By Mike Dawson on Tuesday August 2, 2011 01:59 PM
One of the core missions of the Democratic Party is to perform overclass tasks that, due to the branding/false product differentiation requirements of the bipartisan marketing effort that is politics in the market-totalitarian United States, the Republican wing of the junta cannot accomplish when playing the leading role.
Inspired by Stepin Fetchit Obama's especially proud and diligent work in this direction this past weekend, I thought I might take a look at what he's also accomplished in the wider realm of public opinion at this time of especially obvious need for new kinds and heightened levels of public enterprise.
The basis for doing so is a comparison of 2008 results and 2010 results along a series of topics as measured by the General Social Survey. This survey, which generally affirms (with the important exceptions of crime/jail, welfare, foreign aid spending) the Chomskian thesis that the U.S. public is substantially to the left of its supposed representatives, asks people whether they think their government is spending "too much," "about right," or "too little" on various sorts of projects.
Zerobama, who at crucial moments in his own award-winning "campaign" in 2008 suggested he was studying books about FDR, is, of course, a Democrat elected to preside over by far the most serious economic implosion since corporate capitalism's Second Great Depression in the 1930s.
So, shall we SMBIVAns take a quick look at what Obummer has done to the public mind on the topic of public enterprise?
Here are the percentage-point changes in the U.S. public's view of government spending by topic area, from 2008 to 2010, per the latest GSS:
Improving and Protecting the Environment
percentage saying "too little" being spent: -7.2
percentage saying "too much" being spent: +2.0
Improving and Protecting the Nation's Health
"too little": -15.9
"too much": +10.8
Solving the Problems of Big Cities
"too little": -5.8
"too much": +7.0
Improving the Condition of Blacks
"too little": -5.5
"too much": +3.1
Military
"too little": +0.4
"too much": -4.8
Welfare
"too little": -2.2
"too much": +4.2
Assistance to the Poor
"too little": -2.7
"too much": +1.8
Social Security
"too little: -4.3
"too much": +2.5
Mass Transportation
"too little": -6.0
"too much": +2.9
Assistance for Childcare
"too little": -2.7
"too much": +0.9
Conclusion? SMBIVA = QED.
Inspired by Stepin Fetchit Obama's especially proud and diligent work in this direction this past weekend, I thought I might take a look at what he's also accomplished in the wider realm of public opinion at this time of especially obvious need for new kinds and heightened levels of public enterprise.
The basis for doing so is a comparison of 2008 results and 2010 results along a series of topics as measured by the General Social Survey. This survey, which generally affirms (with the important exceptions of crime/jail, welfare, foreign aid spending) the Chomskian thesis that the U.S. public is substantially to the left of its supposed representatives, asks people whether they think their government is spending "too much," "about right," or "too little" on various sorts of projects.
Zerobama, who at crucial moments in his own award-winning "campaign" in 2008 suggested he was studying books about FDR, is, of course, a Democrat elected to preside over by far the most serious economic implosion since corporate capitalism's Second Great Depression in the 1930s.
So, shall we SMBIVAns take a quick look at what Obummer has done to the public mind on the topic of public enterprise?
Here are the percentage-point changes in the U.S. public's view of government spending by topic area, from 2008 to 2010, per the latest GSS:
Improving and Protecting the Environment
percentage saying "too little" being spent: -7.2
percentage saying "too much" being spent: +2.0
Improving and Protecting the Nation's Health
"too little": -15.9
"too much": +10.8
Solving the Problems of Big Cities
"too little": -5.8
"too much": +7.0
Improving the Condition of Blacks
"too little": -5.5
"too much": +3.1
Military
"too little": +0.4
"too much": -4.8
Welfare
"too little": -2.2
"too much": +4.2
Assistance to the Poor
"too little": -2.7
"too much": +1.8
Social Security
"too little: -4.3
"too much": +2.5
Mass Transportation
"too little": -6.0
"too much": +2.9
Assistance for Childcare
"too little": -2.7
"too much": +0.9
Conclusion? SMBIVA = QED.
Comments (9)
Overheard in the supermarket checkout line:
"It got in through the back door. I have to leave it open because Pussy refuses to use the cat flap."
Posted by Boink | August 2, 2011 3:05 PM
Posted on August 2, 2011 15:05
Number of people who think that surveys are bs and that analysis thereof wasted intellectual effort: 1
Posted by davidly | August 2, 2011 3:24 PM
Posted on August 2, 2011 15:24
Surveys do have a strong bullshit factor, but as a gauge of shallow sentiment they're pretty good, and within a circumscribed set of options, those shallow sentiments inform people's political conduct. In other words, what Bpink heard in the checkout line.
Posted by Al Schumann | August 3, 2011 8:17 AM
Posted on August 3, 2011 08:17
I'm less inclined in this instance to see an Obama effect, and more just the general effect of decades of propaganda and comical misinformation that Democrats spend more on this or that and do more of this or that. Plus, an underlying assumption in these numbers that the schvartze in public housing at 1600 is giving away unearned goodies to his shiftless brothers and sisters.
Posted by Chomskyzinn | August 3, 2011 9:12 AM
Posted on August 3, 2011 09:12
I'm certainly no great fan of surveys, but they aren't without value. This one seems to me to be on the decent side, as it's not tied to short-run topics, and is not run by commercial media.
CZ, I'm also certainly not suggesting that the rather stunning trends above came from nowhere. But this is a black Democrat President of the United States who was elected by promising change to liberals and spoke of FDR during his marketing phase. In that light, I would suggest that there's some pretty major service being provided, as per our thesis about Dims being able to do things Rugs could never deliver on their own. Only Zero could have shifted opinion this sharply and quickly to the right in the midst of a Great Recession. If McCain were in office, liberals would be out in the street lighting shit on fire.
Posted by Michael Dawson | August 3, 2011 1:22 PM
Posted on August 3, 2011 13:22
Indeed, Mike. The Dims are doing their dastardly dampening. On cue.
Posted by Chomskyzinn | August 3, 2011 1:42 PM
Posted on August 3, 2011 13:42
Every Dempaign since FDR speaks of FDR during the marketing phase.
And oh my friggin god: just look who "ran" that survey. Value indeed.
Posted by davidly | August 4, 2011 8:33 AM
Posted on August 4, 2011 08:33
these surveys are very useful if you have
a model complex and contradictory enough to evaluate them
we don't
some future cliometrician will find al sorts of good predictors
like having seismic readings from pompei
that the romans couldn't read correctly
Posted by op | August 4, 2011 9:56 AM
Posted on August 4, 2011 09:56
thesis:
barry is
" a Democrat elected to preside over by far the most serious economic implosion since corporate capitalism's Second Great Depression in the 1930s."
nice to have a post
willing to assert something
that could be proven wrong by future events
that is a forecast other then the usual
smbiva fantasy hope :
barry is a one termer
like carter
apparently
no such luck
if the dawson forecast
is correct here
ohbummer will need two full terms
to complete his mission
Posted by Anonymous | August 4, 2011 10:33 AM
Posted on August 4, 2011 10:33