Democrats are clearly more enthusiastic about voting for Obama than Republicans are about voting for Romney: 60% of Obama’s supporters back him strongly; by comparison, just 38% of Romney voters support him strongly. An earlier Pew Research Center survey, conducted May 9-June 3, found 72% of Obama’s supporters saying their choice was more of a vote for Obama than against Romney. By contrast, most Romney voters (58%) described their vote as a vote against Obama rather than for Romney (38%).

While less enthusiastic, Republican voters are no less committed to seeing Romney win. Fully 87% of Romney voters say there is no chance they will change their mind, as do 81% of Obama supporters. Romney voters also are more likely to say it “really matters who wins” this election (69% vs. 63%). And as discussed in Section 1, Romney voters exceed Obama voters on key measures of engagement.


Please take another moment and visit the Pew Research Center to read the rest of the poll.

For those like myself who view both the Republican and Democrat 2012 presidential candidates as misdirected, unqualified, and lacking in inspiration there is a viable, qualified candidate with more executive experience than the other two candidate combined. He is Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (be sure to click on the image for more info).

If we are to change American politics and reverse the nation's downward spiral we must start by changing the "twin" two party variants of the same befuddled and ultimately destructive ideology.

Perhaps it is time to start over from the basics. Which is of course to say rationally apply the logical classical liberal principles to today's realities.

Via: Memorandum

Comments

  1. Someone else already said it: "Mitt Romney is the 'Meh' candidate.


    And he can't sing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You said is Les.

    Gary Johnson is the best alternative we have to the Republiocrats and their meaningless Coke vs Pepsi arguments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hoping Gary pulls 15 to 20 percent and maybe, just maybe we'll have a viable third party candidate in 2016.

      Delete
    2. His chances may be getting better. His invite to speak at Paul Festival may just be a sign that the Paulbots may be willing to finally embrace him.

      Delete
    3. It certainly makes a lot of sense for the liberty movement if Ron Paul's supporters embrace him. What would be really great is if Ron Paul himself were to endorse him. But of course that will never happen. POLITICS and his son's future re paramount in his mind I'm sure.

      Delete
  3. Just like last time, it comes down to voting for the lesser of two great evils, with most voters not being bright enough to know the difference.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately it is awfully hard to tell the difference between the two great evils. And it has been getting harder for the past 25 years or so.

      That's why Gary Johnson is the best alternative. A real candidate with a proven tract record running on the Libertarian ticket. We must build for the future. Assuming there is one after Obama and or Romney.

      Delete
  4. There seems to be a significant enthusiasm deficit for both of these individuals. I sure as hell lack enthusiasm for 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Les, it's not the "flip-flopper" thing. It's the 'Let's go back to Reaganism' thing.

    You libertarians have to be more realistic just as unions have lately. We have to find a middle ground there. And I happily consider myself neither one or the other. Work. It. Out.

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Jersey, you... Work. It. Out.

      Delete
    2. But I'll give you a tip to help you.

      Stop projecting your ill informed paradigms onto Libertarians.

      Delete
  6. given the results of the polls along with the comments in here, i might add another possible conclusion. people are more driven by ideology today rather than by the pesonalities of the candidates than was the case in the past.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, Griper, you have made an interesting observation.

      Following that thought would it lead to the possibility that the successful politicians, (those who get elected) would tap into a particular ideology that plays well, morph their personalities to fit the ideology, and then run with it?

      Sounds vaguely familiar. Would you agree Griper?

      Delete
  7. Johnson will be lucky to get 5%.

    This poll does confirm our suspicions that the clueless and the ignorant vote for Obama...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Silver, I might argue that there are many who are clueless and not well educated that in fact will vote for Obama in a robotic like daze. And yes this group is the group that needs to self educate. It is also the group least likely to do so.

      On the other hand, how do you account for those individuals that are highly educated (I use my brother as an example: he graduated college with honors with a degree in economics, went on to graduate from the Wang Institute of Technology (now defunct), held six figure jobs traveling around the world) and support Obama? I have found myself in several conversations on the subject of Obama and his presidency. They were intelligent conversations. My brother remains supportive of Obama. Not because Obama is viewed as so good by him. Rather than he sees Obama the lesser of two evils.

      Lumping all voters who support Obama into the ignorant and clueless group makes about as much sense as lumping all supporters of Romney in the clueless and ignorant group.

      Simply put the choices today suck. And yet We the People continue to make the same Coke or Pepsi choices. Them we bend over backwards rationalizing to ourselves things are going to change. They are not.

      So, make the decision to make the changes that will PERHAPS break the cycle. Change bis never easy, most find it uncomfortable, and many fear it. It worked in 1776, for approximately 143 years. Perhaps it's time... But it is no longer the 18th century.

      Delete
  8. The educated elite fall for Hayek's "Fatal Conceit" that if government just gets enough pointy-headed experts in the room, it can solve all of our problems. What an indictment of our colleges and universities, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  9. this has been happening to both parties since the beginning of the 20th century, very subtly of course in the beginning until Roosevelt came into power. then after the big war, both sides saw a common enemy, the spread of Communism. once the U.S.S.R. fell then ideology really heated up. and that is where we are today, a battle of ideologies for control of the nation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Griper. The only comment I might add is that it really started heating up IMO with Woodrow Wilson, the League of Nations, and his decision to engage the nation in the War To End All Wars.

      I view Wilson as preparing the way for FDR and really believe Wilson shared the very same collectivist values FDR was so effective in instilling in the thought process of the American people.

      Just the opinion of one perhaps but I believe history backs it up.

      Delete
    2. Les, the fact that Mr. Wilson raised the top tax rates from the teens to 70% I believe is a part of that history (not to mention a contributing factor to the Depression of 1921).

      Delete
    3. Thank you for reminding of the tax legacy Wilson left as well as result of his tinkering.

      Delete

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