More Americans Now Call Themselves Democrats

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Dardedar
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More Americans Now Call Themselves Democrats

Post by Dardedar »

DAR
There really is a shift going. I think someone is going to get a spanking this fall.

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Gallup: In Shift, More Americans Now Call Themselves Democrats

By E&P Staff

Published: March 29, 2006 12:15 PM ET

NEW YORK In a (perhaps) historic shift, more Americans now consider themselves Democrats than Republicans, the Gallup organization revealed today.

Republicans had gained the upper hand in recent years, but 33% of Americans, in the latest Gallup poll, now call themselves Democrats, with those favoring the GOP one point behind. But Gallup says this widens a bit more "once the leanings of Independents are taken into account."

Independents now make up 34% of the population. When asked if they lean in a certain direction, their answers pushed the Democrat numbers to 49% with Republicans at 42%. One year ago, the parties were dead even at 46% each.

This shift indicates, Gallup says, why its polls show Democrats leading in this year's congressional races.

The latest poll was taken from January to March 2006, with a national sample of about 1,000 adults.
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Barbara Fitzpatrick
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Post by Barbara Fitzpatrick »

Maybe. Remember who counts the votes.
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Post by Hogeye »

What does it matter which faction of the War Party people vote for? I measure progress by looking at the percentage of people who don't vote. (And don't pay taxes, and who ignore unjust laws, etc.) And how many people refer to the State as "them" or "those assholes" rather than "us" or "we."

Trading warmonger Hitlery for warmonger Bush is not progress!
"May the the last king be strangled in the guts of the last priest." - Diderot
With every drop of my blood I hate and execrate every form of tyranny, every form of slavery. I hate dictation. I love liberty. - Ingersoll
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Post by Barbara Fitzpatrick »

What does it matter which party? It matters a whole lot to the kids who don't eat without food stamps or free lunch programs - and to the mothers who want to work, but whose jobs don't pay for childcare without assistance, and to the elders living on their Social Security retirement annuity benefits, and to the folks of all ages who'd freeze without winter fuel assistance. It matters to people who work for the government in one or another of its entities (local, state, or fed), including teachers and "first responders". It matters to everyone who uses US dollars as their medium of exchange (or faux money based on US dollars) and that's 100% of us living in America - including the people who don't vote, don't pay taxes (apparently living on the street and dumpster-diving for all their necessities), and refer to the State as "those assholes". It matters to everyone using roads or navigable waterways. It matters to everyone needing potable water (again all of us). It matters to a whole lot of people for a whole lot of reasons. Living in poverty and fear under local war lords is worse than living in poverty and fear under a "stong man" despot because it's less stable. I know too much of history to share a "little birds in their nest agree" belief in the voluntary sharing and caring of humanity. Most folks follow laws, but the few who don't can and do make life hell for everyone else. That's why government was created in the first place.
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Post by Betsy »

there a probably a lot of people like me, who registered independent and never claimed either party until the last election.
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Post by Hogeye »

Barbara, everything you mention, from stealing wealth to giveaways to politically connected to degradation of currency is done by both factions of the welfare-warfare party. Obviously, it's unsustainable. Time is on my side; after the hyperinflation you'll hate government, too! The USEmpire is unstable.
"May the the last king be strangled in the guts of the last priest." - Diderot
With every drop of my blood I hate and execrate every form of tyranny, every form of slavery. I hate dictation. I love liberty. - Ingersoll
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Post by Dardedar »

Hogeye wrote:Barbara, everything you mention, from stealing wealth to giveaways to politically connected to degradation of currency is done by both factions of the welfare-warfare party.
DAR
Do you think it might be useful to include a little "nuance" when putting your beliefs together? I say this because you seem to gravitate toward black/white up/down all/nothing simplistic dichotomies. Just because these actions you speak of are done by both major parties doesn't mean that one doesn't do it much more than the other or that the actions of one isn't far more detrimental than the other. Also, unfortunately, the country has gotten themselves into the situation where these two parties are the only game in town. The libertarian party is essentially dead with regard to any political power or influence, and they are ten, no a hundred, no a thousand times more persuasive and representative of the population than any of your anarchist tendancies.
Obviously, it's unsustainable.
DAR
You're absolutely right.
Time is on my side; after the hyperinflation you'll hate government, too! The USEmpire is unstable.
DAR
Well it's not like we are anything near the hell-hole of Somalia. Your best example of a near anarchic condition is also one of the best examples of human suffering and dispair. We are still fat and happy with near, if not the, highest standard of living in the world. When that changes, and the shit hits the fan, the people will rise up. I expect a little of that this fall. Fingers crossed.

D.
--------------------------------
"American conservatives have watched
dumbfounded as their Republican Congress
and Bush engineered the largest expansion of
the federal government in modern history."
-- Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
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Post by Hogeye »

Darrel wrote:Just because these actions you speak of are done by both major parties doesn't mean that one doesn't do it much more than the other or that the actions of one isn't far more detrimental than the other.
Right. The Rep faction favors real-politic unilateral intervention; the Dem faction prefers humanitarian multilateral intervention. The Reps favor giving plundered loot and favors to different special interests than the Dems, e.g. big established corporations as opposed to big established unions. The Dem faction has more frequent interventions, historically. But these differences are rather minor in the grand scheme of things. In her speeches, Hitlery is even more warmonger than Bush.

I recommend that you not vote. Not only is voting irrational (cf: rational ignorance and voting), it is also immoral. One should not condone the violence of the State by voting.

Darrel wrote:Your best example [Somalia] of a near anarchic condition is also one of the best examples of human suffering and dispair.
That is nowhere near my best example. On the contrary, it is an example showing that even in the worst poverty-stricken conditions anarchism works better than statism. A much better example - which I have experienced - of quasi-anarchy is in coastal areas of Costa Rica. Each little hotel/resort/campsite is a PDA with its own laws. Central govt edicts can generally be ignored; the rest you can easily buy your way out of.
"May the the last king be strangled in the guts of the last priest." - Diderot
With every drop of my blood I hate and execrate every form of tyranny, every form of slavery. I hate dictation. I love liberty. - Ingersoll
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