Re: [Marxism] Bush's approval rating at all-time low

[mlause@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Regardless of what they say publicly, what I hear among the self-
described conservative "Christian" folks here in "the heartland" leads
me to think that Bush's credibility among them has pretty much
disappeared...excepting those who live in immediate expectation of The
Rapture, of course.

As usual, these kinds of polling questions are posed in a way to load
the results....

"Are you willing to give up some civil liberties to gain more
security?"  The assumption is that you can and will gain more security
by giving up some civil liberties, right?  Put this way, though, many
more people will answer positively.

"Do you favor immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq or
maintining a military presence until the country is stabilized?"  The
assumption is that you can stabilize a country through foreign
military occupation--a concept that will have made stand on end even
the wig hairs of the esteemed gentleman at Mount Vernon.  But asking
the question in this way tilts the result towards the latter response.

I don't have before me the script of that 1986 episode of YES, PRIME
MINISTER, in which Sir Humphrey Appleby (the civil servant) explains
the function of polls to his colleagues.  In about two minutes, Sir
Humphrey responds to a party poll showing 64% of the British public
favorable to military conscription with directions on how to put
together another poll that would show 64% of them critical of the
draft.  The point of political polls is not to locate any more than
elections are ways for government to reflect public opinion in any
way.  The important thing is not to do either but to appear to do them.

In that delicious YPM exchange, someone asks, "But surely there are
honest polls?" to which Sir Humphrey replies with something like "Yes,
but nobody pays much attention to them."

Solidarity!
Mark L.











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