Bloomberg News conducted a poll of 1,000 American between June 17 to June 20, 2011. As with most polls, I observed many “disconnects” between multiple answers. This poll in particular left me scratching my head more than other polls. Here are some of my observations of disconnects.
- 66% think America is on the wrong track
- The Most important issues are jobs (42%), government spending (17%), and deficits (13%)
- Approaches more likely to grow economy and jobs – 55% say cut spending and taxes
- 61% are not willing to pay more in taxes to reduce the deficit
- 44% are worse off since Obama assumed the Presidency – 44%
- 55% think American kids will have a lower standard of living than their parents
- Real dangers (multiple answers) to the economy include interest of debt (66%), Social Security goes broke (66%) and Medicare goes broke (62%)
- 50% disapprove of Obama’s handling of Healthcare
- 57% disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Economy
- 57% disapprove of Obama’s handling of jobs
- 61% disapprove of Obama’s handling of the budget
Sounds like the answers you would get from a Tea Party member, right? Nope. 45% of those polled have a unfavorable view of the Tea Party
Here is the disconnect:
- Who has laid out a better vision of a successful economic future for the U.S.? – the top vote getter was …. Obama (40%). Worth noting that the GOP got 37% of the poll
- Will you be better off with the Ryan Medicare Plan or worse? 57% say worse, despite the fact that 62% said they are concerned it will go broke if not dramatically overhauled
- Which party is doing a better job of dealing with Medicare – 43% say Democrats
- 49% approve of the job Obama is doing as President
Does this make any sense? My answer is no, but this poll suggests to me that the American people are scared, they seem to know the major issues we face, but are concerned about the solutions to these problems. Will the solutions make their life harder, better? As a conservative, I have clear opinions on these issues, but I don’t have the day to day concerns that I see in the eyes of friends and families. I think conservative solutions are the way to go in getting American back on the track to prosperity, but we need to win the hearts and minds of those who are scared. We can do it, and we must do it, and it has to be done soon.
