[T]rends suggest that Americans are not vastly more polarized than they
were in the late 1980s but that they have increasingly sorted
themselves into two ideologically cohesive political parties.
During
this time, Republicans have moved farther to the right — on economic
issues, at least — than Democrats have moved to the left. Asked whether
the government should take care of people who cannot take care of
themselves, 75 percent of Democrats now say yes, down only slightly from
79 percent in 1987. But just 40 percent of Republicans say so, down
from 62 percent in 1987.
Republicans’ support for stricter laws to protect the environment has fallen even more sharply.
But
the views of Democrats have shifted on some economic issues as well,
with Democrats becoming more strongly in favor of government steps to
ensure equal opportunity. On social issues, like gay rights, Democrats
have moved more than Republicans.
The
poll, released Monday, suggested that Democrats have opinions closer to
those of the country as a whole on gay rights and Wall Street.
Republicans are closer to the national mood on affirmative action and
whether the government should go deeper into debt to help the poor.
Bottom
line? Since 1980 Republicans have moved much, much farther to the
right. Democrats have also moved to the right on economic issues, but
have moved somewhat to the left on social issues. Meanwhile, Democrats
are much more in line with the public on core issues, while Republicans
play very well on the public's racism. Of course, there's a problem with
Pew creates a caricature of the liberal argument, postulating that
Democrats want to go into more debt to help "the poor." On the contrary.
The
People's Budget
balances the budget, while austerity measures are doomed to make the
economy worse, decreasing tax revenue and increasing the deficit.
Progressive Democrats want to close the deficit by clawing back some of
the wealth essentially stolen by the richest 1%, and using it to help
both the poor and the middle class, thus reinvigorating the economy
while reducing unemployment and closing the deficit.
That side, though, here's the shocking bit, straight from the Pew Poll's analysis itself:
Just 40% of Republicans agree that “It is the responsibility of the
government to take care of people who can’t take care of themselves,”
down 18 points since 2007. In three surveys during the George W. Bush
administration, no fewer than half of Republicans said the government
had a responsibility to care for those unable to care for themselves. In
1987, during the Ronald Reagan’s second term, 62% expressed this view.
In
just five years, the percentage of Republicans who say the government
should take care of people who can't take care of themselves has
dwindled by 18 percentage points. That's no minor shift. That is a
political party in the throes of a descent into moral madness.
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