Poll: Americans Becoming More Conservative by 2-to-1 Margin

Weekly Standard ^ | July 06, 2009 | John McCormack

[RobinMasters]

Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal, 39% to 18%, with 42% saying they have not changed. While independents and Democrats most often say their views haven't changed, more members of all three major partisan groups indicate that their views have shifted to the right rather than to the left.

[RobinMasters]

[ryan71]

Right. 70% of Americans can't tell you what “liberal” or “conservative” means.

They know who's on American Idol, though.

[Izzy Dunne]

It's the McCain effect.

[Artemis Webb]

I wish this meant something when it comes to elections. However my dominating cynical side says that voting Americans are, by and large, stupid and easy to manipulate.

Stupid and easy to manipulate=Barack Obama

[John123]

more conservative

This usually happens when you realize that YOU will be paying for the excesses of the elected idiots in Washington D.C..

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Yep. If a candidate has “rock-star appeal” and can move an audience with BS, they get the votes.

[Marie2]

“Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election,”

I’ll believe it when I see it in 2010. I’d love for it to be true. But I doubt it.

[truthguy]

Then why do we have a Democratic President, Senate, House of Reps. ? What's wrong with these so called conservatives? What happens to them in the Ballot Box? What's wrong with this picture?

Some Poly Sci department needs to invent a new test (if they haven't already) to truly test as to whether someone is liberal or conservative or somewhere in between.

Just asking someone whether they are liberal or conservative doesn't cut it.

[kromike]

I wish this meant something when it comes to elections. However my dominating cynical side says that voting Americans are, by and large, stupid and easy to manipulate. Stupid and easy to manipulate=Barack Obama

Perhaps, JUST perhaps, it's a result of "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

There are certainly Kool-aid Drinkers that would literally rather die than admit they were wrong. The moderates threw the election to The First Thug. Now, perhaps many of those same moderates are now realizing that skin color & tissue-paper-thin resumes aren't a good basis for electing Presidents.

[South40]

Americans Becoming More Conservative by 2-to-1 Margin

Yet they elected the most liberal piece of trash to ever stain the White House with his presence.

[pennyfarmer]

While independents and Democrats most often say their views haven't changed

Yeah that helps.....NOT.

So wishy washy conservatives have become more conservative or possibly more liberal? Fantatstic?? I love being part of the undecided.

Democrats are despicable and are the most unsure people on the planet. Example... We want the government out of our bedrooms but we want same sex marriage recognized. What????

CONSTITUTIONALISTS BETTER RAISE UP. Conservatives are worthless without the constitution yet that is where they want to go. Lets be for conservative values with socalist policys. BS You folks can have then....

(p.s. I am coming down from a 2 week sober period right this moment)

[GOPsterinMA]

10-4! That’s hitting the nail squarely on it’s head!

I bet there’s a substantial % of the population that still think the GOP in the majority of the Congress.

[GonzoGOP]

Those are consistent numbers across the board. Either their last sample was very bad, not impossible seeing as how they love to load polls around the elections, or a major shift is under way. Their may be some hope for 2010 yet.

If this continues "BIG IF" then the Dems will certainly have a much reduced majority in 2010. There is even a remote chance of taking back the house.

Even ACORN would be hard pressed to hide an 18 point shift. Not without making the election an obvious fraud and sending the country into civil war.

[South40]

[Artemis Webb]

I would rather you be right and I be wrong.
Time will tell my FRiend.

[spikeytx86]

It’s no shocker.

If McCain got the same percentage of Conservatives that Obama got of Liberals, McCain would probably be President Today.

If this trend continues, the possibility of winning an election just on the Votes of Conservatives and Right Leaning Centrists/Indies becomes a greater possibility.

[Larry381]

Right. 70% of Americans can't tell you what “liberal” or “conservative” means. They know who's on American Idol, though.

I still say this is the most ignorant generation in American history.

[Buddygirl]

Too late. The horse is already out of the barn... and now our country has to suffer through all the stuff the stupid ones voted for.

[TCats]

Bingo. The Media has dumbed down a large percentage of the population and the M Jackson extravaganza is so much more of the same. Who wants to hear about Cap and Trade or Iran/Iraq/N. Korea when the “King of Pop” story is on for the 100th time over the past five days.

[sergeantdave]

“am coming down from a 2 week sober period right this moment...”

To give all some idea of where you stand with the breathalizer at this moment, please answer this question:

Of the 99 bottles of beer on the wall, how many remain?

[spikeytx86]

Many conservatives did not vote in 2008, some voted third party.

Also, a lot more people are far more Conservative now then they were then. It’s hard to believe, but a lot of people have shifted to the right since election day. Time will tell if it is just pull back from the excesses of Obama or a real fundamental shift in ideology among the electorate.

[MrB]

Possibly a good year for conservatives.

The dummasses won’t have their “cool black guy” to turn out to vote for, so they will stay home and play nintendo.

[Zhang Fei]

I think some of these “conservatives” do not know what the word means in a political sense.

[Iron Munro]

This gives little insight into possible impact on the elections in 2010 and 2012 because they haven’t polled illegals and dead people - two of the democrats most important constituencies.

[MNnice]

“If you’re not a liberal when you’re twenty, you have no heart. But if you’re not a conservative when you’re thirty, you have no brain.”

- Winston Churchill

[Right Wing Assault]

I don’t care what they SAY they are. I just want to see how they vote. They certainly weren’t more conservative last year, electing the MOST liberal dude in the senate to run the country. No true conservative would have ever considered doing that, unless they were on some strange mission.

[truthguy]

Many conservatives did not vote in 2008, some voted third party. Also, a lot more people are far more Conservative now then they were then. It’s hard to believe, but a lot of people have shifted to the right since election day. Time will tell if it is just pull back from the excesses of Obama or a real fundamental shift in ideology among the electorate.

Part of your comments might be true. I don't know how many stayed home. I would like to believe that a true conservative would have been so terrified at an Obama presidency, that they would have held their noses and voted for McCain. I did. I held my nose so hard I still have the indent marks. I pressed the R button.

But to switch your political ideology in just a few months is very hard to swallow. I don't think people are like that. They just don't switch their long held views. It's not human nature.

Many very foolish people might now realize that they made a stupid decision to vote for Obama. These are the frivolous types. They vote for candidate A over B if A is taller or better looking. These folks are dangerous. They are the types who put Hitler in power in 1930's Germany. I know this because I once had very old neighbors who got out of Germany by the skin of their teeth in the 1930's. They told me about this type of person who is easily manipulated. The people I knew were not fooled by Hitler for a millisecond. Unfortunately these fine people who were not political naive are no longer with us.

[truthguy]

Liberalism is a disease

Yes I agree. But one of the worst sins is the "get something for nothing syndrome". This is one of the worst traits of the human condition. We all have it to a degree. I fight it myself. We ought to amend the Seven Deadly Sins to add this as the 8th.

This is one of the foundations of liberalism.

[Willie Green]

I would like to believe that a true conservative would have been so terrified at an Obama presidency, that they would have held their noses and voted for McCain.

A lot of us refuse to hold our noses anymore.
I voted for Sarah Palin despite McCain.
If he hadn't picked her, I would've gone third party and figure the GOP got what it deserved.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal..."

This must be the Jimmy Carter Effect. Obama should continue pushing these numbers as things get worse from his policies.

[liberty or death]

O-Nothing ran on as many conservative ideas as he did left wing. He played to the fools and won.

We all know conservatives on the fence for this guy and from election returns it can be said he took a percentage of them.

Next time he will have to run on his record and if he's anything like Billy Jeff he'll veer right towards the end of his 1st term, cause the left has no where else to go and will vote lock step anyways.

The question is? How many Conservatives will be stupid the second time around.

[Semperfiwife]

Wonder how that lady who said she wouldn’t have to pay her rent now that Obama was elected is doing? He was going to take care of her. Any news of how that’s going for her?

[patriot preacher]

I’d say — IF it was true, which I doubt — that it’s a little freaking too late...

[Marie2]

“Possibly a good year for conservatives.

The dummasses won’t have their “cool black guy” to turn out to vote for, so they will stay home and play nintendo.”

Man, I hope you’re right.

[kromike]

Wonder how that lady who said she wouldn’t have to pay her rent now that Obama was elected is doing? He was going to take care of her. Any news of how that’s going for her?

*Snort*. She's just another Disposable Useful Idiot / Political Happy Meal in a very, very long line of tools that will eagerly suck up to Mr. Oprah in exchange for simply being on TV.

Perhaps that's what this Presidency truly is: a reality show. If Bubba's legacy was a Seinfeld-Presidency-About-Nothing, Ears's legacy is a Joe-Senator-Reality-Show: he had to suck the least from week to week in a simple game of Elimination.

[beefree]

“Seven Deadly Sins”

This one is envy, ala class warfare. I heard Jesse Jackson ‘preach’ that no one would be poor except that someone took something away from them, no one would be thirsty except someone had cut off the stream, ‘you are a victim’, rich people and government owe you stuff, etc.

[vpintheak]

I remain pessimistic. We will see if the same old rats make it in again in 2010.

[pennyfarmer]

2, and those are to curb the hangover in the morning.

[Newtoidaho]

Yes, and you know the Rats are going to be running on that in 2010, still blaming the R’s for all of the ever-worsening economic ills. Their campaign will continue to be Blame Republicans, vote for more Democrats if you want to see “Real Change” this time.

And now that the parasites outnumber the producers and have realized they can now vote themselves the public treasury, it will probably work again despite this survey. I’ve lost faith in the country, although there are pockets of common sense still to be found.