A great Jonah Goldberg article about how pointless public opinion is:
Posted by Sarah at April 30, 2007 07:34 AM | TrackBackHUGE NUMBERS of Americans don't know jack about their government or politics. According to a Pew Research Center survey released last week, 31% of Americans don't know who the vice president is, fewer than half are aware that Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the House, a mere 29% can identify "Scooter" Libby as the convicted former chief of staff of the vice president, and only 15% can name Harry Reid when asked who is the Senate majority leader.
Also last week, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe that Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales' firing of eight U.S. attorneys was "politically motivated."
So, we are supposed to believe that two-thirds of Americans have studied the details of the U.S. attorney firings and come to an informed conclusion that they were politically motivated — even when Senate Democrats agree that there is no actual evidence that Gonzales did anything improper. Are these the same people who couldn't pick Pelosi out of a lineup? Or the 85% who couldn't name the Senate majority leader? Are we to imagine that the 31% of the electorate who still — after seven years of headlines and demonization — can't identify the vice president of the United States nonetheless have a studied opinion on the firing of New Mexico U.S. Atty. David Iglesias?
My first year in college (majoring in Political Science, of course, because I can't do anything that actually produces anything) the instructor started a discussion on our involvement in Kosovo. After we all got quite spirited and debated the subject he asked the most vocal arguers one after another, "And can you please point out the former Yugoslavia on this world map?"
No one could. The point was well made.
Posted by: airforcewife at April 30, 2007 09:58 PMThe vice president, hmm.... I got it, Al Gore! It must be, I keep seeing him in the news.
Posted by: hydradlisk at May 1, 2007 10:15 AMI know it's un-American, but when people can't tell me who Nancy Pelosi is or Dick Cheney......I want to take away their right to vote. I know it's wrong, but I feel it passionately. My sister-in-law couldn't explain anything about why she voted for Deval Patrick in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race other than her *feeling* that the female Republican candidate, Kerry Healy seemed "stuck up". No policy. No issue. No statement or stand to disagree with. The problem was her perfectly coiffed blonde hair.
My sister had to pinch me so that I wouldn't let loose. Not that she cares about my sister-in-laws feelings.....she just didn't want me in trouble with our parents. LOL, that Jennifer, she's always got my back!