# A question for those who lean left... **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 27, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287 "2010-09-27T23:34:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/121 "2010-10-06T13:34:32Z")
I scanned the thread and did not see this point addressed yet, so I apologize if I missed it. I’m just wondering how the Democrats could be seen as having swung too far to the left if the public still trusts them more to handle all the essential matters than Republicans. > [@](#): > > Simply put, in the NEWSWEEK Poll, voters said they trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle pretty much every problem currently facing the country: Afghanistan (by 6 points), health care (by 12), immigration (by 2, though that figure is within the margin of error), Social Security (by 14), unemployment (by 12), financial reform (by 14), energy (by 19), and education (by 19). Voters even prefer Democrats to Republicans on federal spending (by 4 points), taxes (by 5), and the economy (by 10) – the GOP’s core concerns. The only area where Republicans outpoll Democrats is the issue of terrorism, where they lead by a 6-point margin. > **[NEWSWEEK Poll: Anger Unlikely to Be Deciding Factor in Midterms](https://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-poll-anger-unlikely-be-deciding-factor-midterms-73841)** > > Self-described "angry voters" no more likely to vote; Democrats trusted more than GOP on key issues. Is it that they feel they’ve gone too far left, but are still more trustworthy than Republicans? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/122 "2010-10-06T13:48:19Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > The United States is a center right country. > > [http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx](http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx) [Not exactly.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12965914&postcount=43) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/123 "2010-10-06T13:58:24Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > This is because most whites do not want their tax money spent on programs that will help blacks, even if those programs will help them too. . . . > > Americans are less concerned with the difference between left and right than they are concerned with whether and how well something works. Nevertheless, since 1972 the Republican Party has been the party of the white majority. As a result, it will be given the benefit of the doubt by the voters. . . . > The GOP will continue to get the benefit of the doubt from the voters unless the Democrats win back the white working class and much of the South, or unless whites become a minority in the United States. If whites do become a minority, however, white support for the Republicans will increase, and Asians may begin to support the GOP. Is a future where racial identity simply loses its salience not even conceivable? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/124 "2010-10-06T14:41:02Z")
Responding without reading any other responses first. > [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Indulge for a moment in this hypothetical scenario: Come November 2nd the Democrats lose control of one or both houses of Congress. > > As an intellectually honest left-leaning citizen, and setting aside all personal preferences, could you agree to the following explanation: the current administration and congress leaned too far left for the electorate? _Could I?_ Certainly. Would I, in the current case? Not at all. The current administration and Congress are barely left of Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/125 "2010-10-06T15:47:40Z")
The basic thinking behind the OP is why everything that between the end of the Republican primary and the election was “good news for John McCain”. There was (and now is) a narrative to be served, and god damn it, the media is going to stick to it no matter what. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/126 "2010-10-30T05:54:59Z")
How do we benchmark this election? We use [a model that reflects](http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/10/chart-day-democratic-losses-2010) normal midterm losses,the margin of victory in the previous election, and the economy. The remainder would be due to legislative over-reach, _Citizens United_, bad messaging by the White House, Fox News and other sundry factors. So what’s the benchmark? It corresponds to a 45 seat loss by the Dems. If you think this is all hocus-pocus, check out the fit of the model in the link. It’s not perfect. But it explains a big chunk of the normal variation. Let’s say that the sudden monetary advantage enjoyed by the Republicans and their anonymous and therefore unsurprisingly deceitful advertisements swing 2-3% of the House seats – or 9 to 13 elections. That would put the benchmark at 54-58 seats. I say that anything below the top of that range represents a resounding defeat for the Tea Party crazies. Hey, there’s still plenty to debate. But to quote Jon Chait,“If you want to have the ‘what did Obama do wrong’ argument, you first need to establish what ‘wrong’ would look like.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287/127 "2010-10-30T17:10:57Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > I think originally they were against the moral and financial irresponsibility that got us into the mess in the first place and against giving borrowers, lenders or anyone else an easy way out by letting them suck from the govt teat. Were your windows closed when you typed that? Because that would explain why you didn’t hear that _whooosh_ noise as the post you replied to went by. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-lean-left/555287.md?page=6)