"It's a false impression, and when you break down who comprises this now-famous "47 percent" -- the poor, the disabled, and the elderly -- it makes you wonder why anybody thought it was a good idea to pick a public fight with them."
It seems to me that poor-bashing, from a public opinion stand-point, is always a very good idea.
^^^^^^^ CB: I'm sure Doug has the opinion poll data on this. In the Reaganite era there may be some truth to this, though there may be media distortion of what the majority opinion really is. And...ta da... the Occupy Wall Street, "99% vs 1%" cry could change this. One article says OWS is more popular than the Tea Party now
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20120052-503544.html
^^^^^
And the implication of the 53 percent thing -- that the problems in this country are mainly moral (that a vast swath of the population loaf rather than work, and could work if they chose) -- resonates in a culture steeped in the traditional work-ethic -- much more so, I think, than left criticisms of income inequality.
^^^^^^^^ CB: American culture and history are schizophrenic on this. There's a significant "generosity, charity and standing up for the little guy gal " strain , too. "General welfare" is in the preamble to the Constitution. The New Deal was popular. We're working on reviving the American Left tradition and sentiment.