Hoover, Fonda References Baffling Voters

NewsMax ^ | 3/19/04 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Mention the name Hoover to most Americans and they think you are talking about either a vacuum cleaner, the late F.B.I. chief or a big dam.

When Democrats dredge up memories of President Herbert Hoover, the great depression, and the 1929 stock market crash, barely seven percent responding to a National Annenberg Election Survey knew what they were talking about.

And when Republicans try to score points with patriotic voters by linking Senator John Kerry with his fellow anti-Vietnam war comrade Jane Fonda, hardly any among those polled had any idea of what they were talking about.

To 20 percent of them, Jane Fonda is just an actress, another 9 percent tie her to exercise videos, and 2 percent link her to either father Henry Fonda or ex-husband Ted Turner, the Chicago Tribune reported, adding that another 11 percent give other answers.

When survey respondents were asked, "Just your best guess, what was Herbert Hoover known for?" fewer than 7 percent tied Hoover to the Great Depression, the 1929 stock market crash, or job losses - the parallel with President Bush that John Kerry keeps attempting to draw.

Thirty-seven percent cited Hoover as a former president, twelve percent confused him with the late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and another 4 percent connected Hoover to the dam on the Colorado River that bears his name.

Three percent identified Hoover with the popular vacuum cleaner.

Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed had no answer at all when asked about Hoover, while 17 percent had no answer when asked about Fonda.

According to the Tribune, the poll surveyed 634 people by telephone between March 1 and March 15.

[VRW Conspirator]

To 20 percent of them, Jane Fonda is just an actress, another 9 percent tie her to exercise videos, and 2 percent link her to either father Henry Fonda or ex-husband Ted Turner, the Chicago Tribune reported, adding that another 11 percent give other answers.

But the Left remembers! That is what counts/scores.

[onyx]

The fact that these people vote scares me.

[MrB]

40% hard core lefties,
40% hard core righties,

20% uninformed, ignorant, and apathetic elect the president.

[mvpel]

Abolish the government-run schools!

[eyespysomething]

I'm working to make it

40% -left
41% -right

19% -mushy middle

It's the least I can do.

[Free ThinkerNY]

For most Americans, history is a mystery.

[Servant of the 9]

The fact that these people vote scares me.

The fact that we let them vote depresses me.

This is what you get with Universal Suffrage.

So9

[expatpat]

The headline slould have read "...baffles people who answer the telephone".

Apart from the fact that that 'people who answer the telephone' are not necessarily 'voters', in many households the first person to rush to answer the phone is a (probably female) teenager.

[leadpenny]

I would have thought many would have associated Hoover with a "Lewinsky."

[Political Junkie Too]

Mention the name Hoover to most Americans and they think you are talking about either a vacuum cleaner, the late F.B.I. chief or a big dam.

I remember the Bloopers record advertisements from the 1970s where the news announcer refers to "Hoobert Heever."

-PJ

[churchillbuff]

When survey respondents were asked, "Just your best guess, what was Herbert Hoover known for?" fewer than 7 percent tied Hoover to the Great Depression, the 1929 stock market crash, or job losses

The Left has purposefully dumbed down American education - - - so now it comes back to bite them, when public school graduates are ignorant even of the Left's favorite bogeymen from history.

[bigeasy_70118]

40% hard core lefties, 40% hard core righties, 20% uninformed, ignorant, and apathetic elect the president.

Uh, shouldn't that be 40% hard core righties, 60% uninformed and ignorant?

[onyx]

The headline slould have read "...baffles people who answer the telephone".

LOL-LOL-LOL.

[thecanuck]

Its all about targeting. The general population might not have a clue but the Hoover reference will make sense to seniors who might recall the Depression (if they were even around then). The problem is most of them will realize today is way better than the Depression Era and thus the comparison makes no sense. For veterans and the families of veterans, the Fonda reference hits home thus nuking any attempt by Kerry to tie himself positively to the real patriots. Bottom line is the Hoover angle does zip for Dems but Fonda marginally helps the Repubs.

[Spunky]

"Three percent identified Hoover with the popular vacuum cleaner."

I watched Oprah last night. BLUSH! BLUSH! :-(

She was doing a program on what 13 year old girls know and do. According to them having a HOOVER, means having had an abortion.

Real scary what our young girls know and the language they use.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Never underestimate the stupidity of society, which is why we are a representative republic. Sometimes I think people screw this stuff up on purpose, cam people really be so dumb? Well, I taught public school, and yes they are.

[rogueleader]

How about holding a basic history test before you can vote? Get them all right or be turned away at the polls.

Who was the first President of the United States? ________

Who was President during the Civil War? __________

Does Congress have the legal power to remove the freedom of speech? ____________

Who becomes President if the President dies? ____________

What year is it? _____________

What is the letter in the alphabet after "R"? _________

[rogueleader]

What ?!? They show Oprah where you live at night?

[HighWheeler]

Good questions!

Let me fix those questions for the RATS:

Who was the first black President of the United States? ________

Who was the Republican President during the racism driven Civil War? __________

Does Congress have need the legal power to remove the freedom of speech? ____________

Who is the current, evil person that becomes President if the current, evil President dies? ____________

What year has it been or will be? _____________

What is the a letter in the alphabet after "R"? _________

[Verginius Rufus]

Who was President during the Civil War?

Which side?

[conejo99]

The rest are easy, but I always have a hard time remembering what year it is.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Actually ther numbers are more like this:

10% Hard core righties
10% Righties who wish there were something better than the GOP
10% Hard core lefties
10% Democats-because-their-daddy-was-a-democRat
12% Idiots too dimwitted to follow politics but vote anyway
48% Apathetics who rarely or never vote

[Blood of Tyrants]

One of our found fathers greates fears was that the uninformed would vote.

[MrB]

You're right about the population as a whole.

But for those that do vote, I'm probably pretty close.

[mabelkitty]

That can be fixed - move St. Patrick's Day to the first Monday after the first Sunday in November.

[MrB]

I have one question for voters:

Can the federal government do anything that the Constitution doesn't forbid,

or can it do nothing except what the Constitution specifically allows?

Get it wrong, can't vote. That would get rid of 90% of the Democrat voters.

[Mike Bates]

And when Republicans try to score points with patriotic voters by linking Senator John Kerry with his fellow anti-Vietnam war comrade Jane Fonda, hardly any among those polled had any idea of what they were talking about.

What a shame. It's worth remembering:

[Tunehead54]

Does Congress have the legal power to remove the freedom of speech? Yes.

---

That's the correct answer altough I suspect you believe the answer is "No". Even though our revered Constitution says "Congress shall make NO law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ..."

For reference see SCOTUS ruling on McStain's Campaign Finance Reform Act. I am depressed. What part of "no law" do they not understand? :-(

[North Coast Conservative]

That's why when I got my bumper stickers printed they say:

I have some left. if anybody wants to buy them at my cost FReepmail me your address.

In God We Trust…..Semper Fi!

[cinFLA]

The fact that these people vote scares me.

Most of them don't.

[bvw]

Your percentages are, I am afraid, too high as to the informed. In any given election for a particular position the truly informed voters measure in the single digits or less.

Our two-party system seems to lock in stupidy.

[Publius]

I remember the Bloopers record advertisements from the 1970s where the news announcer refers to "Hoobert Heever."

And the newscaster who made that famous blooper in 1931 was the legendary Harry Von Zell.

Von Zell retired from TV in the Fifties when George Burns' TV show went off the air. He came out of retirement in the Seventies to MC a classical music radio quiz show for high school students that aired on KFAC, then LA's classical station. (Von Zell was a classical music fanatic with the accent on opera.)

He died sometime in the Eighties, if I remember correctly.

[RightWhale]

Get them all right or be turned away at the polls

How about 'get two right'?

[newsmeat.com]

Here they are...Jane Fonda's campaign contributions

Take a wild guess whom she supports?

[newsmeat.com]

...and here's Ted Turner's campaign contributions..

Surprisingly cheap...especially when compared with his ex-wife.

[saxxa]

i've called the kerry campaign , pretending not to know who this person HOOVER is to try to get an answer .....the people answering the phones had no idea !!

[NYCVirago]

When the libs continue to bring up Herbert Hoover as a bogeyman, they should think about what Harry Truman thought of the man. From the Truman Library's website:

In late May 1945, only six weeks after Roosevelt's death, Hoover met with President Harry Truman and the two men planned for the recovery of postwar Europe. At Truman's request, Hoover traveled the world to provide the president with a personal assessment of world food needs. More importantly, Hoover lobbied fellow Republicans to support Truman's food relief programs. In the summer of 1947, Truman agreed that Hoover should be chairman of the newly created Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch, later known as the Hoover Commission. As chairman, Hoover continued to work closely with President Truman to enact the commission's recommendations and to streamline post-war government. Hoover and Truman's work together forged a bond of friendship that lasted the rest of their lives.

[Lady Heron]

You know this makes sense. The only reason I know what Fonda did in the 60's when I was a baby, was because I happened to be standing with my very kind Grandfather whom I can not ever remember saying any thing bad about anybody (except her),one day when she was mentioned on the tv. His reaction was one I will never forget! Traitor to the country was the nicest thing he had to say. It really left an impression to see that reaction from him.

Unless the GOP is willing to also give a history lesson like my grandfather gave me when they link those names with Kerry, it is a waste of time with the under 40 crowd.

[nonliberal]

Who was the first President of the United States?

Samuel Huntington- September 28, 1779-July 9, 1781. First President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.

Or, going even further back:

Peyton Randolph-September 5, 1774-October 21, 1774. First President of the Continental Congress.

[OESY]

Likewise, Kerry talks as if he has never heard of, and does not understand the destructive effect of, Congress' protectionist Smoot-Hawley tariffs or FDR's tax increases which helped cause, deepen and prolong the depression, converting it into a Great Depression.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Close to my thoughts. I saw Fonda vacuuming F-ing's Hoover.

[Fiddlstix]

My Lord! Are People living in a Vacuum?
Of course, speaking as an "older citizen" when back in my day the Constitution was taught in school as well as real history..........
I guess it's a stupid question these days......
(Not to sound pejorative toward young people of their generation who've learned......but....for the most part they learned it on their own or with proper parental guidence...not in the modern school system)