Are we all in agreement that America leans left?

[Super_Lantern]

Center-right here. Regardless of how I feel about issues, I think the general American population leans left. Anyone agree/disagree?

 

[Statistikhengst]

Center-right here. Regardless of how I feel about issues, I think the general American population leans left. Anyone agree/disagree?

It depends on how you want to measure it.

If you measure it based on electoral performance, then the best description is that our Union is more like a weathervane: results inconclusive.

If you measure it based on voter registration data, that opens an entirely different can of worms, for there is a large swath of states with a D VR edge, all states that vote reliably R for the higher offices.

If you measure it based on polling data that specifically asks about party affiliation and ideological preference, the message is more mixed, with one common element: the continuing rise of the unaffiliated voters, who are turned off by both right and left.

And finally, no one is pure anything. They can also change their views during their lives, sometimes based on outside influences. I am more on the Left on some issues, very much on the middle on some, and even on the Right on some issues. So, where would I be on the scala?

Perhaps it is so that the label is considerably less important than the ability to civilly and respectfully debate differences in the public forum, for the good of all Americans.

 

[SwimExpert]

No, we are not in agreement.

 

[Roadrunner]

Center-right here. Regardless of how I feel about issues, I think the general American population leans left. Anyone agree/disagree?

Not if you use the House of Representatives as a measure.

The people lean further right than the elite.

 

[Paperman299]

Center-right here. Regardless of how I feel about issues, I think the general American population leans left. Anyone agree/disagree?

It depends on how you want to measure it.

If you measure it based on electoral performance, then the best description is that our Union is more like a weathervane: results inconclusive.

If you measure it based on voter registration data, that opens an entirely different can of worms, for there is a large swath of states with a D VR edge, all states that vote reliably R for the higher offices.

If you measure it based on polling data that specifically asks about party affiliation and ideological preference, the message is more mixed, with one common element: the continuing rise of the unaffiliated voters, who are turned off by both right and left.

And finally, no one is pure anything. They can also change their views during their lives, sometimes based on outside influences. I am more on the Left on some issues, very much on the middle on some, and even on the Right on some issues. So, where would I be on the scala?

Perhaps it is so that the label is considerably less important than the ability to civilly and respectfully debate differences in the public forum, for the good of all Americans.

I would agree with this, with the note that most Americans self-identify as conservative.

And people who identify in America as "liberal" really only pass as American liberals. Truly far left ideologies, like socialism and Communism, are anathema here. But still, I agree with Statist that it's a more complicated picture than the simple cable news picture of a liberal population vs a conservative population...

 

[Super_Lantern]

Good comments and info in this thread

 

[Statistikhengst]

No, we are not in agreement.

Which is just fine, agreeing to disagree is the first step to fine debate.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Center-right here. Regardless of how I feel about issues, I think the general American population leans left. Anyone agree/disagree?

It depends on how you want to measure it.

If you measure it based on electoral performance, then the best description is that our Union is more like a weathervane: results inconclusive.

If you measure it based on voter registration data, that opens an entirely different can of worms, for there is a large swath of states with a D VR edge, all states that vote reliably R for the higher offices.

If you measure it based on polling data that specifically asks about party affiliation and ideological preference, the message is more mixed, with one common element: the continuing rise of the unaffiliated voters, who are turned off by both right and left.

And finally, no one is pure anything. They can also change their views during their lives, sometimes based on outside influences. I am more on the Left on some issues, very much on the middle on some, and even on the Right on some issues. So, where would I be on the scala?

Perhaps it is so that the label is considerably less important than the ability to civilly and respectfully debate differences in the public forum, for the good of all Americans.

I would agree with this, with the note that most Americans self-identify as conservative.

And people who identify in America as "liberal" really only pass as American liberals. Truly far left ideologies, like socialism and Communism, are anathema here. But still, I agree with Statist that it's a more complicated picture than the simple cable news picture of a liberal population vs a conservative population...

Hello, Paperman299 !

Please call me Stat if you wish to shorten my name. I am no Statist. The "Stat" part is part of the word "Statistics". Thanks. I do agree with most all of your assessment. However, based on it's terrible polling in the last 6 years and it's admission of bad methodology, for which it even had to settle for many millions of dollars out of court, I would take any and all data from Gallup with a grain of salt. Plus, the graphic you show only goes to 2011. Still, It would be interesting how it has played out, even with Gallup's very questionable methodology, through 2014, for instance.

 

[Jackinthebox]

Disagree. We are a step or two way from absolute fascism which mimics socialism.

 

[Judicial review]

Don't follow stats statistics. I used none in the last election and predicted everything while he was still at 1st base.

 

[Mindful]

Do you think one can equate a European liberal with an American version?

 

[Statistikhengst]

Do you think one can equate a European liberal with an American version?

With whom are you speaking?

I think that the slide-ruler Left to Right in Europe is different than in the USA. That is is shift a good 25% to the Left all the way through the spectrum, that "Left" in most European countries translates to "Far Left" in the USA and that "Right" in most European countries is much more "moderate Right" or even "Centrist" in the USA.

 

[Politico]

Are we all in agreement that America leans left?

No.

 

[Mindful]

Do you think one can equate a European liberal with an American version?

With whom are you speaking?

I think that the slide-ruler Left to Right in Europe is different than in the USA. That is is shift a good 25% to the Left all the way through the spectrum, that "Left" in most European countries translates to "Far Left" in the USA and that "Right" in most European countries is much more "moderate Right" or even "Centrist" in the USA.

With whom am I speaking?

Anyone who's interested and up for it.

In short supply these days on Internet forums.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Don't follow stats statistics. I used none in the last election and predicted everything while he was still at 1st base.

You did? You predicted everything in the last election? I'd love to see the posts where you did that. Link, please.

 

[TSJohnson]

Yes. Education directly correlates with liberal views.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Don't follow stats statistics. I used none in the last election and predicted everything while he was still at 1st base.

You did? You predicted everything in the last election? I'd love to see the posts where you did that. Link, please.

The dude doesn't even know me and know that I got 50 out of 51 electoral entities right.

The dude is smoking waaaaaay too much craaaaack.

 

[francoHFW]

Our "leftists", Democrats, are center/right anywhere else in the modern world, while our "conservatives" are considered fascists and insane lol. The effect of the Fox Rush Heritage Koch etc Pub propaganda machine is not known or understood.

 

[Judicial review]

Don't follow stats statistics. I used none in the last election and predicted everything while he was still at 1st base.

You did? You predicted everything in the last election? I'd love to see the posts where you did that. Link, please.

Have stat revive his election thread.

 

[regent]

America began as a liberal nation and continues as a liberal nation, too liberal for some and not liberal enough for others, but compared to the world always more liberal.