September 4, 2012

Rasmussen polled of public opinion about Clint Eastwood.

Because the poll was conducted before and after his unusual performance at the convention, you get some insight:
While Republican officials were uncertain about Eastwood, 78% of GOP voters have a favorable opinion of him. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Democrats are evenly divided: 42% favorable and 44% unfavorable. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 58% view Eastwood favorably, and only 21% have a negative view....

The survey was conducted on the night Eastwood gave his speech and the night after.  Interviews conducted on the first night were mostly completed before the actor’s prime time speech. Comparing the two nights shows virtually no change in perceptions of Eastwood among Republicans voters.

However, on the first night, 49% of Democrats had a favorable opinion of Eastwood. That fell to 34% on the second night after news coverage of the fact that Eastwood was making jokes at President Obama’s expense. The number of Democrats with an unfavorable opinion of Eastwood grew from 31% to 56%.  Put it together and the Democrats’ net assessment of Eastwood went from a +18 before the speech to a minus 22 after. 

Among unaffiliated voters, positive reviews of Eastwood showed little change over the two nights. However, negative views of the star grew from 12% before the speech to 29% after.
So, what does this mean? Why did only the Democrats' opinion shift — and shift so much? I would conclude that Eastwood's performance was successful. Democrats feel bad about that. It's also possible that some Democrats were unaware of Eastwood's political preference, and having found out, they don't like him anymore. The quality of the performance — in that light — doesn't matter.

55 comments:

Sorun said...

Bill Maher: "I had no idea [Eastwood] was such a down the line, right-wing a---hole.”

Maher changed his opinion.

edutcher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edutcher said...

The Demos must have assumed that, as a Libertarian, Mr Yates wouldn't soil his rep by appearing at the Republican convention.

And they've been soiling themselves ever since.

Thorley Winston said...

It could also be that a lot of them thought that the Superbowl commercial he did signified that he was switching sides and supporting Obama.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Cue Dave comment on how ineffective Clint was, and how much he doesn't give a damn about it.

Lyssa said...

Republican favorable/unfavorables might not have changed, but I'll go on record now predicting that Eastwood's new movie will absolutely kill at the box office in a few weeks.

Shouting Thomas said...

We've all got it coming, kid!

AF said...

I know right? Clint Eastwood was AWESOME! You can tell because the Democrats are ANGRY and NEGATIVE. So angry they lost their sense of humor about that old man yelling at a chair. While conservatives like Althouse have never been funnier -- her post pretending to be offended by anti-Eastwood ageism was classic self-parody.

The Crack Emcee said...

I just had coffee with a Democrat and Clint Eastwood came up - he laughed about it and said he agreed with him.

The rest are crybabies,...

William said...

I'm shocked and saddened by the hypocrisy of the Democrats. Whenever some jerk actor or writer propagandizes for Chavez, Castro, or that forward thinking child molestor Daniel Ortega, we are supposed to look beyond the propaganda and judge him solely by his talent. I get the sense that those who were most forgiving of Lillian Hellmann will be the most critical of Clint Eastwood.

damikesc said...

I know right? Clint Eastwood was AWESOME! You can tell because the Democrats are ANGRY and NEGATIVE. So angry they lost their sense of humor about that old man yelling at a chair. While conservatives like Althouse have never been funnier -- her post pretending to be offended by anti-Eastwood ageism was classic self-parody.

Nicky Minaj has received racist tweets from progressive entertainers about her PRETENDING to endorse Romney.

She didn't ACTUALLY do so, mind you.

So, yes, Democrats will rail on asinine things if they feel they make "teh Won" look less than awesome.

The Drill SGT said...

Clint has class.

The Dem opinions dropped after they were told what to think by their media masters (who got their talking points from Axelrod)

Overall, again, the big loser is the political pundut class in the MSM. Who, other than Barone and Rubin called Clint a success early?

You, we — we own this country. We — we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours. And — so — they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

AF said...

By the way, I am a Democrat and like Obama, I have had a positive view of Eastwood both before and after his convention speech. I like a lot of his movies and don't really care about his politics. Plus I enjoyed the ballsiness and bizarreness of his empty-chair performance. And the fact that it fucked up the Republican convention is icing on the cake.

AF said...

damikesc said: "Nicky Minaj has received racist tweets from progressive entertainers about her PRETENDING to endorse Romney."

I know right? Nicky Minaj proves that only progressives are racists and that Clint Eastwood was AWESOME!

Roy Lofquist said...

So, was he a doddering old man? No, he was copying a master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKECvqSVWPA

Sorun said...

"And the fact that it fucked up the Republican convention is icing on the cake."

It sure left an impression on this guy.

Dante said...

There have been a couple of black actors who have stated some rather racially tinged things lately, like Samuel Jackson who said he "Voted for Obama because he was black," and went further by claiming all people vote for their color, thereby ascribing his racism to everyone.

Now for this guy, I'm torn. I really like the guys acting, but is it OK to enjoy and patronize the products produced by racists? Also, at least he is honest. But, by this guy's reasoning, I suppose I should only watch movies with white people in it, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Then, there is Morgan Freeman:

“The Tea Partiers who are controlling the Republican Party…their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term,” Freeman said. “What underlines that? Screw the country, we’re going to do whatever we can to get this black man out of here.”

“But is that necessarily a racist thing?” Morgan pressed.

“It is a racist thing,” Freeman insisted.


I find the ignorance of this man confounding. Again, I like the actor, but is it OK to patronize the products of a guy who is willing to make a group hated by casting, what I assume are untrue, aspersions at an entire group of patriotic Americans?

Its really confusing.

I suppose the answer is that, despite the fact that these are two screwed up people, they sure as hell can act. It's really a sad state they have to use their positions to spew hatred at good Americans. But, it's probably OK.

Not only are the Democrats, which means they can feel and say just about how evil people are with little or no evidence, but they are Black Democrats.

That's a special class of Democrat, which means they get special passes. Like Whoppie Goldburg.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/morgan-freeman-racist-tea-party-doing-whatever-it-can-to-get-this-black-man-out-of-here/

test said...

Then, there is Morgan Freeman:

“The Tea Partiers who are controlling the Republican Party…their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term,” Freeman said. “What underlines that? Screw the country, we’re going to do whatever we can to get this black man out of here.”


Remember the good old days when dissent was the highest form of patriotism?

Brian Brown said...

New Rass Polls: CO tied at 47, OH tied at 45. VA tied at 47. Romney up in FL 45/43, Iowa 46/44, NC 49/44, WI 48/47

damikesc said...

I wont pay to see Freeman because he creeps me the hell out. An affair with his step granddaughter? Creepy.

MaggotAtBroad&Wall said...

Democrats should love Eastwood. He supports abortion and gay marriage. He's had "at least" 7 children, most of whom were born out of wedlock. When he got tired of the woman with whom he had his longest relationship, Sondra Locke, he changed the locks on the house and refused to let her in. When she tried to settle with him out of court, he allegedly defrauded her in the agreement.

He votes mostly Republican because Eisenhower promised to end the Korean War, but he's got all the attributes and values of a Democrat. They should love him.

Synova said...

Eastwood is sorta-kinda libertarian, mostly, I think.

As much as he obviously doesn't care for Obama, he was actually not all that partisan in his performance. He included Democrats with Republicans and libertarians when he mentioned parties, in the "they work for us" category and when talking about people.

Roger J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Roger J. said...

(edited to clean up typos and misspellings) What Synova said re Mr Eastwood's presentation--"get rid of the lawyers," and his most important point I think was his line that our political class has failed us irrespective of our party affiliations. "They work for us..." And if they dont we should fire them. All in all a good message for all Americans. Republicans should not take too much comfort in his message, and it went over the Democrat's heads entirely.

And a bit off topic, but apparently Mr Clinton has not vetted his speech with the Dems--be very afraid, Dems

n.n said...

The government, at least in America, does indeed serve at the pleasure of the people.

Alex said...

New Rass Polls: CO tied at 47, OH tied at 45. VA tied at 47. Romney up in FL 45/43, Iowa 46/44, NC 49/44, WI 48/47

That's the sound of garage's sphincter tightening.

Alex said...

But we should really listen to Nate Silver instead.

shiloh said...

More meaningless minutiae from Scotty Ras, bless his little heart.

btw, Gallup has held steady the past week ie Obama +1

= no bounce for mittens, :::shock:::

Alex said...

Gallup +1 well within the margin of error shiloh.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Dante said...

...is it OK to patronize the products of a guy who is willing to make a group hated by casting, what I assume are untrue, aspersions at an entire group of patriotic Americans?


It is virtually impossible to avoid entertainment made by lefties, if one cares to partake of entertainment at all. Some time ago I decided I would not make politics an issue when it came to choosing something to watch on TV, partly from the knowledge that my boycott would never be noticed, partly from a desire to think of myself as broad-minded. But I find now that I can't bring myself to watch anything with Morgan Freeman, Samuel Jackson, Matt Damon, Sean Penn or a host of others. I am unable to believe in the personae they are trying to create on the screen, I can only see the virulent hate the hold for me.

Known Unknown said...

We have a client who will not work with Chuck Norris even though the concept and idea is perfect for him because of his politics.

What the hell are we doing to one another?

test said...

Alex said...
Gallup +1 well within the margin of error shiloh.


To get a true picture you need to add 1/3 of the undecideds to teh incumbent and 2/3 to the challenger.

A 47/46 Obama poll lead is a 51/49 Romney victory.

Brian Brown said...

shiloh thinks an incumbent polling at 47% is going to win.

That's funny.

shiloh said...

Again, Bush43 was re-elected fairly easily w/48% Gallup gob approval.

And one could easily argue Kerry was a better nominee than mittens, albeit not by much lol.

mittens has one and only one advantage, $$$. Stay tuned ...

Anonymous said...

Since shiloh has such faith in Gallup, here are the results of another Gallup poll:

"Gallup has found waning public confidence in the economy since May, the last month the government reported any improvement -- albeit slight, at 8.1% for April, down from 8.2% in March -- in the nation's jobless rate. That same month, Gallup's monthly Economic Confidence Index rose three points to -17, its highest level since the start of Daily tracking in January 2008.

Since then, the government's unemployment reports have been disappointing, or mixed at best. The decline in confidence seen since May slowed in August, suggesting Americans may be growing accustomed to stagnant job growth. Gallup's own unemployment data suggest the next Bureau of Labor Statistics report, due out Friday, will offer more of the same -- either no change or an increase in the jobless rate."

http://www.gallup.com/poll/157259/americans-economic-confidence-august-ties-2012-low.aspx?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=gallupnews&utm_campaign=syndication

You keep smilin', little buddy!
;P

Anonymous said...

Oh, and then there's this:


"A majority of voters believe the country is worse off today than it was four years ago and that President Obama does not deserve reelection, according to a new poll for The Hill.

Fifty-two percent of likely voters say the nation is in “worse condition” now than in September 2008, while 54 percent say Obama does not deserve reelection based solely on his job performance."

http://thehill.com/conventions-2012/dem-convention-charlotte/247263-hill-poll-voters-think-second-term-undeserved

Hmmmm. The University of Colorado profs who have correctly predicted the outcome of every presidental race (based on economic factors not polling)since 1980 have predicted a Romney win by 52%.

Oh, but I'm sure Slick will save the day for you, shiloh!

:-P


Brian Brown said...

shiloh said...
Again, Bush43 was re-elected fairly easily w/48% Gallup gob approval.


Obama doesn't have 48% job approval.

He has 45% job approval.

Alex said...

you're forgetting Israel's October surprise and the effect on Obama.

Anonymous said...

poor addled shiloh, her head filled with bedbugs, wrote:

"mittens has only one advantage..."

Oh, hell no, shiloh, I'd say Mitt has a lot more than that. Like this for instance:

"NEW YORK (Reuters)- Manufacturing in the United States shrank at its sharpest clip in more than three years last month, a survey showed on Tuesday, the latest sign that the slowing global economy is weighing on an already weak U.S. recovery.

August was the third month in a row of contraction in the factory sector, according to an Institute for Supply Management survey. Firms hired the fewest workers since late 2009, a possible red flag for the August U.S. jobs report due on Friday."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/manufacturing-sector-shrinks-third-straight-140450657.html

Math is hard for you, shiloh!
Reading is tough, too!

:-P

shiloh said...

exile, as always, elections come down to choices. And rumor has it mittens isn't very likable and has no specific plans to fix anything other than doublin' down on the disastrous (8) year economic policies of cheny/bush. This will probably be mentioned a few times the next (3) days

Heck, most cons are only voting for willard 'cause they hate Obama. btw, cons comprised 34% of the electorate in 2004/2008.

bottom line, mittens inspires no one so it will take the cons billionaire $$$ changers to construct an astro turf GOTV.

Obama's epic 2008 GOTV is already up and runnin' and motivated even more because of all the needless/bogus Rep disenfranchisement laws "trying" to suppress the minority vote.

exile, keep hope alive! :)

Anonymous said...

Keep whistling past the graveyard, sweetie...your faith in your Messiah is so touching! Astoundingly stupid, like a 15 year old who still believes in Santa and the tooth fairy, but poignant all the same.

;-P

Brian Brown said...

and has no specific plans to fix anything other than doublin' down on the disastrous (8) year economic policies of cheny/bush

That's funny.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and do you have anything to say about the rather disagreeable FACTS I posted above? Facts that did not come from Fox or Rasmussen but from such wingnut organizations as Rueters and Gallup?

Nope, of course not, just more grade school whining about how nobody likes Mitt. Waaaahhh! "He's not as cute and adorable as my boyfriend!"

Pathetic. But endlessly amusing.

:-P

shiloh said...

Not whining about mittens, just stating a fact.

btw sweetie, I'm a he. So just like you foolishly think mittens has a chance, you also have a hard time w/gender.

Saint Croix said...

49% of Democrats had a favorable opinion of Eastwood. That fell to 34% on the second night after news coverage of the fact that Eastwood was making jokes at President Obama’s expense.

It's so bizarre to stop liking an actor because he's in a different political party.

If I thought that way, I could never go to the movies!

I know liberals who are like this, though. They won't date a Republican, they won't marry a Republican. They can't be friends with a Republican.

It's weird. It's really, really weird to have politics so dominate your world that you are unable to tolerate people who think differently than you do.

In fact it's really kind of pathetic. "No I don't like him anymore. He's a Republican."

Yeah, so what? Republicans are normal. You can be a Republican. It's okay!

The narrow-mindedness on the left never ceases to surprise me.

Maybe the Supreme Court should desegregate some of those bigoted places that don't have any Republicans. We need to do something to combat this ignorance.

Maybe we need to declare a month for Republican history. "You know Lincoln? Republican."

It's just really kind of bizarre how narrow-minded people are. And they're so oblivious to their prejudices.

And kudos to garage for being a free-thinking liberal. And by "free-thinking liberal" I mean a normal person who is able to separate humanity from politics.

May every liberal who hates Republicans give birth to Alex Keaton. Yes, I curse you with yuppie Republican spawn!

Alex said...

Cite hypocrisy points for Republicans whining about Democrats when ya'll hatin' on Sarandon/Clooney/Penn for their politics.

Blue@9 said...

I'm really starting to think Obama is toast. The polls are meaningless because they say nothing about who will actually get up and go to the polls in November. Enthusiasm for Obama is underwater, and I don't see how it goes up unless Romney does something spectacularly evil or stupid.

Think about it this way: Do you think any McCain voters will go Obama this time? Of course not, this is their "told ya so" moment. And how many Obama voters will either vote Romney or stay home? I'm guessing way over 10%, and that means a landslide for Romney.

People's heads are going to explode in November when Obama gets crushed; get ready for months of vote fraud accusations because the results don't line up with the pre-election polls.

Anonymous said...

"btw sweetie, I'm a he"

Given that you sound like a teenybopper gushing over Justin Beiber when you write about Zero, my mistake was entirely understandable.

Sprinking lols and :-P's into your posts are rather girlish, don't you think? Ah well, liberal males are not famous for having an excess of testosterone now, are they?

And still nothing to say about those nasty, nasty FACTS, Major Tom?

Thought not!
:-P

Anonymous said...

*** Blue@9 said... Think about it this way: Do you think any McCain voters will go Obama this time? Of course not, this is their "told ya so" moment. And how many Obama voters will either vote Romney or stay home? I'm guessing way over 10%, and that means a landslide for Romney.

The numbers for the 2008 election, rounded to 10 mil:

230m eligible voters
100m didn't vote
130m voted

70m Obama
60m McCain

Only about six or seven million voters out of 230 mil have to change their minds and Obama will lose.

Given the dismal economy and Obama's loss of credibility compared to his messianic 2008 campaign persona, it's hard for me to believe that Romney doesn't already have this election in the bag.

cubanbob said...

exiledonmainst said...
Keep whistling past the graveyard, sweetie...your faith in your Messiah is so touching! Astoundingly stupid, like a 15 year old who still believes in Santa and the tooth fairy, but poignant all the same.

;-P

9/4/12 1:41 PM

Gee you are describing the typical liberal base voter!

cubanbob said...

creeley23 said...

Excellent observation but the election isn't decided on a national level. There are fifty state elections for president and so far the polls and pollsters don't adequately poll each state.
So there maybe some surprises this election and not necessarily pleasant ones for the sane majority. Considering the low ethical standard of the left and previous election shennigans they have conducted, this time with the stakes really high for them the ballot counts are going to get ugly. Romney is going to have to win by a huge margin and so will every republican senator and congresman in what are now considerd tight races.

wildswan said...

More people began identifying themselves as Republicans than as Democrats as the summer of 2012 went by but the pollsters showed support for Obama holding steady. Isn't this because the pollsters are assuming an increasing number of Americans are identifying as Democrats? - in some polls 13% more Democrats than Republicans - which is the opposite of what is happening. Probably just before the election blowout the pollsters will be doing samples with 50% more Democrats than Republicans and these polls will show a close race. We've seen this in Wisconsin.

mariner said...

exiledonmainst,
Fifty-two percent of likely voters say the nation is in “worse condition” now than in September 2008, while 54 percent say Obama does not deserve reelection based solely on his job performance."

Many of those same people will vote for him based solely on his race, just like they did in 2008.

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