Conservatives Single Largest Ideological Group in US

Tyler · 06-15-2009, 07:17 PM

Now, I know these threads may not be looked so highly upon, but alas. I came across this today and found it pretty interesting, actually. Love to know what you all think. And no, this isn't graphicgr8s in disguise

Conservatives Are Single-Largest Ideological Group

*graphicgr8s* · 06-15-2009, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Tyler

Now, I know these threads may not be looked so highly upon, but alas. I came across this today and found it pretty interesting, actually. Love to know what you all think. And no, this isn't graphicgr8s in disguise

Conservatives Are Single-Largest Ideological Group

Darn right you're not me. Now send me your K20. NOW!

**Damn Brit** · 06-15-2009, 08:20 PM

I think the liberals have the nicest colour though.

*deadwolfbones* · 06-15-2009, 09:00 PM

...which means that basically all of the conservatives voted for McCain, and everyone else voted for Obama. No surprise there.

flippedgazelle · 06-15-2009, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Tyler

Now, I know these threads may not be looked so highly upon, but alas. I came across this today and found it pretty interesting, actually. Love to know what you all think. And no, this isn't graphicgr8s in disguise

I think people who pigeonhole themselves with political labels need to get outside their own heads more.

*Wheatfield* · 06-15-2009, 09:30 PM

It's all conservatives actually.
The C is just bigger with some than it is with others.

wildman · 06-16-2009, 12:23 AM

"Conservatives Single Largest Ideological Group in US"

I would think the single largest group is non ideological.

To be ideological places you in a minority status to begin with.

Dom · 06-16-2009, 01:51 AM

I don't want to offend or belittle anybody but. So what. From where I'm sitting that's the least of your worries.

MPrince · 06-16-2009, 04:37 AM

Originally Posted by deadwolfbones

...which means that basically all of the conservatives voted for McCain, and everyone else voted for Obama. No surprise there.

Except that McCain is not particularly conservative, so it is a surprise. For whatever reason, McCain's campaign did not appeal to the moderate voter. On top of that, the financial meltdown (which would have happened regardless of which party held the presidency) was, I think, a big factor in convincing a lot of non-ideological voters to vote against the incumbent party.

*cardinal43* · 06-16-2009, 05:15 AM

I consider myself to be a moderately-conservative-liberal. Or, a liberaly-moderate-conservative. There, I'm safe.

slomojoe · 06-16-2009, 09:43 AM

That's been the case for decades. A few years back, a pollster (forgot which one) ran two simultaneous polls, one with "liberal" and the other one with "progressive" as alternatives to "conservative". The result was that using the term "progressive" increased the "leftists" by about 10%, and paradoxically decreased the "conservatives" by a small but significant bit, so the two were essentially tie with "moderates" slightly ahead.

Basically, "liberal" is kind of a loaded word in American politics, and some left-of-center people are reluctant to identify with it. But since it's the term that's always been used, pollsters continue to use it to analyze trends.

RoxnDox · 06-16-2009, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by MPrince

Except that McCain is not particularly conservative, so it is a surprise. For whatever reason, McCain's campaign did not appeal to the moderate voter. On top of that, the financial meltdown (which would have happened regardless of which party held the presidency) was, I think, a big factor in convincing a lot of non-ideological voters to vote against the incumbent party.

McCain's campaign appealed to this moderate voter. His *running mate* did not! I have no desire to live in a theocracy, and every time she spoke I kept hearing echoes in my mind of the Rev Nehemiah Scudder.

No Thanks!!!

Jim

*NaClH2O* · 06-16-2009, 12:39 PM

The graphic is a bit misleading. The 40% is a running average from 1992. If you go to the gallup site you will see that for 2009 at least 35% are moderates 31% conservative and 16% liberal, tho I would be willing to bet that the numbers would change dramatically if you were to change the label "liberal" for "progressive" as slomojoe suggested.

NaCl(in polling what you ask is what you get)H2O

Gooshin · 06-16-2009, 01:17 PM

every once in awhile i have to read up on the concepts of conservative and liberal schools of thought, because hard as i try, its near impossible to ever solidify a real answer.

i am wholly convinced that when asked "are you a liberal, or a conservative", the average American has no clue what so ever what these terms even mean, drawing on vague notions of self understanding they come up with a weak answer to this ambiguous question.

the question in my eyes was "obama or mccain", obama won, so.. deal with it. =\

jsherman999 · 06-16-2009, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by Gooshin

every once in awhile i have to read up on the concepts of conservative and liberal schools of thought, because hard as i try, its near impossible to ever solidify a real answer.

i am wholly convinced that when asked "are you a liberal, or a conservative", the average American has no clue what so ever what these terms even mean, drawing on vague notions of self understanding they come up with a weak answer to this ambiguous question.

the question in my eyes was "obama or mccain", obama won, so.. deal with it. =\

Well put.

Also: Fox News sucks.

.