Another right-wing lie: "A majority of Americans identify as conservative"

[Ardent15]

This lie is based on not knowing-or caring about-the difference between a majority and a plurality.

Sure, conservatives are the single-largest ideological group-at 40 percent, which is a PLURALITY. Self-described "moderates"-who, as we know, have no place in the modern GOP-are the second-largest, at 35 percent. Liberals are at 21 percent-but since moderates heavily favor the Democrats over the Republicans these days, we will count liberals and moderates as one group: a majority of 56 percent.

Therefore, a majority of Americans do not identify as being conservative, and a majority support President Obama.

<http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx#>

[BrklynLiberal]

1. hmmm Interesting since only about 20% are willing to admit they are repukes...

[Ardent15]

4. My Republican-voting relatives identify themselves as "independent conservatives"

"Conservative" doesn't seem to have as much of a negative connotation as "Republican."

[ipfilter]

2. If all else fails, they always claim their silent majority.

[fascisthunter]

3. I think America is Center-Left

I say this because this country has progressed, and while it's degressed in many areas, it's only happened due to some very powerful interests on the right with lots of cash. That is unsustainable.

[Ardent15]

5. Yep, we have a solid majority of liberals and sane moderates

That's about 60-70 percent of the nation.

[Echo In Light]

9. The central task of M$M, aside from obfuscating crimes of empire, is to over-represent the RW

... to help establish the notion within the public mind that such a 'majority' exists. Hence the need for inventing the "liberal media" mythology, and foisting it upon the populace. M$M is like man-made weather, acclimating the public mind according to the business and ideological interests of those who own the country.

[Ardent15]

12. Yep. Becuase if the political debate is controlled by the Right, then the wealthy corporations..

..and elites can make off with obscene profits.

[fascisthunter]

13. exactly

[Ardent15]

6. Someone unrec'd this? Sigh.

Sometimes I wonder.

[WildEyedLiberal]

7. A lot of people just swallow the social bias and call themselves "conservatives"

I know several people who insisted, upon broaching the topic of politics, that they were "conservative." Most of them, when pressed about what they REALLY believed about issues, were centrist at worst, and even liberal about a lot of things. These people were largely apolitical people who had Republican parents and grew up thinking that "liberals" were some kind of scary caricature Marxist hippies who want to ban everything. When I explained to them what I as a liberal believe, most of them agree with me about a lot of it.

I'd bet dollars to donuts that a lot of non-Repulican "conservatives" have NO idea what modern conservatism really is, and are just kneejerking to age-old biases learned from their parents.

[Ardent15]

10. I agree. Many are "conservatives" because...

...they're taught that liberalism is bad.

[Ardent15]

15. Another thing...remember H. W. Bush branding Dukakis with the "L word"?

That's when it really started the trend of using the world "liberal" as an epithet.

[get the red out]

8. Hard to admit liberalism in the south

I talk about being a liberal and I am usually looked at as some poor, deluded little foolish woman who if she were a MAN would have some sense. I don't know what men who admit openly to being a liberal get. Actually I know two guys that always call themselves moderates then always vote for democrats. The flack people get since the demonization of the world liberal is tremendous, so using these labels statistically really isn't very telling. People can only be judged as to where they stand on issues at this point.

[Ardent15]

11. Yeah, I agree.

I just posted this because some idiot conservatard on another board tried to prove that a "majority" of Americans are conservative with this poll. :D

[newtothegame]

14. Most conservatives don't identify as Republicans, probably because they don't wanna sit on

boards like this and bitch all day like the Freepers or us.

[Festivito]

16. Large-C or small-c conservative? Dems are better small-c's.

Dems are better small-c conservatives, reducing the deficit as with Clinton, not raising it as with GW Bush, paying as we go so we pay less in terms of paying back borrowed money.

People say they're conservative, but that does not mean they are Conservative.