New Surveys Show Centrism, Pro-Life Stance on the Rise
May 24, 2009 by Guest Writer 1
Filed under Civil Rights, General
We are living in a country led by the most liberal president in U.S. history, who also has many supporters in the Congress. However, surveys have shown that most of the country does not share in the liberal views of its current leaders. A Pew Research Survey has shown that the number of voters who identify themselves as independents has grown, leading to a large number of people with diverse views that will not always agree with the issues Obama is pushing. Here is an article that details some of the results of the survey:
Barack Obama‘s presidency has ushered in an era of centrism, with the country experiencing such a boost in independent voters that they now make up the largest proportion of the electorate in 70 years.
This fickle group doesn’t have uniform opinions, so its dominance carries potential risks for emboldened Democrats and opportunities for out-of-power Republicans.
A new, expansive Pew Research Center survey that contained those details also found that the nation’s values haven’t fundamentally changed. The country hasn’t become more ideologically liberal or conservative despite sweeping Democratic victories at all levels of government last fall and shrinking GOP ranks.
Broadly, the findings indicate that it’s politically dangerous for the new president and his fellow Democrats who control Congress to move too far to the left on domestic and foreign issues, lest they turn off middle-of-the-road voters whose support was critical in 2008 and will be important in upcoming elections.
The results also suggest that the public recently has rejected the GOP for poor performance, not because it disagrees with the party’s positions on key issues…
Because of its viewpoint diversity, analysts say the growing independent sector could slip from the Democrats’ grasp as Obama pushes an ambitious agenda that’s different from his predecessor’s.
“We’ve moved from a less activist government to a more activist government, and the two-mindedness in the reaction of independents, I think, to some extent is response to that,” Kohut said.
That said, Kohut added: “Obama’s doing very well with independents. But they have some reservations … about growing government and about growing debt.” He called those issues “red flags” for the party.
In addition, a Gallup Poll published recently has shown that for the first time since 1995, more Americans identify themselves as pro-life than pro-choice.  This offers a slight contrast (or addition) to the information obtained in the Pew Poll that said that there was essentially no difference in the makeup of conservative or liberal views in the nation, despite the large shift to centrism. Here are excerpts from the study and their conclusions:
A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves “pro-life” on the issue of abortion and 42% “pro-choice.”…
The new results, obtained from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, represent a significant shift from a year ago, when 50% were pro-choice and 44% pro-life. Prior to now, the highest percentage identifying as pro-life was 46%, in both August 2001 and May 2002.
The May 2009 survey documents comparable changes in public views about the legality of abortion. In answer to a question providing three options for the extent to which abortion should be legal, about as many Americans now say the procedure should be illegal in all circumstances (23%) as say it should be legal under any circumstances (22%). This contrasts with the last four years, when Gallup found a strong tilt of public attitudes in favor of unrestricted abortion…
With the first pro-choice president in eight years already making changes to the nation’s policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans — and, in particular, Republicans — seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position. However, the retreat is evident among political moderates as well as conservatives.
It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public’s understanding of what it means to be “pro-choice” slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction.
It seems that having a liberal president will perhaps have the long-term effect of polarizing the country’s political views, and ultimately turning the tide in favor of conservative views on the controversial views facing the country. Obama and the Democrats would be wise to take notice of these changes, and discontinue their campaign for far-left legislation.
Obama’s Avoidance of Discussing the Abortion Issue May Be Derailed
May 18, 2009 by Guest Writer 1
Filed under Civil Rights, General
Throughout his campaign and since he entered office, Mr. Obama has done his best to distract abortion opponents from his real views through his rhetoric while passing many pro-abortion bills or reversing former President Bush’s pro-life regulations. The issue is coming back to the forefront of public debate, however, due to two events: the famous Catholic University of Notre Dame has engaged President Obama to give the graduation speech at their commencement this spring, and Supreme Court Judge David Souter’s retirement, which leaves the President with the opportunity to select a lifetime judge.
Obama’s goal thus far seems to have been to keep the eyes of the nation focused on the economy and other issues as he has pushed quickly but quietly for pro-choice legislation, to avoid having to confront his actual stand on the issue. He has verbally painted himself as more moderate on the issues, while his actions continue to indicate his true far-left views on abortion issues, as the New York Times points out (emphasis mine):
Mr. Obama frames his position on abortion as a nuanced one — he calls it a “a moral and ethical issue” best left to women and doctors — and he envisions himself forging consensus around causes like reducing unintended pregnancies and promoting adoption. As president, Mr. Obama, who during the campaign answered a question about when human life begins by saying it was “above my pay grade,” has tried to straddle the abortion divide. He has done so partly by reaching out to religious conservatives, partly by avoiding the most contentious legislative battles and partly by reversing the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush, a faithful ally of abortion opponents, in piecemeal fashion — all while the nation has been consumed by the economic crisis.
He has named abortion rights advocates to top jobs; Dawn Johnsen, a former legal director of Naral Pro-Choice America, is his pick to run the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. He has repealed the so-called Mexico City rule, which prohibited tax dollars from going to organizations that provide abortions overseas; lifted Mr. Bush’s limits on embryonic stem cell research; stripped financing for abstinence-only sex education; and is seeking to undo a last-minute Bush regulation giving broad protections to health providers who refuse to take part in abortions.
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said she told allies that their movement was emerging from “eight years in the wilderness.”
Clearly, Ms. Richards has no illusions about where Obama’s loyalty truly lies, but Obama has heretofore attempted to skirt the issue when confronted.  Being asked to give a commencement speech at a prominent Catholic University, however, has refocused the attention of the nation on his views on the issue. Protests are being organized at the university that target the issues of abortion and Obama’s stance on it, and outrage that Notre Dame even extended the invitation to the President in light of his decisions on the matter. Some of the President’s advisors have suggested that he address the issue in part of his commencement speech, but it is likely that all we will see is more of his “Moderate rhetoric, hard-left policies,” as Kansas senator Sam Brownback puts it, rather than honesty.
