61% of Americans support Arizona law, half of Democrats

[Confusious]

WASHINGTON — Utahns appear to be in line with a strong majority of Americans who support Arizona's controversial new immigration law and would back similar laws in their own states, a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll found.

Sixty-one percent of Americans — and 64 percent of registered voters — said they favored the law in a survey of 1,016 adults conducted May 6-9.

Strikingly, nearly half of Democrats like the law, under which local law enforcement officers are tasked with verifying people's immigration status if they suspect them of being in the country illegally. While the Democratic Party generally is regarded as more sympathetic to illegal immigrants' plights, 46 percent of Democrats said they favored the law for Arizona and 49 percent said they'd favor the law's passage in their own states.

A Dan Jones & Associates poll for the Deseret News and KSL-TV last month found 65 percent of 406 registered Utah voters were in favor of following Arizona's lead with a local version of the law. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, said he intends to run a bill in the 2011 Utah legislative session modeled on the Arizona statute. In Utah, 76 percent of Republicans support the law, compared to 34 percent of Democrats, according to Jones.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700031919/National-poll-on-Arizona-immigration-law-echoes-Utahs-results.html

OK, let the "why are you a NAZI" accusations for just posting this start.

[Egnever]

1. That is a sad testament to the downfall of our country

The fact that so many are willing to side with a law that will be overly intrusive to so many legal citizens makes me want to just give up on this country.

American freedom is dead.

[EFerrari]

2. It's marketing. Few of these articles ever point out

that the law puts citizens in the way of police contact via racial profiling. They all frame it as a counter measure to illegal immigration which it is not.

[JI7]

3. do you want to deny some are just racist

and don't care if the "others" are abused as long as it's not them.

[EFerrari]

4. Not at all. To the contrary. Framing this as an immigration measure

lets people ignore the racist basis for the law. That was my point.

ETA: In other words, "immigration" is basically just code.

[Name removed]

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[KharmaTrain]

21. Also Who Profits From Their Labor...

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. "Illegals" wouldn't be "flooding" the job market if there weren't people (mostly rushpublicans) hiring them. It's "good business" to pay below minimum wage, no benefits and let the state governments pick up any other expenses cause it means a bigger profit margin for vegetables or not having to pay those evil union wages for construction.

I keep hoping Hispanics get pissed and decide to let the "gringos" cut their own lawns or pack their own meat. Let them stage a strike...let's see how many are in favor of sanctioning profiling and racism when many businesses come to a complete halt.

[Johonny]

24. I agree

It's polling the opposite of the health care bill. If you describe individual elements of this law people don't support it, but they support the law by name. Meaning most people have no idea what is really in the law.

[Name removed]

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[TexasObserver]

5. Why are you Anasazi?

four corners

mesa verde

[Confusious]

6. The last time I tried to change misconceptions

I got called a racist, NAZI, etc.

All I said was that you didn't need papers, you just needed a drivers license.

Seems interrupting the 2 minute outrage gets you the same response as getting between a dog and it's food.

Oh, murderer, got called that to. Not directly, implied.

And that wasn't the first time it happened either.

[WolverineDG]

15. LOL Do you *really* believe it's that simple?

:spray: :rofl:

Must be nice living in La La Land.

dg

[Son Of Wendigo]

7. What Do You Expect From Utah?

Utah is no more representative of the Unites States as a whole than is Mississippi. One couldn't make a determination about any other country in the world if one just looked at North Korea, either. They are the reddest of the red states. The Repugs there just fired Senator Bennett because he wasn't conservative enough, and he was one of the most conservative of all the Senators. The Mormon Church there calls the shots.

I find it unbelievable that the Deseret News found a McClatchy poll which came up with the same results. I suspect that the Deseret News is misrepresenting the McClatchy poll. By the way, the Deseret News is owned by the Church.

http://deseretmediacompanies.com/content/view/54/about-us

[Confusious]

8. What about this gallup poll

Still says they favor it, though at a lower rate.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/127598/americans-favor-oppose-arizona-immigration-law.aspx

[Confusious]

9. Or this Rassmussen poll

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/nationally_60_favor_letting_local_police_stop_and_verify_immigration_status

[Name removed]

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[pampango]

10. There also seems to be a lot of support for comprehensive immigration reform.

Here's a poll of four swing states - Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado and Ohio - which should be "tough sells" for immigration reform. "In these four states McCain beat Obama 50-49 in terms of the total popular vote and by a 42-37 margin those polled here prefer republicans to control congress after the 2010 elections and by 49-42 those polled disapprove of Obama's performance."

http://www.americasvoiceonline.org/HartSurvey

"Final Support for Immigration Reform Proposal

"REPUBLICANS say this plan is really just another amnesty proposal that gives a slap on the wrist to people who have been breaking our laws for years. It rewards people who came into the country illegally by giving them citizen-ship and taxpayer-funded benefits, like the new Obama health care plan. It allows millions of illegal workers to compete with American citizens for hard-to-find jobs when 15 million of our citizens are unemployed. And it opens the floodgates to millions more coming in, because the 12 million illegal immigrants who receive amnesty will then bring in their family members still living overseas."

"DEMOCRATS say they are offering a tough, fair, and practical plan to get the broken immigration system under control. We must secure our borders and crack down on employers that hire illegal immigrants to drive down wages. It is unacceptable to have 12 million people in our country who are outside the system. We must require illegal immigrants to register for legal status, pay their taxes, learn English, and pass criminal background checks to remain in the country and work toward citizenship. Those who have a criminal record or refuse to register should be deported."

""After equal exposure to criticisms and Democratic responses, voters in these states support reform by a solid 14-point margin, with clear majority support in Colorado, Missouri, and Ohio, while Arkansas voters are evenly divided.

Approve (Strongly/Somewhat)/Disapprove (Strongly/Somewhat)
All: 52% (22/30) / 38% (25/13)
Arkansas: 43% (19/24) / 43% (29/14)
Colorado: 56% (26/30) / 36% (26/10)
Missouri: 53% (21/32) / 42% (25/17)
Ohio: 57% (23/34) / 30% (21/9)"

Looks like full citizenship was most unpopular in Arkansas, but even there it was 44/41 that "amnesty" was a fair criticism rather than politics and 43/43 tie in support for comprehensive reform. In the other swing states support for reform was stronger.

One issue if that strong disapproval of comprehensive reform (at 25%) is stronger than strong support for it (at 22%). In the poll the "Approve" group only came out on top overall (52/38) because the "somewhat approve" (at 30%) were a lot higher than the "somewhat disapprove" (at 13%).

Most of the people that prefer a comprehensive approach to immigration reform are not as committed to their position as are the people who are determined to oppose it and will be loud and energetic.

[political_Dem]

11. It would be very interesting to see the breakdown by race in this poll.

Otherwise, this survey is just a small sample of how successful Republican buzzwords, memes and dog-whistles are--especially when these messages are constantly repeated in the media.

Unfortunately, this also shows that America has turned into a nation hinged by polls instead of using critical thinking skills to analyze policies and discuss all views regarding a topic that affects far more than the targeted group of people in that survey.

[pampango]

22. From the Washington Post: Ethnicity divides on Arizona immigration law

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2010/05/ethnicity_divides_on_arizona_i.html?wprss=behind-the-numbers

The results from the Associated Press and Univision, released Thursday, find that two-thirds of Hispanics oppose Arizona's law, 15 percent support it and 17 percent hold a neutral view. In a separate survey of all adults which asked the same question, 45 percent of non-Hispanics back the law, 20 percent oppose it and three in 10 neither favor nor oppose it. The NBC-WSJ poll found a similar dynamic, with adults overall far more supportive of the measure than Hispanics.

The surveys suggest that most Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike think the law will have an impact on Hispanics who are citizens or in the country legally. In the AP-Univision poll, 79 percent say it is at least somewhat likely that police in Arizona will wind up stopping Hispanics who are legal residents as they enforce the law, and two-thirds in the NBC-Journal poll said the law was likely to lead to discrimination against Hispanics here legally.

According to the AP-Univision data, Hispanics, who report paying closer attention to the Arizona immigration law (42 percent say they have heard or read "a lot" about it, twice the level among non-Hispanics), were also far more apt to say the U.S. government was doing all that could be reasonably expected to combat illegal immigration (42 percent vs. 16 percent among non-Hispanics).

In the AP-Univision poll, 75 percent of Hispanics called immigration an issue important to them personally, compared with 60 percent of non-Hispanics, though the gap was narrower when respondents were asked how serious a problem illegal immigration is for the United States (65 percent of Hispanics consider it "extremely" or "very" serious, as did 69 percent of non-Hispanics).

[ItNerd4life]

12. I support the law - and I'm not a Nazi either.

The Arizona state law (which Holder never read, the idiot) is no different than the Federal law, just put into State terms/statute.

Here's a big reason why I support stopping illegal immigration.

Democrats and Republicans agree that the country can only handle so many immigrants a year. If we stop illegal immigrants, we can increase the number of legal immigrants.
I would much rather have legal immigrants from Africa, Asia, etc. than illegal immigrants from Mexico. The key word that many people don't understand is 'illegal' vs. 'legal'.

[Name removed]

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[MadHound]

19. Yes, but given the vague wording of the AZ law,

It can, and probably will, lead to racial profiling and harassment. That is the entire problem.

Meanwhile, your preference for immigrants coming from Africa rather than Mexico is rather revealing of your own prejudice. After all, not all immigrants from Mexico and further south are illegal.

Besides, if you wish to end illegal immigration, then you need to go after the employers rather than the illegal aliens. Start charging a fine of , oh say, a couple million per illegal alien discovered at a factory, and pretty soon corporations will stop hiring them. Corporations stop hiring them and they will go back home.

However what is needed is an expedited way for those who want to work in this country to actually do so. Getting green cards, work visas, etc. takes an inordinately long time. Speeding this up would benefit everybody.

And frankly the fact of the matter is that we need immigrants. Our native birth rate is low, not at replacement level. In order for certain programs, ie Social Security, to work you need a large population.

Besides, it isn't like we don't owe the people of Mexico some compensation. The whole NAFTA debacle is just one of the ways we've devastated that country over the years and decades.

[Llewlladdwr]

34. Would it be possible for you to give an example of the vague wording you refer to? NT

[MadHound]

38. Sure, the key phrase in the law is "lawful stop".

A lawful stop can range from an actual stop because you're committing a crime, a traffic stop, to simply stopping you to question you.

I lived in Springfield Missouri for four years during the mid-eighties. I had long hair in a very conservative town, and thus was subjected to eight of these "lawful stops" while either walking or riding my bike. I would essentially be subjected to the standard hassle, ask for ID, what I'm doing, etc. When I would ask the cops why they were stopping me, I would get answers ranging from "You look new in the neighborhood," to "What are you doing out walking at 2:30 in the morning." These were all considered lawful stops, though I was never ticketed or arrested, just subjected to the standard hassle by an asshole cop who didn't like long hair.

The same sort of "lawful stop" will be in full force in Arizona, and people with brown skin will get harassed remorselessly. And even if one of these lawful stops are taken to court and successfully resolved, cops can lawfully stop you for a myriad of other reasons.

It is weasel words that will be used to harass innocent people.

[Name removed]

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[Gormy Cuss]

31. We could increase the number of legal immigrants first by recognizing the long term illegal aliens

as on a short path to legal status.

Just curious, but why are legal immigrants from "Africa, Asia, etc." preferable to Mexicans in your mind?

[EFerrari]

33. Well no, that's wrong. It's not "just like" the Federal law although

that is the right wing talking point that I find all over the net.

It's a racist attack on brown people and it has nothing to offer as a solution for illegal immigration. That's pretty much what the Sheriff of Pima County has been saying and he's right.

It has nothing to do with legal v. illegal because CITIZENS are also targeted by this POS.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Everyone seems to forget that Bush had a 90+ percent approval rating at one time

Which tells me that a whole lot of people who claim to be "lifelong Dems", aren't.

Don

[WolverineDG]

14. 61% of Americans are wrong nt

[Lurks Often]

16. For those of you against the law

how many of you have actually read it?

[Starry Messenger]

18. No one ever said Republicans had a monopoly on bad logic.

:shrug: If anyone did, they were wrong.

[Lost4words]

20. Is this a GREAT Country or what?

:puke:

[Mari333]

23. a majority of german citizens were scapegoating the jewish people once too

and we know how that ended.

its called scapegoating. you blame a class of people for your own economic troubles. and then you ostracize them.

thats whats going on .

[Juneboarder]

27. This is not a shocker...

Utah is always ass-backwards. I'm just surprised it wasn't Utah that started it and Arizona following...

[krabigirl]

30. A great majority also supported the war on Iraq and believed the WMD lie ro

worse, almost all Democratic congresspeople voted to authorize it. I'm never surprised when I see that the majority of Americans are whipped into a frenzy by the media(tm) to agreeing with something that's morally repugnant.

[mod mom]

32. It's a poll from Utah-home of the Mormons.

[Lorien]

35. "a survey of 1,016 adults" oh please

where did they take the poll? With a sampling that pathetic you can find majority support for damn near anything.

[Taverner]

36. I think 61% supported slavery back in the day too....

[Spoonman]

37. As a registered Democrat of 22 years

I hope Texas passes something similar!

Turn off your over active “bandwagon” emotions, read the law in full, and think about how much illegal immigration costs every citizen in tax dollars.

Add to that the FACT that wages for YOUR fellow DEMOCRATS are significantly REDUCED by this cheap labor force!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Most NON-Public-Sector Unions in Texas have dissolved to early 1900’s levels in no small part due to the cheap labor force of illegal’s)

[4lbs]

39. Interesting poll number back in 1964:

Back then, 77% of Americans felt that we didn't need any strong civils rights enforcement.

In addition, 57% of Americans were AGAINST the lunch counter sit-ins and other protests.

Were they correct?

http://www.publicagenda.org/civilrights/civilrights.htm

<snip>
Yet most Americans told pollsters they still had doubts about the civil rights movement. In May 1961, most people (57 percent) told the Gallup poll that sit-ins at lunch counters and the "Freedom Riders" would hurt African Americans' chances for integration. In 1964, Harris found 57 percent who disapproved of the "Freedom Summer" effort by civil rights workers to organize black voters in Mississippi. And while majorities supported the Civil Rights Act, the public still seemed reluctant to push the issue. Only 23 percent told Gallup that the Civil Rights Act should be "strictly enforced from the beginning," while 62 percent preferred a "gradual, persuasive approach."
<snip>

The majority of the country was wrong then, and they are wrong now.

[Spoonman]

43. To bad racism

has NOTHING TO DO with some Democrats, i.e. my Mexican ass, supporting this law, and wanting more states (Texas) to pass the same.

[Bill McBlueState]

40. Surprise!

Most Americans don't like foreigners.

[WCGreen]

41. Zenophobia is stoked at almost every level of the media...

[Sebastian Doyle]

42. I've heard the media whores quoting these polls, and I'm just not buying this shit.

We all know that pollsters ask questions skewed to get exactly the results they want. I'm guessing they ask some questions like "Do you believe illegal immigration is a serious problem" and "Should state governments be able to act on illegal immigration, if the federal government does not?"

A lot of people would probably answer "yes" to those questions, which would be skewed as a positive response to the Arizona bill, even though there was no endorsement of the blatantly racist and fascist methods employed, nor the racist history of those involved in writing and enforcing said law (Pearce, Arpaio, etc.)

And I'll bet exactly NO questions were involved regarding greedy employers who hire undocumented aliens, and that's who should really be targeted by law enforcement.