Comments on: Poll: Just 37% consider themselves fiscal conservatives

By: MelonCollie

MelonCollie — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:39:15 +0000

That’s about right IMO because maybe 1/3rd of Americans have any clue about finances and economics whatsoever.

By: SCSoxFan

SCSoxFan — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:54:42 +0000

Two comments — first, on this same page Rasmussen has links to two other surveys that show that majorites also think that government is trying to do too much (although that number has shrunk since the election) and that only 19% think more stimulus spending is the correct path to take. Sounds to me that people have no idea what the labels they are selecting for themselves mean.

Second, I wonder how many conservatives (fiscal or otherwise) are currently not passing Rasmussen’s likely voter screens because of withdrawal, depression, and otherwise not giving a damn about politics at the moment? I don’t think his voter sentiment, Presidential approval numbers, or affiliation surveys mean squat at the moment. Let’s revisit this in 6-12 months.

By: WeekendAtBernankes

WeekendAtBernankes — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:50:56 +0000

At least 10% and probably more like 20-30% don’t even know what the word fiscal means. A similar percentage don’t know what conservative or liberal mean in this context. They only know that conservative = bad, liberal = good.

By: Mycroft

Mycroft — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:27:43 +0000

I’d like to see a similiar poll, conducted by Rasmussen, on the percentage of people who consider themselves to be socially conservative, socially moderate or socially liberal.

The voters of my state (Washington) are fiscally conservative but socially liberal.

By: chemman

chemman — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:17:44 +0000

theperfecteconomist on December 15, 2012 at 3:58 PM

50% seems a tad low considering the so called conservative house passed the obscene continuing resolutions for 2011 and 2012.

By: ShainS

ShainS — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:30:00 +0000

I call either: (1) BS -- to the extent the public is (a) informed/aware/understanding of the literally unimaginable magnitude of the national debt, especially with unfunded liabilities included, and (b) how it is exponentially worsening daily, rational individuals should be historically more fiscally conservative than at any time since the Founding; or (2) Shotgun -- to the extent that the assumption made in (1) is false regarding the public being informed/aware/understanding of the looming crisis (day of reckoning), I wish to be either (a) in the passenger's seat so I can bale out (go totally Galt, perhaps become an expat) before the federal government drives us over the real approaching fiscal cliff, or (b) in possession of a weapon for self-defense and possibly suicide before being hauled off to a re-education/death camp ...

By: The Notorious G.O.P

The Notorious G.O.P — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:27:54 +0000

Well, when a record number of people are unemployed and live off the government of course those numbers are going to fall. People see that out of control spending and high taxes allows them to sit on their butts and not work.

By: tom daschle concerned

tom daschle concerned — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:10:23 +0000

Might explain being $200+ trillion in unfunded liabilities.

By: ShainS

ShainS — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:07:40 +0000

Well 47% pay nothing and are helped by the “safety net” so they don’t care and 16% are rich enough that they do not care as they make more in 1 months than other make in 2 years. Thus you get 37% that the cost of things affects.

tjexcite on December 15, 2012 at 3:52 PM

Heh. “Math made easy.”

I nominate this theory for the coming end-of-the-year HA survey (new category): the “Occam’s razor” reader comment award.

By: Steve Eggleston

Steve Eggleston — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:07:08 +0000

First they came for social conservatism, then they came for fiscal conservatism, then…

IR-MN on December 15, 2012 at 3:40 PM

That’s how it went on the other side of the Pond too.