Deeply Concerned American

Great post Badboyz:

Battman:

Your post was spot on. The day after your OP the Pew Research Center came out with a piece of research that is being fairly well discussed and being given different slants from both the Right and Left

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1178/polarized-partisan-gap-in-obama-approval-historic

Titled: The partisan Gap in Obama Job Approval Widest in Modern Era

The poll results showed that the early job approval ratings for Obama had the widest gap shown for Presidents (at similar early times in their presidencies) between people identifying themselves as Republicans versus people identifying themselves as Dems. The poll also showed job approval ratings by people identifying themselves as Independents.

The gap between people identifying themselves with one party or another was 61%. Dems had an 88% approval rating for Obama while Repubs gave him a 27% pos approval rating.

The poll compared this rating against other Pres's. The next highest gap was for George W. Bush in April 2001. Repubs gave him 87% high approval ratings while Dems gave him a 36% high approval rating. The gap was 51%.

This poll compared results for newly elected presidents going back to Nixon in 1969.

Here is an amazing irony. You know who had the highest overall early presidency approval rating? Jimmy Carter. A majority of Repubs gave him a favorable rating as of course a vast majority of Dems and the highest such ranking by Independants. How utterly ironic. That surprising result also speaks to how these early polls can have little staying power.

Now here is some deep insight into the data. Virtually through these polls taken during early portions of a presidency....over the past 40 years.....the gap in partisanship differences has been steadily climbing. Those that self identify as Repubs or Dems are taking sharply different views.

Meanwhile take another closer view. Currently other polls find that people self identifying as Repubs only represent 24% of the population. People identifying as Independents now outnumber those identifying as Repubs. Indenpendents are growing faster than either party and that number is beginnig to approach the number who identify as Dems.

The 24% that currently identify as Repubs is a far lower number than existed back in 2001. That group has shrunk.

On the other hand, about 68% of the Repubs identify as Conservatives. Meanwhile on the Dem side currently 37% represent themselves as Liberals. (I don't have ideological data on the Independents) I suppose if they saw themselves as very conservative or liberal they would join one of the parties.

I think what there is currently are extremely LOUD voices representing the extremes of either party. That is where the problem lies. The loud voices overwhelm the voices of reason and compromise. In a sense the middle is relatively quiet while the extremes are shouting and dominating the airwaves and being picked up by the news.

 

Hmm, I know you are banned, but when you come back feel free to let me know why you are not a hypocrite when you use the term "American" repeatedly, and consistently to refer to the United States of America, its citizens, its soldiers, and its policies.

I had a little time this weekend and thought I would check and see if our little friend stOx was petty hypocrite. I got bored after reading a couple pages of this crap. Below is just a fraction of stOx's posts referring to us as Americans.

I never realized what an America hater stOx was. Reading his posts it is pretty clear is has a lot of hatred in his heart for many groups of people. That is pretty sad.

 

It's amazing the ignorance and hypocracy some people have. Somehow he equates 3 or 4 military members (I can't remember how many exactly) rape and kill a couple of 15-17 year old Iraqis as being what the total of over 1 million military members do. What a moron.

 

Search his posts for "irish". It's even worse. I think he just hates everything non-english, with just a focus on the US, since it's what's in fashion in his country these days.

 

Lmfao. Poor stOx.

 

I knew you were fat.

 

I know. You two can agree on your hatred for the US. I'm not sure how you feel about Ireland though.

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1026023

 

Logic I've owned you on this subject already and you continue to throw jabs at me. Do you want it more, what options am i left with?

 

No I don't think anything of the sort. You are voicing your experience. That is a good thing.

I used to get angry and argue on forums about things that cannot possibly be changed using this medium. As a retired United States Marine, I have some deep concerns about our position and reputation in the world. I understand the radical Muslim frustration and I do hope they find peace for their generation and their people will one day find common ground with others. I live in peace and know what it is like. It is the foundation of heaven on earth, but our state of mind in humanity will never allow everyone the opportunity to experience this. For that I am saddened.

I am a caucasian male over 45 living in America. I have a black president who I did not vote for, but I admire greatly for his contribution to our culture. He is a true American symbol of what we can accomplish if we all work for the same goal. We cannot agree on everything, that would make the world a terribly dull experience, but we can change our system if we want to.

Mr. Obama, I salute you sir, and I am behind your efforts 100%. Your decisions and your ideals are what we needed in this day and age, I wish you well my friend, Godspeed! If I were still serving, I would be very proud that you are my Commander-in-Chief. Semper Fidelis!

Having said that, I did vote for John McCain. Why? I know him personally. I am a resident of Arizona. I have had the occasion to talk and correspond with him on a number of occasions. He is bipartisan on more issues than people realize and I felt he was the more experienced candidate. His running mate? Yeah, well she is pretty damn hot, (to us older guys...OK? ) but as dumb as a light post. I thought it was a brilliant silver fox move on John's part, getting a hot female as a running mate, but it was also what buried him. (Plus, he sounded like an idiot on the campaign trail... Sorry John.)

Americans are a proud people. We live in the land of milk and honey and I guarantee that if another 911 ever occurs what you saw in Iraq and Afghanistan is nothing compared to what we are capable of. No matter what others say or think, our policy has been with a leaning toward diplomacy and concern for collateral damage. As a warrior I can tell you that our preference is to "Kill them all and let God sort them out".

Any nation reading or hearing these words, please do not take our desire for diplomacy as a sign of weakness. If you turn the Marines loose to do what they are trained to do, then you will not live long enough to post foul words on any forum. My suggestion? Don't stir up the hornets nest. We are working on solutions, not creating more grief. We were hit in the head from behind, we reacted in kind. We probably deserved it to begin with as arrogant as we were back then, but even if you deserve to get hit you don't just let someone pummel you. You fight back with whatever means necessary. We have the means. Please don't ask us to prove it. Nothing good can come of it, that much I am sure of.

God Bless America and your House too! I hope you all can have what we have someday.

Be nice.

 

orly you pwned me? oh noes! Please Nate make me look stoopid again I like the abuse! I mean if you find time between powdering your wig, loading your musket, throwing tea overboard or whatever it is you true patriots do. LOL

 

Impressive. I've always had a respect for military and special forces. Obama is respected all over the world.

However, I don't think Iraq had anything to do with 9/11

 

It's done so you know what i'm talking about... There's no point me using words unfamiliar to you, regardless how factually correct they would be.

Unless of course you believe me to be the arbiter of what is factually correct and that every word i utter is the infallible, factual truth.... in which case, thanks.

 

So stox isn't going to try to defend his hypocracy???

BadBoyz, I just got out of the army. What you said is entirely true. Although, to be honest, I don't know exactly how well we would do fighting a conventiional war. The military hasn't trained in divisional menuvors in quite some time now, and everything has been broken up into Brigade sized elements. But, when you have Air Superiority over every other country out there, that helps

And one thing people don't realize is that the US military genuinely cares about their mission and the people they are trying to help. Most of us would rather get shot than hurt a civilian (I know I would, as it has happened before).

And diplomacy is always the first step to anything we do, but, when it fails, we fall on that old saying, speak softly but carry a big stick.

I serisouly hope Obama can fix the country without destroying it even more, but, the way he's been going, letting Pelosi run things and blow all sorts of money, I don't see anything happening for the good of the republic anytime soon.

 

No... You are 100% correct. Iraq and 911 had nothing in common. Our target was always Iran. If you noticed that geographically Iraq and Afghanistan are on opposite sides of what? Iran. Since the Iran crisis in 1979 we have had nothing but hostility toward the policies of that government. Since 911 we have been concerned that this regime has had intentions of procuring nuclear armament.

Here is my thoughts on that. Honestly? They have every right to if they so desire. They are a sovereign nation and we have the bomb, so who are we? The initiation of a nuclear engagement with us is un-winnable by anyone... Including us. It has to be said that for one to press that button we may as well all press it at the same time. The intention of the invasion of Iraq was to position our troops at the border of Iran. Still is. We are not leaving there ever. I don't care what Obama says to the press, he knows what the stakes are.

I wish that we could disarm everybody and forget that we need such things to annihilate whole populations. Not going to happen, but we can all dream.

And hostlonestar I hear you brother. I did 4 years of my service in the Army and man... That thing is a mess! Right now we have superiority at almost all levels except one... We can't kill the bad guys like we want to. It happened in Nam, it is the same over there. Come on man, we are trained killers brother! When I pick up that rifle all I want to do is kill things. All that collateral damage stuff is why we don't belong in Iraq or anywhere else under the pretense of war. War is about killing man, not humanitarian hand holding. Leave that stuff to the Red Cross. When you call a Marine to the scene, prepare to die!

Having said that I am no longer in the mood to kill things. I have only one thing I am really upset about right here and now...

Gangs. I think that if you are in a "gang", affiliated in any way with a Blood or Crip or Latin (or Aryan Brotherhood, Hells Angel, all of them) whatever gang is out there and you commit a crime against anyone that causes bodily harm or human suffering you should LOSE YOUR CITIZENSHIP and it should be declared an act of terrorism! We should ship you to an atoll way out in the middle of the ocean and you should stay there until you die. No outside communication with anyone, anytime... ever. And if you attempt to leave this atoll you will be shot immediately. This is the scourge of our society. Mexican gangs over there in Mexico right now need to be treated as hostile combatants and shot on sight no questions asked.

We all talk about "rights" well why is it that tax paying honest citizens of this country (and Mexico) can't even walk on some city streets without fear of some bloodsucking gangbanger taking away their rights or their lives? Osama Bin Laden is a cream puff compared to some of these monsters... And they live in your own neighborhood!

That is my unsung anger at the moment. Forget Napalitano, that broad is useless. She pretty much ran Arizona into the ground, I doubt her new job is going to prove her worthy of anything. Homeland security? What's that? When the cancer is right on your face I guess you just ignore it and hope it goes away.

And Janet... Thanks for the I.O.U. on my State taxes this year darlin', I just love worthless paper.

 

Divide and conquer. Still works. As long as we are all divided we will be conquered and enslaved.

 

We went after Iraq because the food for oil sanctions were being undermined by the French, Germans and Russians. The invasion was very successful. However the occupation was costly in lives and money. We won the war on the cheap and didn't have enough troops to pacify the country.

 

That is one piece of a very large chess game. It is a game, that is what it is.

That may be one move on the board, but it is a whole strategy that is not based on one move. The funny thing is we haven't got one drop of Iraqi oil since we have been there. So that was a wasted move... Eh?

You don't have to take anything I say as reality. I am just guessing, so is everyone else. And we will always be guessing. You and I will be long gone before the truth is known. That's just the way it is. And the REAL truth will never be known. Some of the players in the game will take that with them to the grave and we will never water board it out of them then!

 

The Iraq war was never finished in 1991. It was a mistake not driving to Baghdad while we had the chance. Back in 1991 the active army had 18 division opposed to 10 divisions at the start of the current war. The coalition was much larger at the time and included a number of Arab divsions from Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia that would have been useful to help pacify Iraq.

 

Well you must have an IQ of -40 to think invading and occupying a country that absolutley hates you will "pacify" it.

 

It didn't work for Germany or Japan, what makes them think it could work for Iraq!