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Fun with polls I: GOP’s crockpot meltdown

18 comments on Fun with polls I: GOP’s crockpot meltdown

Fun with polls I

: Today’s Wall Street Journal poll (free link) reveals splits among Republicans. Yes, I know, we’ll hear from the GOP how this demonstrates their big tent. But I think it shows that the party’s leadership is out of touch with its membership and though support for Bush remains strong, the theo-moralistic-meddling fringe has jumped the shark:

The Schiavo case has opened another rift. Though Mr. Bush and Republican congressional leaders acted to maximize the opportunity for reinserting Ms. Schiavo’s feeding tube, 39% of Republicans said removing the tube was “the right thing to do,” while 48% said it was wrong. …

“It’s a story that splits our party,” says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducts the Journal/NBC survey with his Democratic counterpart Peter Hart. A similar split on Social Security, he adds, will make it “hard, but not impossible” for Mr. Bush to accomplish the centerpiece of his second-term agenda….

Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say Congress shouldn’t pass legislation affecting families in cases such as Ms. Schiavo’s, though some Republicans on Capitol Hill aim to do just that. By 50%-37%, Republicans say the federal government should be “less active” on social and moral issues; on gay marriage Republicans split evenly, with 48% saying Congress should pass legislation and 47% saying it shouldn’t.

Let’s put that in bold and italics: “By 50%-37%, Republicans say the federal government should be less active’ on social and moral issues.” Among all voters, that’s 54-35%.

So butt out, bozos. Build roads. Fight wars. Print money. But stay out of our lives. Got the message?

18 responses to “Fun with polls I: GOP’s crockpot meltdown”

  1. Todd Fletcher Avatar
    Todd Fletcher

    Wow, Jeff, the line pilsener quoted just nails it!

  2. paladin Avatar
    paladin

    At least you get a chance to debate the issues if you’re a Republican. Democrats are the party of groupthink. Ever notice what happens to Democrats who don’t toe the party line?

    Also, don’t foget that thanks to the Democrats not “butting out” of our private lives, our underaged daughters can have abortions without parental permission or knowledge. Makes you proud to be a Democrat, doesn’t it Jeff?

  3. Quilly Mammoth Avatar
    Quilly Mammoth

    The problem that the Republicans have is they have lost the message that some issues should be local issues. Instead of trying to make changes on the Federal level they should be trying to keep some things at the state, or below, level. Their response to the escalation of certain events to the federal stage shouldn’t be to go there themselves.
    Republican pundits will say that since some issues are now on the Federal stage that they have to be playing there as well. That’s a hard line to sell as the effects of the new Federal Education bill are felt and after the Congress intervened in the Schiavo case.

  4. EverKarl Avatar
    EverKarl

    Jeff, is there no story that you will not spin into an attack on the Democrats? I’m going to eBay now to bid on advertising space on other people’s bodies to demand your resignation. Right after I polish off that last box of Ho-Hos.

  5. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    The Republicans are only for States’ Rights when the states side with Republicans. Otherwise we need emergency legislation.
    Politicians of all stripes – just leave us alone.

  6. Timothy Avatar
    Timothy

    Karl: Precisely how did Jeff spin this into an attack on Democrats? Methinks you might a touch confused.
    Jeff: This is further evidence that the GOP/libertarian relationship is somewhat tenuous. If the Dems suddenly became a small government party, I’d jump ship in a heart beat. Unfortunately it seems that neither party is a small government party anymore.

  7. paladin Avatar
    paladin

    Don’t forget the PC police, or the sexual harrassment laws that Clinton signed while he was diddling an intern. To paint Republicans as the party crushing free speech and invading our privacy is disingenuous and a lie. The majority of “crushing of dissent” and invading our privacy is big-government Democrats and their pals on the left. Nice try on changing the subject, though.

  8. Tommy B Avatar
    Tommy B

    What if the question is framed on the Judiciary?
    By 50%-37%, Republicans say the judiciary should be less active’ on social and moral issues.
    Wouldn’t this be true too?

  9. pianoman Avatar
    pianoman

    If the GOP would do what Jeff says, the crazed fundies might split off and try to start their own third party. Thing is, there aren’t enough of the crazed fundies to matter. Victory is still in the center.

  10. David 2 Avatar
    David 2

    The problem is that the “crazed fundies” are the ones that show up at the polls year in and year out. The fundies aren’t just fair weather supporters like rest of the people who vote GOP. They’re there at every primary and election. They have adopted the old political saying of “if you don’t vote then my vote counts twice” because they know that most of the center-to-libertarian voters won’t show up unless there was an issue that really mattered to them.
    The party players play up to these people because they know that they can guarantee their vote on election day, which is more than can be said for the rest of the folks who call themselves republicans.

  11. h0mi Avatar
    h0mi

    Jeff, is there no story that you will not spin into an attack on the Democrats?

    Jeff never mentioned Democrats in his blog post and certainly did not attack them.

    The problem is that the “crazed fundies” are the ones that show up at the polls year in and year out.

    They did in 2004 but did not in 2000, which is how Bush’s polling lead vanished. They did in 94 but didn’t really in 96 either.

  12. owl Avatar
    owl

    This reminds me of the exit polls. Worse, because so many believe it.
    This is a very complex issue, with a zillion different angles involved. If you breathe, you have an opinion. Ask me a question a certain way, you get a certain answer. A different way, a different answer.
    The crack up is in everyone’s imagination. So dream on, take the polls, believe the polls. Then think “exit polls” and sea of red.
    It is exactly like that “morals” thing that all obsessed after the election. A great many people did not understand that either.
    But this so-called crack-up, ain’t happenin. Exit polls. Debate polls. MSM polls. Nope.

  13. Adriane Avatar
    Adriane

    Honor Killings are also, a private family matter. Better for the government to stay out of those too.
    Incest, spousal abuse, forced marriages of pre-teens to their uncles, yep, yep, yep, private family matters, all.

  14. Derek Avatar
    Derek

    Owl’s back with more incisive comments. Polls don’t matter. Polls are always wrong. Exit polls. Don’t listen to what the people say. Exit polls. 9/11. Polls are always wrong. Exit polls. Only people like owl know how we should live. Exit polls. The government, starting with GWB, should decide how to live our lives for us. Exit polls. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Remember the exit polls. Long live the exit polls. The federal government (and people like the brilliant and brilliantly-named owl) should do your thinking for you. Exit polls. Exit polls.

  15. Steve J. Avatar
    Steve J.

    Over at PoliPundit, a commenter thought that this poll was just more bias from the liberal media (WSJ!).

  16. Derek Avatar
    Derek

    Of course, Steve J. When certain people, like owl, don’t get their way, everything—polls, multiple decisions by state and federal courts, election results—is dismissed as not valid.
    Owl’s loopy “exit poll” refrain prooves this: the exit polls were flawed. But polls showing Americans are obssessed with morality are of course accurate. These people are priceless!

  17. owl Avatar
    owl

    Derek-
    Call me loopy but at least I had enough sense not to even consider believing half of what I saw published in your major media last year.
    And how about those impressive debate polls. You could go to CNN, NBC, CBS or MSNBC and guess what each of them said? All the major papers. They said Kerry won all three debates. HA. Sure.
    The only poll that was legit was the results of the vote. Darn it, didn’t you have a poll about that also? (please say you didn’t believe Rather’s Memogate)

  18. carsonfire Avatar
    carsonfire

    I’m with owl. I can’t see much evidence of this crackup, except for on paper, and it’s fueling a heckuva lot of wishful thinking on the part of Democrats, still angsty over Kerry’s loss.
    Republicans, although the majority party now, are used to suffering unpleasant setbacks and losses, and moving on. The Schiavo case is not much different from the Elian Gonzalez case, which Republicans were also split over. The difference: a majority of Republicans were sour at the sight of Reno’s armed squad snatching a child from a family; Republicans who disagreed on the Schiavo case saw a moderate Republican administration in action (in stark contrast to Clinton’s) in that they did *not* try to force their will in the same fashion.
    Despite the hot air, this administration simply did *not* overstep its bounds as previous administrations have done. Simply fighting for an outcome is not forcing an outcome.