The People Speak
As we close out the week by marking the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency with the first annual UPI Presidential Performance Poll, I want to say a few words about the January 19th special election in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts.
I feel like The Revolution began last Tuesday. Over the past year, I had privately voiced speculations that armed insurrection in America was not out of the question if the current administration continued hell-bent with their socialistic policies that were threatening to turn us into a modern version of Germany’s pre-Hitler Weimar Republic. The notion is outlandish at first blush, but despite the Great Electoral Hoodwink of 2008 and the apathetic indolence that has engulfed us for most of the last 30 years, the American people will only accept so much before we respond. I plan to spend the next ten months reminding anyone who cares to listen that we can take our country back from the lying, corrupt, unresponsive weasels in Washington, beginning with the mid-term elections in November. Last Tuesday was the opening shot, and it was fired not on the barricades in the streets, but at the ballot box. The irony of this event taking place in the state where “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” was literally fired in 1776 should not be lost upon anyone. The fact that Scott Brown—a Republican “nobody”—could reclaim Ted Kennedy’s “legacy seat” in the U.S. Senate in a state where only 11% of the voters are registered Republicans sends a message that cannot be ignored. Fear, loathing and anger at the new bosses was simmering in the public consciousness, and it boiled over the first time the polls opened with an opportunity for rational expression of that displeasure. Unlike so many Third World banana republics, we don’t need tanks and burning tires in the street to change aspects of our government that we don’t like. Our votes are sacrosanct, and sufficient.
In a poll taken after the Massachusetts election, 72% of the respondents said that this was more than a local decision on filling a vacant Senate seat; it was a national referendum on the performance of Those People under the messianic leadership of President Obama’s cult of personality. I would have to be counted in that majority. Something profound happened that is hard to put into words. As I put it to Miz Possum the next morning: “I feel like…well, you’ve seen it in countless movies. The car goes out of control, through the guardrail, and is teetering on the edge of the cliff. I feel like we’ve been pulled back from the brink of some precipice.” (That’s verbatim; I occasionally really speak that way.)
The Kennedy dynasty in Massachusetts, while still extant, is shattered. More importantly, the Red Herring’s stranglehold on Congress is broken. We’re not out of the woods yet, but it is the beginning of the restoration of representative government in America. Unfortunately, the lesson of the importance of responsive government seems completely lost on Those People. The Manchurian Candidate, in a post-election interview, compared the anger of the people in Massachusetts to the disaffection that propelled him into office, and in the same breath blamed George W. Bush for sparking that anger. A friend from the Midwest called Wednesday morning to tell me about the denial taking place at NBC’s “Today Show”, which was apparently not reporting the election results at all, as though they would go away if they were not spoken of.
Anyone who has seen any archival footage of War II in the Pacific is familiar with the analogy I want to offer: the Japanese kamikaze pilots diving to their deaths through a hail of gunfire. That was how I pictured Those People—the Democrats—in their frenzy to foist “healthcare reform” and their big-government policies upon us. Like the Japanese pilots, they knew they were diving to their destruction, but they continued their downward spiral with gritted teeth and white knuckles. Now, the few remaining sensible Democrats have pulled their noses up, throttled back their engines, and headed for home. They don’t want to crash and burn with the fanatics, so they are beginning to get crossways with their own ideologues. These moderates may get re-elected, and America can continue to have a representative two-party system of responsive government.
I certainly hope this is the case. Spirited debate and bipartisanship for the common good is the essence of good leadership. The arrogant abuse of absolute power and dismissal of the needs and desires of the people is what keeps dictators in power. Congress is where the laws are made, and if abuse of power is taking place under the laws of the land, it is time to change the laws and the law-makers. Our opportunity to reverse the current sad state of America comes this fall, and I hope everyone reading this will take advantage of it.
Gallup and Rasmussen have their polling bases; United Possums has ours. Unlike the professional pollsters, the UPI demographic is small and unscientific. I think the UPI Constant Readers represent a decent cross-section of the American public, and their opinions illustrate the sentiments of the public at large. My poll was simple: four questions about the president’s first year in office, and the results thereof. Of the polls sent out, I received a 35% response, which is better than a lot of election turn-outs. I want to thank everyone who played along at home. You know who you are, and your comments were enlightening. Every form had a comment section, and those are presented unedited below the formal results. This was a serious and honest poll, and the responses have not been altered in any way. The poll form is in its original format, and the “X” answers in the provided spaces are mine, added after the blanks were sent. The comments are all those of Constant Readers. Enough said; here ya go:
1. Personally, are you:
( ) better off than this time last year? - 7%
( ) worse off than last year? - 58%
(X) about the same as last year? - 35%
2. Overall, do you consider America to be:
( ) better off than this time last year? - 0%
(X) worse off than last year? - 79%
( ) about the same as last year? - 21%
3. Do you believe that President Obama has fulfilled/lived up to his campaign promises?
( ) Pretty much 0%
( ) Somewhat - 21%
(X) Not at all - 79%
4. Regarding the president's actions and policies during the past year, do you:
( ) Strongly approve
( ) Somewhat approve - 7%
( ) Somewhat disapprove
(X) Strongly disapprove - 93%
Comments (150 words or less, please):
• We are heading toward Socialism. Obama's agenda must be stopped. Cap and Trade, and Obamacare must be stopped. Thank God for Scott Brown. I hope he turns out to be a true conservative. Newt will be the best candidate in 2012. Sarah can't win. Let her be the cheerleader...Newt is the smartest of the whole bunch.
• Obama has proven to be about what I expected. I'd hoped that the lousy state of the economy might slow down his socialistic policies, but apparently not.
• I wish Obama had stood up more to the GOP bullies in Congress and pushed more of his agenda through, the way Bush pushed his bullshit through. But unlike W, Obama actually respects the law.
• President Obama is just a sock puppet, controlled by more intelligent, but evil, minds. He is a petty, vindictive small minded man. He is filled with self-pity and totally egotistical. He never takes responsibility for any of his actions, but is always right there if praise is being handed out. He is a laughing-stock to the world, and is too stupid to realize it. He has placed the United States in the most dangerous situation we have faced, since the Russians put missiles in Cuba. The Trials in New York City will place that whole state into incredible peril.
• Obama is an idiot. 'Nuff said.
• I consider ourselves better off because of our own management (not from any outside source) – we got totally out of debt two months ago – preparing for possible job loss. Regarding the country, we are moving further away from our Constitutional form of government and it is because Obama has done exactly as he said he would do. He promised socialism and that is what he is giving us.
• Mr. Obama is an unmitigated disaster proving, as I've been saying the last two years, that he's nothing but an empty suit with a gift from reading from a teleprompter. He's an ever present danger and menace to the American Republic and it's compounded by the fact socialist Democrats are wanting to turn America into a velvet gulag to their liking. Ineffective nanny government at its worst despite the high-minded intentions of Democrats.
• 1. Personally, worse off than last year because of a huge cut in salary--not necessarily Obama's fault.
2. Nation is worse off because of more debt, more corruption, and bribery.
3. He promised change, but what change? So my answer is that I don't like the change, fear the changes, and believe the constitution has been ignored, destroyed.
4. Strongly disapprove of debt, delay in troops, appointment of czars, taking over companies, ARROGANT attitude, corruption, and thuggery.
• Obama ran as a stealth candidate, pretending to be a centrist/independent and banking on the historic nature of his race to win the independent vote. He then governed from his true leftwing ideology; "full speed ahead before they recognize I'm not that guy". We're starting to recognize him.
• I live in the sinking black hole of SE Michigan (I think the unemployment rate in my county is over 20%). Although I don't blame Obama for getting us here (that goes straight to Jennifer "Ol' Moley Face" Grandholm), his policies since election HAS made it worse. Who in their right mind thinking of starting or expanding a business would hire anyone these days? With the future unknowns of additional fines, taxes and mandates from the Federal government on health care, energy and forced/sneaky possible unionization, no smart business person would.
• I feel that Obama has lived up to the promises that he intended to keep from the beginning - not everything he promised during the campaign. He's too wishy washy. He needs to grow a backbone and get some things accomplished rather than playing peacemaker among all the other politicians.
I feel like The Revolution began last Tuesday. Over the past year, I had privately voiced speculations that armed insurrection in America was not out of the question if the current administration continued hell-bent with their socialistic policies that were threatening to turn us into a modern version of Germany’s pre-Hitler Weimar Republic. The notion is outlandish at first blush, but despite the Great Electoral Hoodwink of 2008 and the apathetic indolence that has engulfed us for most of the last 30 years, the American people will only accept so much before we respond. I plan to spend the next ten months reminding anyone who cares to listen that we can take our country back from the lying, corrupt, unresponsive weasels in Washington, beginning with the mid-term elections in November. Last Tuesday was the opening shot, and it was fired not on the barricades in the streets, but at the ballot box. The irony of this event taking place in the state where “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” was literally fired in 1776 should not be lost upon anyone. The fact that Scott Brown—a Republican “nobody”—could reclaim Ted Kennedy’s “legacy seat” in the U.S. Senate in a state where only 11% of the voters are registered Republicans sends a message that cannot be ignored. Fear, loathing and anger at the new bosses was simmering in the public consciousness, and it boiled over the first time the polls opened with an opportunity for rational expression of that displeasure. Unlike so many Third World banana republics, we don’t need tanks and burning tires in the street to change aspects of our government that we don’t like. Our votes are sacrosanct, and sufficient.
In a poll taken after the Massachusetts election, 72% of the respondents said that this was more than a local decision on filling a vacant Senate seat; it was a national referendum on the performance of Those People under the messianic leadership of President Obama’s cult of personality. I would have to be counted in that majority. Something profound happened that is hard to put into words. As I put it to Miz Possum the next morning: “I feel like…well, you’ve seen it in countless movies. The car goes out of control, through the guardrail, and is teetering on the edge of the cliff. I feel like we’ve been pulled back from the brink of some precipice.” (That’s verbatim; I occasionally really speak that way.)
The Kennedy dynasty in Massachusetts, while still extant, is shattered. More importantly, the Red Herring’s stranglehold on Congress is broken. We’re not out of the woods yet, but it is the beginning of the restoration of representative government in America. Unfortunately, the lesson of the importance of responsive government seems completely lost on Those People. The Manchurian Candidate, in a post-election interview, compared the anger of the people in Massachusetts to the disaffection that propelled him into office, and in the same breath blamed George W. Bush for sparking that anger. A friend from the Midwest called Wednesday morning to tell me about the denial taking place at NBC’s “Today Show”, which was apparently not reporting the election results at all, as though they would go away if they were not spoken of.
Anyone who has seen any archival footage of War II in the Pacific is familiar with the analogy I want to offer: the Japanese kamikaze pilots diving to their deaths through a hail of gunfire. That was how I pictured Those People—the Democrats—in their frenzy to foist “healthcare reform” and their big-government policies upon us. Like the Japanese pilots, they knew they were diving to their destruction, but they continued their downward spiral with gritted teeth and white knuckles. Now, the few remaining sensible Democrats have pulled their noses up, throttled back their engines, and headed for home. They don’t want to crash and burn with the fanatics, so they are beginning to get crossways with their own ideologues. These moderates may get re-elected, and America can continue to have a representative two-party system of responsive government.
I certainly hope this is the case. Spirited debate and bipartisanship for the common good is the essence of good leadership. The arrogant abuse of absolute power and dismissal of the needs and desires of the people is what keeps dictators in power. Congress is where the laws are made, and if abuse of power is taking place under the laws of the land, it is time to change the laws and the law-makers. Our opportunity to reverse the current sad state of America comes this fall, and I hope everyone reading this will take advantage of it.
Gallup and Rasmussen have their polling bases; United Possums has ours. Unlike the professional pollsters, the UPI demographic is small and unscientific. I think the UPI Constant Readers represent a decent cross-section of the American public, and their opinions illustrate the sentiments of the public at large. My poll was simple: four questions about the president’s first year in office, and the results thereof. Of the polls sent out, I received a 35% response, which is better than a lot of election turn-outs. I want to thank everyone who played along at home. You know who you are, and your comments were enlightening. Every form had a comment section, and those are presented unedited below the formal results. This was a serious and honest poll, and the responses have not been altered in any way. The poll form is in its original format, and the “X” answers in the provided spaces are mine, added after the blanks were sent. The comments are all those of Constant Readers. Enough said; here ya go:
1. Personally, are you:
( ) better off than this time last year? - 7%
( ) worse off than last year? - 58%
(X) about the same as last year? - 35%
2. Overall, do you consider America to be:
( ) better off than this time last year? - 0%
(X) worse off than last year? - 79%
( ) about the same as last year? - 21%
3. Do you believe that President Obama has fulfilled/lived up to his campaign promises?
( ) Pretty much 0%
( ) Somewhat - 21%
(X) Not at all - 79%
4. Regarding the president's actions and policies during the past year, do you:
( ) Strongly approve
( ) Somewhat approve - 7%
( ) Somewhat disapprove
(X) Strongly disapprove - 93%
Comments (150 words or less, please):
• We are heading toward Socialism. Obama's agenda must be stopped. Cap and Trade, and Obamacare must be stopped. Thank God for Scott Brown. I hope he turns out to be a true conservative. Newt will be the best candidate in 2012. Sarah can't win. Let her be the cheerleader...Newt is the smartest of the whole bunch.
• Obama has proven to be about what I expected. I'd hoped that the lousy state of the economy might slow down his socialistic policies, but apparently not.
• I wish Obama had stood up more to the GOP bullies in Congress and pushed more of his agenda through, the way Bush pushed his bullshit through. But unlike W, Obama actually respects the law.
• President Obama is just a sock puppet, controlled by more intelligent, but evil, minds. He is a petty, vindictive small minded man. He is filled with self-pity and totally egotistical. He never takes responsibility for any of his actions, but is always right there if praise is being handed out. He is a laughing-stock to the world, and is too stupid to realize it. He has placed the United States in the most dangerous situation we have faced, since the Russians put missiles in Cuba. The Trials in New York City will place that whole state into incredible peril.
• Obama is an idiot. 'Nuff said.
• I consider ourselves better off because of our own management (not from any outside source) – we got totally out of debt two months ago – preparing for possible job loss. Regarding the country, we are moving further away from our Constitutional form of government and it is because Obama has done exactly as he said he would do. He promised socialism and that is what he is giving us.
• Mr. Obama is an unmitigated disaster proving, as I've been saying the last two years, that he's nothing but an empty suit with a gift from reading from a teleprompter. He's an ever present danger and menace to the American Republic and it's compounded by the fact socialist Democrats are wanting to turn America into a velvet gulag to their liking. Ineffective nanny government at its worst despite the high-minded intentions of Democrats.
• 1. Personally, worse off than last year because of a huge cut in salary--not necessarily Obama's fault.
2. Nation is worse off because of more debt, more corruption, and bribery.
3. He promised change, but what change? So my answer is that I don't like the change, fear the changes, and believe the constitution has been ignored, destroyed.
4. Strongly disapprove of debt, delay in troops, appointment of czars, taking over companies, ARROGANT attitude, corruption, and thuggery.
• Obama ran as a stealth candidate, pretending to be a centrist/independent and banking on the historic nature of his race to win the independent vote. He then governed from his true leftwing ideology; "full speed ahead before they recognize I'm not that guy". We're starting to recognize him.
• I live in the sinking black hole of SE Michigan (I think the unemployment rate in my county is over 20%). Although I don't blame Obama for getting us here (that goes straight to Jennifer "Ol' Moley Face" Grandholm), his policies since election HAS made it worse. Who in their right mind thinking of starting or expanding a business would hire anyone these days? With the future unknowns of additional fines, taxes and mandates from the Federal government on health care, energy and forced/sneaky possible unionization, no smart business person would.
• I feel that Obama has lived up to the promises that he intended to keep from the beginning - not everything he promised during the campaign. He's too wishy washy. He needs to grow a backbone and get some things accomplished rather than playing peacemaker among all the other politicians.
posted by Robert at 6:11 PM
3 Comments:
Eleven(teen!) comments; eleven(teen!) responses?
Interesting stuff Possum! Good work. Of course, you know my take on the situation:
http://viewhigh.blogspot.com/2010/01/change-of-pace.html
(:D) Best regards...
No, Jack, a lot of the forms were returned without comment. Still, UPI has a tiny demographic selection compared to the professionals. I think the results still came out remarkably close to the national averages by the big boys. In the article, I meant to say "every form had a comment section", and I tweaked my wording to reflect this.
35% is still a better turn-out than most elections. I plan to work on that percentage for next November with some serious cheerleading for people to get out and vote, no matter what their political persuasion may be.
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