November 19, 2013

In these the last days of Obama as a religion, the WaPo writes of the "dwindling faith in his competence and in many of the personal attributes that have buoyed him in the past."

Oh, the language of the once-true believers is so careful! And yet you can still see that it was a religion, kind of a religion. There was faith, but it's dwindling. It was faith in his competence and in many of the personal attributes. And our faith buoyed him. We kept him aloft in the heavens and — this is a report on a poll — in the polls.
On three measures of leadership and empathy that have been tested repeatedly in Post-ABC polls, Obama now is underwater on all three for the first time. Half or more now say he is not a strong leader, does not understand the problems of “people like you,” and is not honest and trustworthy. Perceptions of the president as a strong leader have dropped 15 points since January, and over the past year the percentage of registered voters who say he is not honest and trustworthy has increased 12 points....
Also interesting, but not specifically about Obama:

Forty-three percent say the Republican Party is too conservative, compared with 36 percent who say its views are just right. For Democrats, 46 percent say the party’s views are too liberal and 41 percent say they are about right.
So more people think the Democrats are too liberal than think the Republicans are too conservative. But the "about right" percent is 5 points higher for Democrats than for Republicans. Unless more people have no opinion of Republicans than of Democrats, that must mean more people think Republicans are too liberal than think Democrats are too conservative.
Ratings for the tea party movement are quite similar to those of the Republican Party. But in the aftermath of the partial federal government shutdown, a majority say they oppose the movement for the second time in two months. And more than four in 10 say the movement has too much influence on the GOP, while only 25 percent say its influence is about right.
Does that mean that about 35% would like the Tea Party to have more influence — and 60% say the Tea Party should have as much or more influence than it has now? Considering that Democrats were being polled here too, that sounds like an amazing amount of support for the Tea Party.

ADDED: I'm addressing the form of expression in the article, but I realize that I can click through to the details. 17% think Republicans are too liberal and 10% think Democrats are too conservative.And 21% think the Tea Party has too little influence in the Republican Party. 11% have no opinion. So 46% think the Tea Party has either the right amount of influence or should have more. Only 43% think it has too much.

AND: Here's the detailed view on the Tea Party question. Among Republicans, 40% say "about the right amount" and 26% say "too little," for a total of 66% percent positive. 26% say too much. Among Democrats, 59% say too much. Interestingly, among the 18 to 39 year-old group, 47% say right amount or too little, and 39% say too much. It's the oldest group — 65 and older — that is most antagonistic to the Tea Party. 50% say too much, and the combined too little and right amount group is 39%.

BUT: Here's the detailed view on the question of whether people support or oppose the Tea Party, and there you see clear opposition in the 18 to 39 year-old group.

39 comments:

Bob Boyd said...

Warning:
If your schadenboner lasts more than 4 hours, see your doctor.
Oh no. I can't. Thanks to Obama, I lost my health insurance and my doctor!

Michael K said...

Contrary to leftist propaganda, the Tea Party is the libertarian wing of the GOP. The fact that this frightens leftists and Democrats (sorry to repeat myself), has a lot to do with the demonization that has gone on.

Sarah Palin was demonized because she is female and attractive and conservative. Clarence Thomas was demonized because he is black and conservative.

George Orwell wrote about this years ago. It should not be a surprise.

Matt Sablan said...

Maybe in 2014, there will be an Obama Great Awakening that reignited the faith.

Matt Sablan said...

Proper tenses are for plebeians.

Sorun said...

He's not cool anymore?

Bob Boyd said...

I try to push it down, but my heels come up.

Brando said...

I'm disappointed that Andrew Sullivan hasn't yet written anything about this Obamacare rollout is actually three-dimensional chess leading to another "meep meep" moment.

That means all that's left is an article about how we Americans failed this brilliant diamond of a man who we were lucky to have as President.

Seeing Red said...

No comment on the Milwaukee prosecutor using his power and John Doe to go after Walker's contributors?

This is your party, Professor, this is what they always have been. Thugs.

MadisonMan said...

No comment on the Milwaukee prosecutor using his power and John Doe to go after Walker's contributors?

This is your party, Professor, this is what they always have been. Thugs.

Because Republicans in Wisconsin would never do that.

Seeing Red said...

Harvey Weinstein already said it to Piers Morgan. It's the American people.....

Renee said...

He should of focused on the fatherless epidemic, he would have Oprah on his side.

southcentralpa said...

And one of the little sidebar items says that registered voters would elect Romney 49-45 if the election were today ...

It certainly makes me wonder how the election would've gone if the press has not taken it on themselves to shill for the incumbent so shamelessly.

southcentralpa said...

And since one of the OFA apparatchiks will ask, my source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/11/19/president-romney-yes-if-the-election-were-held-today/?tid=pm_politics_pop

PB said...

Liberalism is a religion. This has to be an accepted fact.

Clyde said...

If you want to know how it ends, watch the "We're Not Gonna Take It" scene from the movie Tommy.

"We forsake you,
"Gonna break you,
"Let's forget you better still..."

Alex said...

Does it really matter? The boy prince got re-elected and is a virtual dictator for 3 more years.

Seeing Red said...

Via Wiki, Madison Man:

Steven M. Biskupic (born March 26, 1961), was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serving under Attorneys General John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey. He was appointed by George W. Bush in May 2002. Prior to his appointment, Biskupic served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 13 years, specializing in the prosecution of white collar crime. In 2000, Biskupic received the Department of Justice Award for superior performance for his prosecution of mortgage fraud cases. He later worked on a series of high profile public corruption and civil rights cases in Milwaukee, including the conviction of nine police officers, four Milwaukee aldermen, a state senator and several other public officials. In 2007, Biskupic and his office came under review by US Congressional and Senate investigators looking at the 2006 Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice’s internal affairs unit cleared Biskupic of any ethical wrongdoing in the Georgia Thompson prosecution. At the end of the Bush Administration, Biskupic resigned and joined the Milwaukee law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich as a litigator.

Roux said...

Even the atheists have lost faith in Obame.

RecChief said...

Here's the detailed on the question of whether people support or oppose the Tea Party, and there you see clear opposition in the 18 to 39 year-old group. "

I've noticed that this demographic tends to be more easily led, and less likely to think deeply about the consequences of policies. Sorry to make that generalization, but that is my experience.

And I think that goes hand in hand with what Michael K said.

cubanbob said...

It would appear that the Democrats need to elect a new people if the polls are correct.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

We in the Tea Party are the Republican wing of the Republican party. To paraphrase the Gipper, we aren't leaving the GOP so much as it is leaving us.

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

It's more of a cult than a religion. It has a foundation in material things rather than morality. Its members demand instant or immediate gratification. They even practice the old way of human sacrifices. Obama is the mortal god who demands their subservience.

Ironically, a secular philosophy, notably embraced by left-wing ideology, predisposes individuals to favor mortal gods and intelligent design, in lieu of individual dignity and responsibility, and distributed systems and processes.

Sam L. said...

Barry's a "strong" leader if it's the stench that surrounds him.

Sam L. said...

I nominate Bob Boyd for Comment Of The Day!

MadisonMan said...

Oooh, if the US DOJ cleared one of its own of wrong-doing, I guess it's all settled then.

I mean, they'd never ever in a million years try to steer that investigation in one direction!

No-siree!

Real American said...

the only way to believe Obama was competent at all was to have blind faith because there's never been any fucking evidence of it at all. The guy's not qualified to run a car wash.

test said...

It seems much like watching the followers of doomsday predictors on the day after the world was supposed to end. They're all diminished for believing such obviously ridiculous arguments. But the truly bizarre are those who still believe after the evidecne is in fron of their face.

Seriously, we were going to cover 20 million additional people, yet the "typical" family who already had coverage was going to save $2,500? And it was going to be budget neutral? Seriously, who could believe this? It's insane.

Sorun said...

"The guy's not qualified to run a car wash."

Obama's car wash management strategy:

1. Blame the previous owner.
2. ????
3. Profit!

Anonymous said...

I was three days into an equality binge, half-naked, out of my mind. My Prius was found abandoned by an abandoned charging station. A buddy said I'd shown up at his door at 3 am, telling him I'd become a transcendent being.

'You told me you saw beyond race, class, and gender', he said, and 'That the voice of the universe resonated with a similar frequency to that of David Attenborough at 120000' whatever that meant.

Apparently I talked for hours about designing the perfect public/private partnership.

At some point I wandered off into the cold night mist, alone, yelling things about non-profit hell, where it's faculty lounges all the way down and 'go f**k your social justice,'

I let down a lot of people.

The Godfather said...

One of the things that most annoyed me in the 2008 election was the way Obama used his 20-20 hindsight. Whatever Bush action or policy it was that Obama criticized, his answer was to follow the "smart" alternative. He didn't feel a need to show that Bush's policy toward Iran or Russia or whoever was wrong, he just pointed to the imperfect real world and said, I'll apply a SMART policy.

(I confess to being a Bush fan -- Prescott was my Senator when I was growing up, '41 was a good guy (my second choice -- after Howard Baker -- for the nomination in 1980) who never learned to be a politician, '43 decided after 9/11 that there was something more important than no child left behind and pursued the GWOT with single-minded zeal, and Jeb was a fine governor when I lived in Florida.

I went to Harvard (and Columbia). I know what it's like to be arrogant. Obama has all the repellant characteristics of the Harvard Man, yet he is dull, unimaginative, and ignorant. The American people may be learning that, but it's too late to prevent the great harm he has caused our country.

Skeptical Voter said...

Madison Man, can you read a calendar?

Stephen Biskupic, a Republican appointee as U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Michigan was cleared by the Eric Holder DOJ in 2010. I can assure you that if Biskupic had ever so much as dropped a gum wrapper on a city street, Holder's gang would have strung him up by his ankles.

Skeptical Voter said...

Godfather in your list of Obama's character flaws, you omitted "lazy". Obama has much to be humble about, but he stays arrogant.

Strelnikov said...

I'm always a little perplexed at the hint of Schadenfreude in some of you Obama comments. You do understand, don't you, that since you are part of the group who once respected these chimeric aspects of his character that you are thereby not entitled to feel that way? That, in fact, you are one of those whom the rest of us are watching? And enjoying.

Victor Erimita said...

Once again, the self-styled "reality-based community" is shown to be utterly oblivious , even averse, to facts. They didn't bother to vet Barry, called anyone who did names, and looked at anyone pointing out his singular lack of achievement and lifelong radical associations as retrograde Darwinian left-behinds.

Now they learn he isn't cool, knows nothing, can't do anything. But they will learn nothing about themselves, and nothing about those who all along saw through the Obama mirage and the shallow poseurs who supported him. They still think Sarah Palin, who has been spot on about Obama all along, as the poster girl for ignorance.

Kelly said...

We'll always have Gay marriage. Obama's great achievement.

Archilochus said...

Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When this breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

Moneyrunner said...

Strelnikov, well put. Ann does her best to put her youthful infatuations behind her and has found that denial works often enough for most situations. Look how well it’s worked for Obama. Many of those who have fallen out of lust with the Big O will often tell you that their position was right since McCain and the bimbette Palin was worse. They were able to read the alternative history you see; they’re gifted that way.

Victor Erimita, your comments regarding Palin are spot on. But for someone who wants to remain as even a honorary member of the “reality based community” to even hint at that is a firing offense. So our hostess won’t go there.

The Godfather said...

@Skeptical Voter, you're probably right that Obama is lazy -- certainly intellectually lazy and perhaps also physically lazy. I was trying to tie him into his Harvard/Columbia background, and although it may be true that "you can always tell a Harvard man, but you can't tell him much", I don't think laziness is an essential part of being a Harvard man. When I was there, many years ago, some of the super-preppies were lazy academically, but even the most privileged worked hard at what they thought was important. Obama's detachment from the accomplishment of his own most important programs is shocking to me: laziness doesn't really capture it.