tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856837.post5621450151124895939..comments2023-10-24T09:06:30.200-04:00Comments on No More Mister Nice Blog: Steve M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11963290427258439242noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856837.post-61116069797094191012011-12-18T00:57:12.118-05:002011-12-18T00:57:12.118-05:00note the "I'll bet that." I think t...note the "I'll bet that." I think the best way to fight inequality is to raise taxes on the rich and cut them for the poor and middle class. The vast majority of US adults agree with me.<br /><br />I know of no evidence for opposition to tighter regulation of banks. <br /><br />Drum's position and yours is mostly that polls are not useful guides to politicians as they don't measure intensity and because the pollster and not Karl Rove frames the issue. What evidence do you have ? Who has tried and failed to running an egalitarian populist in the past 40 years ? <br /><br />My sense is that Obama pulled ahead of all of the Republicans, generic Democrat for congress ahead of generic Republican (in basically all non Rasmussen probes), and blame of congress shifted to definitely more blame of Republicans (about 10 points) <br />when the Democrats briefly stopped worrying about being accused of waging class warfare. I admit that I hoped for and expected a more dramatic shift, but I got the sign right.<br /><br /> I blame myself. Long long ago, Drum wrote that US adults don't support higher taxes on the rich. I pointed to the polling data which, even then, showed otherwise. He was surprised and puzzled and shifted to polls don't matter (opposition to °polling literalism° had already been one of his themes for many years). I think the experience of being told (and convinced) that he didn't know what he was typing about has caused him to dig in and reject the masses of evidence (not then available) which made it clear to everyone that an overwhelming majority of US adults supports higher taxes on rich people.<br /><br />I would never have thought that Drum would react that way. I am not at all confident that he did. Actually the "I blame myself" is 90% a joke and 10% vanity induced self importance. <br /><br />OK my usual rant on opinion on taxes.<br /><br />Fractions similar to those which Drum dismissed (because they didn't endorse a remedy such as higher taxes on rich people) support higher taxes on the rich. Consistently a majority says taxes on the poor are unfairly high (larger than the bare majority who says that about taxes on the middle class). I am totally sick of typing the url but this is a standard Gallup question going back to the early 90s and is on pollingreport (on taxes page 3 or 4 by now).<br /><br />On topic (on Conner F) the answer is that they are trying to win the nomination now so they only care about Republican Primary voters. For the general, I don't think your argument is relevant at all. The right wing haters will vote for the Republican in any case. They don't have to criticize the withdrawal from Iraq to get those votes. They are sacrificing a tiny bit in the general (tiny because, as you note people have moved on to other worries) for the nomination.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14455788499385673507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856837.post-41570793877854090552011-12-16T10:19:20.074-05:002011-12-16T10:19:20.074-05:00The defining American character traits are: ignora...The defining American character traits are: ignorance(and not just that, but glorification of ignorance and deep distrust of education and intellecualism); tribalism (us-versus-them); belligerence (and glorification of violence); greed/materialism; and selfishness.<br /><br />Add this to the fact that the most motivated people tend to be the ones with the most extreme versions of these traits, and it's natural that anyone not fitting this mold has little chance of influencing policy or reaching a position of leadership. Frankly, rational people will not even bother; they will tune out of the hate-and-stupid fest that passes for political discourse and policy, or even more wisely, they will just move somewhere sane. Which reinforces the situation.Cerealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13091416350211267991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856837.post-53848400799379029632011-12-15T17:27:22.474-05:002011-12-15T17:27:22.474-05:00"Minority rage wins every time."
'C..."Minority rage wins every time."<br /><br />'Cause, for 27-33% or so of our population, as they learn from the cable TV news networks and talk radio - "It ain't what you KNOW, it's how hard you can BLOW!"<br /><br />Volume and anger supersede knowledge and ration in "Idiot America" - h/t to the GREAT Charles Pierce.c u n d gulaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00875369227763250574noreply@blogger.com