Thursday, March 07, 2013

LOW-INFO AMERICA: I GIVE UP

This Quinnipiac poll is getting some attention for its 2016 presidential numbers (Marco Rubio does only a tiny bit better against Hillary Clinton among Hispanics than Chris Chrisie does, if you care). But I want to draw your attention to dispiriting numbers about guns.

This is bad enough:
Republicans have the trust of 44 percent of voters on gun policy, compared to 42 percent for the president....
But then, in the next paragraph, there's this:
By an 88 - 10 percent margin, including 85 - 13 percent among voters in households with guns, American voters support background checks for all gun buyers. Voters also support 54 - 41 percent a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons and back 54 - 42 percent a nationwide ban on the sale of ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds.
We live in a country where popular support for many Democratic positions on guns is nearly universal -- and yet voters trust the GOP more on the gun issue.

I throw up my hands in despair.

4 comments:

Victor said...

Substitute "economics," or "international policy," or "security," or "race/gender/sexual-preferance," issues, for "gun issues," and I think you'll see the same pattern.

They tend to trust the Democrats more on almost all issues, but remain unconvinced to go along with those policies, since they're labeled as "Liberal," and so go with the GOP, since they bullsh*t better, can convince themselves of their own bullsh*t, and spew that bullsh*t with conviction.

And this is why we can never have nice things.

Ten Bears said...

It's the Kool-Aid, Steve, the Ambien, Prozac, Viagra and crotch-shots on CNN/Faux News Kool-Aid. Forty-seven percent of the population are incapable of reading and following the instructions to properly fill out an employment application, hopped up on a virtual stew of drugs and slavering Pavlovianly at the television. I'm surprised we havem't had even more mass atricities.

Nazi science. Works great!

No fear...

BH said...

The Army's findings as to draftees in WWI were similar in terms of reading comprehension. Fact is, the USA has never put much stock in (or had much success at) eddication or logical thinking, notwithstanding eternal public blathering to the contrary.

Philo Vaihinger said...

Look on the bright side. More than half of them won't vote. One hopes the half that's less informed.