According to Rasmussen, 42% of likely voters are socially conservative, while 29% are moderate and 26% are liberal. How does PF compare to this? Also, please participate in the sister poll here The exact wording for this poll: When it comes to social issues like abortion, public prayer, and Church-state topics, are you politically conservative, moderate, or liberal?
While I'm skeptical about Rasmussen due to his connection with Fox (yes, even with my personal political leanings, it's not rocket science that Fox's coverage has a conservative slant and appeals mostly to those of that political persuasion) and the fact that his polls tend to be disproportionately in favor of the GOP's cause compared to every single source of statistics, for the record...I will now go back to the topic and state am I a staunch social liberal. I believe no sense of personal security or preservation of whatever archaic traditions is worth sacrificing personal freedom, those who believe it prevents crime are promoting something highly similar to the fallible pre-crime methods depicted in Minority Report, even if they do not have that intention. I believe one has every right to use their own fist until the moment it hits another face, and I apply this to drug policy, gay rights, etc. The only slight quandary which is abortion can be mixed with both defense of freedom and protection of a life by protecting a woman's right to the procedure until the point of viability (around 20 weeks), and aiming to reduce the rates of utilization through sound education and birth control rather than forcing waiting periods, ultrasounds or visits to deceitful alternative clinics. Also, the 'life starts at conception' crowd has no right to interfere with sound policy since that concept is not only not scientific or valid in general, it is based in religion and our government is religiously neutral. Economics are more flexible though, which is where I part with libertarianism...neither a deregulated, commodities-backed libertarian wet dream economy nor a strict Keynesian system work within the general universe, a flexible and pragmatic system which aims to mix the benefits of both along with more modern ideas works best.
tehduder, I'm not so much interested in the slant of the results as I am in how the results on our forum track with the likely American voter. We're using the same exact questions that he did.
Wow... didn't think this poll would be overwhelmingly social liberal. Maybe when more votes roll in, the results will be more similar to Rasmussen's poll.
It does seem to be trending strongly, huh? One important distinction to be made between this poll (and it's sister-poll) and the Rasmussen results is that Rasmussen's participants are random, whereas ours are not. But thus far I have to conclude that our community is about average on fiscal issues and disproportionately liberal on social issues. If that continues, it would seem to make perfect sense to me. Libertarians hold strong dominance on the internet. (see technolibertarianism)
I think it's because people who talk about politics on the Internet are typically interested and have done their research which leads to libertarianism.
That is an oxy moron. Conservatives are all about and for themselves, there is no acknowledgement of others and where they live, they are not team players unless it is for their own sef-survival (like in politics). They stick togeather like rice on whites so that they can keep their jobs and blame others to make themselves look good to the simple ones. Most conservatives never serve in the military, or served in a capacity where they did anything for others other than themselves. That is how most of them became wealthy and privilaged, and they hold on the that privilage with an iron fist at the expense of others. Liberals on the other hand think of the bigger picture and will become team players if needed. They often lack leadership, and in politics, the will give into the privilaged conservative. Because the liberal speaks in abstract ideas and concepts which are too complex for the limited cognitive capacity of the conservative, they are often misunderstood and blamed for being socialist. In any event the conservative consumer is too cognitively impaired to understand the true meaning of the term socialist, and liberal, and have turned those words into evil lables they can use to arouse other simple minded worshipers.
I'm definitely a liberal on social issues. And it's kind of odd, since my values tend to be fairly conservative on these issues and I'm not a live-or-let-live person on any issue that has spillover effects (which most do). But the problem with conservatism is that it's focused on punitive measures, deterrents, and--worst of all-- retributive justice. I think abortion is an ugly thing, but legal abortion is better than the alternatives. Legal prostitution allows for regulation to keep disease from spreading and the workers from being harmed. Legal drugs and gambling allows us to treat addiction as a health issue rather than as a criminal issue, and also enables us to regulate the activities to prevent the harmful effects that would grow in the black market. Then there are other issues like assisted suicide that truly cannot be anyone's choice but the individual (and the doctor). The death penalty should be avoided, at least in all except the most dangerous individuals who are absolutely guilty, because the results are irreversible and cannot be made up for even a little by compensation. Prisons should rehabilitate rather than punish, and keep the most dangerous away when they cannot be rehabilitated. They should focus on dangerous crimes and not so much on petty crimes and drugs, which are better served by other means (treatment, probation, community service, fines).
I find myself unable to vote in this one. Social issues are rarely black and white. I am very much against the killing of the unborn. I think its barbaric to sacrifice a child because the mother was irresponsible and the child is inconvenient. I am in favor of the death penalty. Other issues go like this: I don't care what you do on your side of the fence, just don't let is slip over into my yard. So if you smoke dope, want a prostitute or porn, or want to gamble, I don't care as long as you keep it to your self. Like wise, I don't care what adults do in their bedroom. The only problem I have is the insistence by the radical gays to force their lifestyle down my and my children's throat. I wont push anyone, but by God don't push me. So as you see I don't really fit anywhere on your list.
Too many issues to say anything but moderate. Also the listed topics are vague. For example, about public prayer. I'm all for public prayer, as long as it's not taxpayer financed. If Joe Preacher wants to preach in the public square, that is his right.
