From the comments in my FoxLand post from last week, Rex has this to say:
Also, if you want to cite polls, Gallup says this week that the exact opposite of what you said about libs is true.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/Conservatives-Single-Largest-Ideological-Group.aspx
His initial comment here is in reference to something I mis-stated and have already corrected. His point, though, is that in the latest Gallup polls, 40% of Americans self-identify as conservative, 21% as liberal and 35% as moderates. While that is what the poll says, it’s clear that it doesn’t mean what he thinks it does.
First off, he failed to note that the word “conservative” is in quotes in the headline. That’s not an accident and unlike most people who skip over things like that, I realize those quotes are there on purpose and I know why. Self-identification is a notoriously unreliable statistic. Decades of political science research shows that less than 20% of people can correctly identify the differences between liberal and conservative. Most people don’t know what these words mean. On top of that, the main reason that people identify as conservative more likely than other labels is that for the last 30 years, conservatives have made concerted — and successful — efforts to dominate the media and demonize liberals at every opportunity. Liberals have not done the opposite, at least nowhere near as successfully.
Even if these numbers were legit, which they most certainly aren’t, then it would still mean that 60% of Americans aren’t conservative. People that agree with Rex, by any definition, are in the minority.
When you look at specific issues, though, you find out that conservatives are nowhere near 40% of the country. From PollingReport.com, you find that the conservative position is a very unpopular one:
15% believe that abortion should always be illegal
46% believe that abortion should ever be illegal
30% believe that the government has done too much to improve economic conditions
37% oppose cap and trade
29% oppose Obama’s energy policies
8% oppose developing more solar and wind power
17% oppose developing electric car technology
20% oppose requiring business to use more energy conservation
25% oppose requiring individuals to use more energy conservation
14% oppose requiring car manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency
30% oppose government rebates to encourage fuel-efficient cars
13% believe that global warming is an unwarranted fear
22% believe that the government should not regulate greenhouse gases from power plants, cars and factories
14% believe that only America and its allies should be allowed to have nuclear weapons
12% believe that corporations have too much influence on government
23% believe that there should be no restrictions on gun ownership
43% oppose a public option
23% believe medicinal marijuana should remain illegal
30% believe illegal immigrants should be forced to leave
40% oppose gay marriage
28% believe all affirmative action programs should be ended
36% support private accounts for Social Security
Notice that on most of these issues (and many others), the conservative position isn’t just a minority one, it’s way below 40%. To be fair, there are some issues where conservatives come out as a majority, but in almost all of those cases, the conservative number falls below 40% when the question is more fairly and accurately worded. While most Americans don’t identify themselves as “liberal,” the more liberal position is favored by the majority of Americans on most issues and the more conservative position is favored by the majority of Americans almost never.
Also note that Rex doesn’t even pay attention to the very article he cites. Earlier he spoke of how “liberals” are failing because “Democrats” are having trouble getting bills passed in Congress. This poll –as do others I’ve seen — clearly shows that liberals are outnumbered in the Democratic Party by moderates. So, while Democrats are in the majority in Congress, liberals are not, so it’s ludicrous to conflate the two.
