On 2010-09-02, at 10:08 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
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> On Sep 2, 2010, at 9:57 AM, Marv Gandall wrote:
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>> I agree with your conclusion that Chomsky - like Chuck, Carrol, and others on the left eager to outflank the Democratic party from the outside - read a little too much into these polls. While the polls show that Americans have liberal rather than conservative views on these issues when the questions are posed fairly
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> "Posed fairly" = answers are very sensitive to how the questions are worded. Anyone who thinks that there isn't deep hostility to a welfare state in American popular opinion just isn't looking. Yeah, there are contradictions, but it's not hard for right-wing politicians to bring out the hostility.
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Opposed to the "welfare state", but only in the astract, wouldn't you say?
As a practical matter, when asked whether they favour the extension of medicare and social security, the two most important programs, don't polls show most Americans in favour?
But I agree it's not hard for right-wing politicians to exploit the low level of political consciousness which finds it difficult to understand the relationship of the particulars to the general. And white racism which resents tax dollars spent on "undeserving others" is a further barrier to the development of such consciousness.