60% of Americans think the U.S. is on the wrong track

[sabra]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_464931.html

60% of Americans think the U.S. is on the wrong track

More than another terrorist attack or Iran's nuclear ambitions or the price of gas, Dorothy Hout worries about her grandson.
Hout, 82, of Nashville, Tenn., said her grandson pilots a C-5 cargo plane for the U.S. Air Force, ferrying equipment and supplies to troops in Baghdad. Since he graduated from the Air Force Academy five years ago, the United States was attacked by terrorists and has fought two wars.

"You never know where he might be sent now," Hout said.

Fear for her grandson is the main reason Hout is among 60 percent of people who believe the country is on the wrong track, according to a nationwide poll conducted for the Tribune-Review by Susquehanna Polling and Research. The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, measured attitudes about domestic and foreign issues nearly five years after the Sept. 11 attacks.

...

Terrorism "has really fallen off the radar at the national level because we haven't had an attack" since 2001, Lee said. "Until there's a national security crisis that's at the forefront of people's minds, it seems to take a back seat."

[truthisfreedom]

1. don't give the neocons any ideas. they're planning the next controlled

implosion right now. i can feel it... they've let it go silent as long as they can, and they'll pull one off and then start screaming "cut and run Democrats!" right before the election.

[Baselinereality]

3. We Have To Stop Blaming the Republicans.

Democrats need a powerful voice to speak for them. They haven't had that for a long time. Bill Clinton had the reins for a little bit, then his scandals overtook him and he became irrelevant. Before him, who was there? Tom Daschle? Harry Reid? Robert Byrd?

Edward Kennedy? Well, that immediately brings up scornful responses, not respect.

Who exactly was the last Democrat to have respect?

The more this country loses its liberal ideals, the more we have to cling to them and reinvigorate them with PRIDE.

Who is going to speak for us? Who is going to inspire us, as a party, as a nation?

To hell with the party, I'd rather have the country.

Having liberal principles doesn't make you a communist.

[krkaufman]

18. Sadly, Wellstone was building some serious momentum ...

... back in 2002.

[theguvnorgc]

15. the sad thing is....

we all know that you're right. it probably will happen just that way....

[LiberalFighter]

2. 40% must think being on any track or going backward on a track

is the right track

More
Or how about on any track blindfolded.

Or these 40% riding on a train while bush is the conductor they will follow (of course as passengers they are along for the ride) off into a ravine.

[Baselinereality]

7. It Doesn't Do Any Good To Criticize The Sheep.

There are racists, there are violent fighters, there are haters. Most of them find comfort in the Republican party, if they vote at all, because they feel like the certain Republicans are supporting their hate-filled ideals.

But that is a segment of the population that isn't the majority. It's not even close to a majority. There are more homosexuals in America than there are red-hot racists.

Most people are worried. Worried. Scared. Nervous. They feel persecuted.

We need a powerful, confident, charismatic figure to step in and say "We'll get through this." There is definitely a window of opportunity for such a person.

The hatred of the Republican machine, like any virus, is eating into itself. It cannot sustain the hate and vitriol. Hillary Clinton's nomination would contribute much to its salvation, for example.

I don't want the left to eat into itself, either.

I try to think about what it was like to think about America on September 12th, 2001. On that day, I was freakin' glad that Rudy Guiliani was talking to America because George Bush was non-existent, sure. But I also didn't care about ideologies. I just loved my country.

I want to bring that feeling back. I don't give a cr*p about the Republican platform or their power. I love my country, and I know it works best when we have a strong middle class and an outlet for the extremely poor. We work best not when Paris Hilton has a tax break but when the working classes feel like they have some upward mobility. That is the secret of our society, and if we're not careful the Republicans will simply take that away.

God I am so glad that I am not Republican. Man, at least I have that. How they reconcile themselves with their God, I don't know, but then again, I never understand how white people in South Africa justified apartheid, either.

Black Republicans have no idea what being a Republican means.

Anyway, although I digress, as much as I despise the ignorance and stupidity of the American people, I do not believe that people are stupid. They are afraid and many of them collapse into survival mode, but they are not stupid.

If anything, I'm pissed at the DLC for being unable to talk to these fearful people on their own level. The Democratic Party, the party of Huey Long and...others is completely incapable of relating to the average working person. And that is just about the dumbest form of stupid.

What the hell is wrong with the Democratic Party?

I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I'm pretty sure the answer is NOT Hillary Clinton.

[superconnected]

9. Welcome to du! You clearly belong here.

[Baselinereality]

10. I Sense A Backhand Compliment, But I Will Politely Say Thank You.

[cap]

13. what we need is a mechanism to grow the dynamism of the base

into National leadership. We need the base to come up with a message of hope. The base is us. That's right... The people on these boards. We cant wait for a leader. We must grow into leaders ourselves.

[krkaufman]

20. Yes, we need to trumpet the issues ...

... and *then* find the leader who matches those goals. We need to reverse the personality-first approach to electing our leaders (while keeping in mind that personality, purtiness, etc, *do* play a part in winning elections).

[LostInAnomie]

4. Not knocking the poll but...

... I wonder how many of those 60% think the country is on the wrong track because there isn't an overt push for a theocracy or social darwinism. There are a ton of people out there who think Bush is too gentle with liberals. They would love to see concentration camps, martial law, and the Middle East become a nuclear ash heap.

[krkaufman]

21. Yes, that's what I was wondering, too.

The only think that poll tells me is that 40% think THIS is the RIGHT direction. That is ridiculous.

[Bigmack]

5. Yes, but....

Posted the other day on DU.... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2411320
How can anybody believe any poll? Either the people in this country are dumber than a bag of hammers, or the polls lie.
- - - - - -

50 percent of U.S. says Iraq had WMDs

Half of Americans now say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded the country in 2003 -- up from 36 percent last year, a Harris poll finds.

"Filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist," said Sen. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Republican, during a June 21 press conference detailing the newly declassified information.

Seventy-two percent of respondents said the Iraqi people are better off now than under Saddam Hussein's regime -- a figure similar to that of 2004, when it stood at 76 percent. In addition, 64 percent say Saddam had "strong links" with al Qaeda, up from 62 percent in October 2004.

Americans remain in touch with the realities of Iraq: 61 percent said the conflict has motivated more Islamic terrorists to attack the U.S. -- a number that has remained virtually unchanged since 2004.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060724-110410-830...

[Baselinereality]

11. Any Story Quoting Rick Santorum Should Be Immediately Taken With Salt

Granular or pill form.

We would do well to recognize the propoganda articles planted throughout the media, be they for our own benefit or our opponents.

But if you think that this is the only time in America's history that people are planting false stories about their politicians, you're f*ckin' stupid.

Okay.

[MrPrax]

6. 'Wrong track' is not what is being polled...

The headline is an editorial...and the 60% isn't supported in the text of the story?

"...Fifty-six percent of respondents said they take more notice of people from foreign countries than they did before the attacks. About 71 percent believe illegal immigration threatens the United States, and 31 percent believe terrorism is the biggest threat posed by illegal immigration. Twenty-three percent said the effect on the economy and wages is the greatest threat from illegal immigrants.

About 24 percent of respondents said the war in Iraq is the top problem facing the country, according to the poll. Only about 10 percent listed terrorism/national security as the country's biggest problem, ranking near the 11 percent who cited the economy as the top concern. .."

It would seem that the lead should have read:

71% of Americans fear illegal immigrants, terrorism

[Tanner_B.]

16. 60% of who what?

Maybe it would help if I pointed out that the article is from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, which is owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, who has spent countless millions to advance the radical right agenda and who had a well known animosity toward Bill Clinton.

[MrPrax]

17. You don't say...

BTW Welcome to DU

:hi:


I am shocked -- so I googled and by gosh you might be onto something:

"...Although Scaife has dedicated vast sums of money to influencing the way the public thinks, he prefers to operate behind the scenes, granting few interviews. When former Wall Street Journal reporter Karen Rothmyer attempted to interview him in 1981, he responded by calling her a “fucking Communist cunt” and telling her to “get out of here.”

Between 1985 and 2001, the Sarah Mellon Scaife Foundation donated $15,860,000 to the Heritage Foundation; $7,333,000 to the Institute for Policy Analysis; $6,995,500 to the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace; $6,693,000 to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); $4,411,000 to the American Enterprise Institute; $2,575,000 to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research; $1,855,000 to the George C. Marshall Institute; $1,808,000 to the Hudson Institute; and $1,697,000 to the Cato Institute.

For the years 1985-2001, the Scaife Family Foundation donated $702,640 to the Heritage Foundation; $590,000 to the American Enterprise Institute; $275,000 to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University; $200,000 to the CSIS; and $175,000 to the New Citizenship Project, Inc., alone.

....

By 1999, the Washington Post reported that the Scaife’s foundations had given $340 million to conservative causes and institutions.<2> (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaife050299.htm) By 2002, they held more than $320 million in assets, and in that year alone they gave away more than $22 million.<3> (http://www.scaife.com/sarah02.pdf)<4> (http://www.scaife.com/allegh02.pdf)<5> (http://www.scaife.com/cartha02.pdf) Grant recipients included:

* American Civil Rights Union
* American Enterprise Institute
* American Legislative Exchange Council
* Americans for Tax Reform
* Atlas Economic Research Foundation
* Capital Research Center
* Cato Institute
* Center for Media and Public Affairs
* Center for the Study of Popular Culture
* Citizens for a Sound Economy
* Collegiate Network
* Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
* Competitive Enterprise Institute
* Evergreen Freedom Foundation
* Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy
* Free Congress Research and Education Foundation
* George C. Marshall Institute
* Heritage Foundation
* Hudson Institute
* Independent Women's Forum
* Intercollegiate Studies Institute
* Judicial Watch
* Landmark Legal Foundation
* Media Research Center
* Philanthropy Roundtable
* Reason Foundation
* University of Chicago

SourceWatch

Well he doesn't sound very liberal, so that might explain the strangely massaged poll numbers that really don't indicate anything more than a lot of confusion.

[felman87]

8. The percentage is probably much higher than that.

only a few thousand people participate in surveys. The actual figure could be much higher since most citizens just don't participate in polls. (a few thousand in polls vs about 300 mil in America.) And, although highly unlikely, people could think it's going in the right direction. (How the fuck that's possible is beyond my knowledge)

[Barkley]

12. People like Ms. Hout are upset that we're losing not that we're fighting

They still support/ advocate pre-emptive war.

[SpiralHawk]

14. I'm upset that Bush and the republicons lied to America

to get us into the war, and to start the wheels turning for the loss of our sons and daughters, the loss of respect for America around the globe, massive price hikes at the gas pump, and massive profits for corrupt republicon cronies.

[krkaufman]

19. Of that 60%, how many think we're not militaristic enough? n/t

[ckramer]

22. But where were they in 2004? or 2000?

Maybe they should just shut their mouth