Poll: 53% of Democrats have positive view of socialism
The differences between Democrats and Republicans in how they view these terms provide an important window into today’s political realities. Democrats have a more positive image of the federal government than they do of capitalism, by a 20-percentage-point margin, while Republicans are more positive about capitalism than the federal government, by a 45-point margin. This difference is not surprising — particularly given that a Democrat currently occupies the White House — but underscores the divergence in the ways in which Republicans and Democrats look at the appropriate role of the government in relationship to business.
Additionally, Democrats have roughly similar reactions to capitalism (55% positive) and socialism (53%), while Republicans are much more positive about the former than the latter, by 72% to 23%, respectively.
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This poll was a 100% waste of time.
Who pays for this nonsense?
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 8:28 AM
This surprises me not at all. The Dems are practically the Communist Party at this point.
Doughboy on November 29, 2012 at 8:31 AM
And 100% of myself has a positive view of me.
Zaggs on November 29, 2012 at 8:31 AM
Socialists like socialism.. imagine that. Next…
Axion on November 29, 2012 at 8:33 AM
I agree.
Kjeil on November 29, 2012 at 8:37 AM
And 23% of Republicans also view socialism favorably??????
We’re sunk.
itsnotaboutme on November 29, 2012 at 8:37 AM
That’s because they have no idea what socialism is … or what’s it’s done in the past.
The liberal takeover of our media and education system has painted socialism as a benevolent system with kind, caring bureaucrats who only work for our benefit. Nothing could be further from the truth. Socialism kills … physically, mentally and spiritually.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 8:39 AM
Their goals and platforms are virtually identical.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 8:39 AM
This. Ask a low-information, aliterate, apolitical Dem voter to define socialism. They won’t know what you’re talking about. Evidently the same goes for 23% of Republicans.
visions on November 29, 2012 at 8:44 AM
When Canada and Germany are far to the left of the United States and doing fine economically, the red baiting scare tactics just don’t work anymore.
libfreeordie on November 29, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Sorry, they’re not far left of the US … especially with regard to immigration law. Canada for instance has much tougher laws on illegals and immigration. Mere birth in Canada does not automatically grant citizenship like in the US.
I get the impression you’re one of the people who has no idea what socialism is, or what it’s done and is doing around the world.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 8:50 AM
Only a brainwashed liberal like you be so ignorant on international economics, and then pass of trillions of debt brought on by entitlement programs as “red baiting”.
And when the money finally runs out, you’ll first blame conservatives and then go to looting yourself instead of letting the government do it for you.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 8:51 AM
This is where the GOP is inept:
The library of speeches from JFK – just railing against socialism – is vast. Why the GOP does not tap the ‘GREAT’ democrat leaders (i.e. JFK) and use their owns words against them – is beyond me.
The GOP (Party organization) is inept.
jake-the-goose on November 29, 2012 at 8:52 AM
How are they to the left of us again? We’ve got the highest corporate tax rate in the world, and the top 10% of earners pay about 80% of income taxes. They may have more social programs, but they also don’t have millions of illegal immigrants from third world countries overwhelming the system.
The Count on November 29, 2012 at 8:54 AM
People that hold favorable views of centralized, overarching, powerful government are simply ignorant of history.
That’s the problem with liberals, though.
They have this arrogant notion that somehow we’ll be “different this time.” We’re “evoooolvvvveeeed,” if you will.
What they don’t get is that human nature is human nature, and it will continue to be that way.
So, if socialism and communism failed in the past, it will most certainly fail in the future.
However, they fall back to the usual “oh that wasn’t real socialism (or commmunism).”
I had a TA in my Russian Studies class in college blather on about how the system in Russia wasn’t “real” socialism. Stupid.
blatantblue on November 29, 2012 at 8:55 AM
Germany is so far left they’ve made being a practicing Jew illegal. But they did get around to outlawing bestiality this week.
JohnBrown on November 29, 2012 at 8:55 AM
Canada is far left of the US? Which country approved the Keystone pipeline and which one didn’t? Which country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of over 100% and which one’s is only a third of that?
Doughboy on November 29, 2012 at 8:56 AM
Try living under it. And I do mean UNDER it.
Fools.
Rixon on November 29, 2012 at 9:01 AM
~20 million citizens of Russian socialism were unavailable for comment.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:02 AM
Because 100% of Republicans want to get their Social Security when they retire.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:03 AM
Oddly, it’s never the lower or middle classes that cry out for socialism … it’s always the “intellectuals” and elites that shove it down their throats.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 9:04 AM
Maybe 25% of them will get it before the funds run out. MAYBE.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Had an argument with my uncle, a writer for the NYT, over thanksgiving. He’s friends with Dowd, Krugman, all of them. He didn’t know the difference between Social Security and SSDI, he thought Bush started the Obama Stimulus, was seemingly unaware that Obama expanded the Afghan war (“unpaid wars!!”) and thought Obama offered up entitlement reform. He was obviously furious with me for dismantling all of his talking points. These people are beyond rehabilitation.
The Count on November 29, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Germany’s birth rate is below flat-lined, hence the importation of Turks and Egyptians. Soon it will be Ottomania Nord. The aged pensioners and everyone else on the dole now outnumber the workers whose taxes support them by almost 4 to 1. Can you say, “collapse?”
And Canada’s PM is conservative Stephen Harper, who is trying to steer the country in that direction. Is rebuffing of Mahmoud Abbas the other day is reason enough for me to wish he was president here, instead of the choom-chuffing, dog-eating miscreant now occupying (oh the irony there) 1600 Pa. Ave.
Rixon on November 29, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Obviously, it took decades to get us to the point we’re at now. It will take decades to reverse the decline.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Since we spend virtually all revenue on entitlements I’d say funds have already run out.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 9:07 AM
A hell of a lot more than that if you count Chinese Communism and Hitler’s National Socialism.
Rixon on November 29, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Actually, Social Security is fundamentally sound. Without anything being done, retirees in 50 years could still get 75-80% of their benefits. The system can be made solvent with fairly modest tweaks.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:08 AM
This poll is crap, because the vast majority of Americans do not even know what socialism is. The word is thrown around all the time. But our education system is woefully inept at teaching people these important concepts. Folks just hear all the platitudes about the benefits of socialist programs, and know nothing of the history of what’s happened every time it’s been tried.
Shump on November 29, 2012 at 9:09 AM
Not when the rest of the government runs such massive debt that the economy collapses, when unemployment continues to rise and the pool of people paying into Social Security continues to decrease, and when the imaginary Social Security “trust fund” continues to be used by Congress to fund other things.
Shump on November 29, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Especially here.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Ooh who is he?!?!
You’re right though. It happens when you live in a bubble and you never have to defend your positions. That is part of the reason I’m glad I’ve lived in a blue state my entire life, and went to a deep blue university.
blatantblue on November 29, 2012 at 9:10 AM
ROTFLOL. The funny part is that you’re not trolling, you actually believe this.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:10 AM
???? In 2013 we’ll spend 900 billion on Social Security alone. That’s fundamentally sound?
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 9:10 AM
You’re right, Chicken Little. When the sky falls, Social Security will collapse.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:11 AM
<blockquoteTrillion dollar deficit? What trillion dollar deficit? Lalalala, everything will be just fine!
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:11 AM
FTFY.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Breaking at Duh News….
Axeman on November 29, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Howz’at???!!! The “trust fund” has been empty for almost 30 years. Picked clean to fund every other failed gubmint cheese program. And now that the population of those being paid has outpaced those paying into it, the Ponzi scheme that FDR foisted on us is about to collapse like a wet taco. SS and Medicare consume over 2/3 of the budget and we are borrowing from the Chinese to meet the obligations. Both of them will go bust within the next 6-10 years tops. And that bit of news is from the government’s own actuaries.
Please. Spare us.
Rixon on November 29, 2012 at 9:13 AM
By all means, educate us. What “tweaks” need to be made?
blatantblue on November 29, 2012 at 9:13 AM
Yeah, continually raise payroll taxes as people continue to live longer but still expect to retire at 65, or fund it through the back door with more borrowing from China. This qualifies as a Democrat solution in this day and age.
The Count on November 29, 2012 at 9:14 AM
Sure. If Social Security revenues are equal to $900 billion, which they are.
It’s a fine and important program which needs to be adjusted but must be preserved.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:14 AM
In socialist parlance, I believe “tweaks” is another word for more taxes.
darwin on November 29, 2012 at 9:15 AM
The adjustments needed to be made when the baby boom ended, but it would have been nearly heresy to admit that populations can’t endlessly ‘boom’, so they weren’t made.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Raise the retirement age, slow cost of living increases, lift the maximum income subject to taxes, means test for the wealthy. It’s not hard.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:16 AM
Except that neither party will do it, now or later.
MelonCollie on November 29, 2012 at 9:16 AM
With increasing life expectancy, do you support raising the retirement age?
blatantblue on November 29, 2012 at 9:16 AM
The fact that you liken it to a Ponzi scheme shows that you’re not intellectually serious.
urban elitist on November 29, 2012 at 9:16 AM
Well, at least U.E. supports lifting the retirement age, there’s hope for him/her!
blatantblue on November 29, 2012 at 9:16 AM
Schmuck, the Government’s own actuary is telling us that SS is going to collapse within the next 6 years. If you are going to make a statement as risibly and patently false as the one you are making, back it up and cite as many references as you can. And Nancy Pelosi’s stuttering, Botoxed cake hole does not count.
Rixon on November 29, 2012 at 9:17 AM
LOLOLOLOLOL. Harry & Nancy just threw you out of the party.
The Count on November 29, 2012 at 9:18 AM
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