Disturbing poll numbers

[The Annoyed Man]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... ral_courts

The upshot:

• Court Rulings:
  • 26% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president should have the right to ignore federal court rulings if they are standing in the way of his policies.
  • 60% disagree
  • 15% are undecided.
• Checks & Balances and the Executive:
  • 43% of Democrats agree that the president should have the right to ignore the courts.
  • Only 35% of democrat voters disagree.
  • 81% of Republicans disagree.
  • 67% of voters not affiliated with either major party disagree.
• Court challenges to presidential policy:
  • 52%) of all voters believe that court challenges of presidential and congressional actions help protect the rights of U.S. citizens.
  • 30% consider such court challenges to be nuisances that stand in the way of good policy.
  • 18% are not sure.
• Checks & Balances vs Efficiency in Gov't:
  • 31% think it is more important for government to operate efficiently than it is to preserve system of checks and balances.
  • 59% say that checks and balances are more important than efficiency.
  • 11% are undecided.
• Presidential faithfulness to the Constitution:
  • 44%) of voters think Obama has been less faithful to the U.S. Constitution than most other presidents.
  • 22% feel Obama has been more faithful to the Constitution than most of other presidents.
  • 30% say he has followed the Constitution about the same as other presidents.
• Importance of the Three Branches of Gov't:
  • 5% rate the executive branch the most important branch of government.
  • 6% feel that the judiciary is most important.
  • 13% think the legislative branch the most important.
  • 74% view all three branches to be of equal importance.
  • 72% of GOP voters believe it is more important to preserve our constitutional system of checks and balances than for the federal government to operate efficiently.
  • 63% of unaffiliateds believe it is more important to preserve our constitutional system of checks and balances than for the federal government to operate efficiently.
  • Democrats are evenly divided on whether it is more important to preserve our constitutional system of checks and balances than for the federal government to operate efficiently.
• Citizens vs Politicians:
  • 65% of Mainstream voters do not believe the president should be able to override the courts.
  • 46% of the Political Class do not believe the president should be able to override the courts.
• Federal vs States:
  • 31% of all voters think that the president should be able to act unilaterally if Congress does not approve his policies.
  • 24% believe that states should have the right to ignore federal court rulings if their elected officials disagree with them.
• Preservation of Constitution:
  • 56% think the Constitution should be left alone.
  • 33% believe some constitutional changes are needed.
  • 4% think major constitutional changes are necessary.
  • 2%) think the U.S. should scrap the Constitution entirely and start over.

A lot of this is discouraging. In the face of this, it seems that Obama is not alone in his desire to fundamentally change America. It looks like his voters are completely on board with that view. The one consolation is that Independents seem to be growing in numbers, and they seem to have their heads screwed on straighter and less committed to the socialist state than democrats. On the other hand here, I don't see the nation growing back in the direction of a Constitutional republic.....not when half or more of the voters don't really understand what they are throwing away in pursuit of their pipe dreams.........all of which is what fuels my pessimism about the future national integrity of a 50 state union.

These attitudes could impact gun rights.....if not now, then in the future.

Discuss....

[mojo84]

They feel that way until there is a president from the other party in the office. I think much of this will change depending on which party controls the presidency.

[The Annoyed Man]

They feel that way until there is a president from the other party in the office. I think much of this will change depending on which party controls the presidency.

Well, yes.... I agree with that.... but it is equally disturbing that some republicans and independents agree with them too.

[jmra]

I think the system is broken and beyond repair. Most citizens don't even know what's in the Constitution much less know if the President or the Congress or the Courts are upholding it.
I believe we are headed ultimately for a parting of the ways in this country and I doubt it will be a peaceful one.

[mojo84]

They feel that way until there is a president from the other party in the office. I think much of this will change depending on which party controls the presidency.

Well, yes.... I agree with that.... but it is equally disturbing that some republicans and independents agree with them too.

True. We are at a scary point in our country's history.

[Abraham]

Is Obama's crown bejeweled or just his sceptre, otherwise known as his pen?

[rbwhatever1]

I'm with jmra on this one. We have already destroyed this country and the only thing left is a last ditch effort for the States to save themselves from further destruction by the Federal Government's actions. The free will and Liberty of Citizens will ultimately rest with and be protected by the actions of the States in collectively resisting further destruction. Some States will have massive problems and some States will be okay. Texas and many others will be okay today. The longer this morass drags on the harder it will be for any State to correct. Our path is unsustainable and the only thing growing is the Federal Government under both parties of destruction. We need to get back to the basics. If one doesn't work, one doesn't eat. Personally I'd like to see a massive end to electricity for about 6 months. No fuel and no food would quickly engage the takers to start taking and I imagine most of them would be shot quickly. Mega cities would destroy themselves in short order. We Americans would definitely have a different outlook on voting and Liberty when the fires went out.

How refreshing would 1776 Government be with the technology of today?

[stroo]

If you consider that 10-25% of the people will support any position in a poll, no matter how outrageous, I think these results are actually pretty encouraging. Moreover you should remember that only 30-40% of the people in 1776 actually actively supported the supported the revolution.

[Middle Age Russ]

Soap box, ballot box and finally cartridge box... Even after the cartridge box is opened to affect change (perhaps particularly then), the other two remain important. Presently they allow us to affect change toward the Constitutional Republic the Founder's left us and in defiance of the Progressive collectivist agenda. Polls like this point to a strikingly divided country, and as a result I too fear that there will be armed conflict (another Civil War, if you will, in the US) before all is said and done. It seems plain to many of us that education could dramatically swing the poll results toward the conservative, libertarian side, which is where the soap box comes in, but in a society of bread and circuses can significant numbers of progressive-liberals be convinced to even tolerate speech which questions their beliefs, much less listen to it and be swayed? Daily I pray for our nation to return to its roots in individual liberty/responsibility and states' rights, and I also pray for peace. Even so, each day I become a bit more convinced that the answer to both these prayers isn't likely to be positive during the same time frame.

[chuck j]

I think the system is broken and beyond repair. Most citizens don't even know what's in the Constitution much less know if the President or the Congress or the Courts are upholding it.
I believe we are headed ultimately for a parting of the ways in this country and I doubt it will be a peaceful one.

I'm really not being sarcastic when I say that mostly young voters would be shocked and afraid if they found out all the rights and liberty's
they actually have ...................and the responsibility to keep them . Keeping them is where we baby boomers failed . Too many good times ,everything too easy , nobody watching the hen house .