>I am not arguing that there not great numbers of people sympathetic to
>Left/liberal positions in this country - but even if those numbers were
>in tens of millions - we are talking about 5-6% of the population, a
>statistical margin of error if you will (it is a figure of speech, of
>course, since we are not dealing with statistical samples here).
Far more than 5% of the U.S. pop would be classified as "liberal." Probably about 5% would be classifiable as "left," leaving aside definitions. For a social scientist, you throw around a lot of data-free generalizations.
Around 2/3 of Americans favor affirmative action and government-guaranteed universal health care, "even if it means raising taxes" <http://people-press.org/reports/print.php3?PageID=760>. Mixed in with these sentiments are a lot of pro-business attitudes, but what else have people been hearing for the last 20 years? Yet contradicting those is strong support for the idea that business makes too much profit (62% agree). 86% support tighter enviro regulations, and 65% would pay higher prices to protect the environment <http://people-press.org/reports/print.php3?PageID=761>. 65% agree that the gov't should make sure everyone has enough to eat and a place to sleep. Just 24% want women to return to their "traditional roles" (whatever those are) <http://people-press.org/reports/print.php3?PageID=762>. Again, there are conservative ideas mixed in - over 70% say poor people are too dependent on gov't handouts. But the picture is hardly as reactionary as you commonly paint it.
Doug