ALMOST 70% OF PEOPLE IN RED STATES ARE PRO CHOICE

[Hippo_Tron]

(repost from GDP under a different name)

http://www.surveyusa.com/SupremeCourtJuly05.htm

Okay, tell me if I'm reading this wrong. In the middle column it says who should be involved in the decission about abortion: The state government, the federal government, or neither.

In almost EVERY state, including the red states, it OVERWHELMINGLY says NEITHER. Two of the three most Republican states (Idaho and Wyoming) have OVER 60% of the population answer "neither". Even in Utah (which is basically a mormon theocracy) and the most Republican state in the country, 52% said neither.

So WHAT is going on here? Is this a poll with a huge error, or are pollsters perhaps just asking the wrong question when they ask are you pro-life or pro-choice?

If this is the case, then red staters OVERWHELMINGLY shared John Kerry's view on abortion, which is supposed to be the KEY wedge issue for the religious right. If this poll is correct then HOW did Bush get elected? Moreover, HOW HAS ANY REPUBLICAN SINCE REAGAN BEEN ELECTED?

[noahmijo]

1. unfortunately pro-choice doesn't equal "blue voter"

"They're gonna increase my taxes!" "Democrats are weak on terror!" that sentiment immediately trumps a would be blue voter unfortunately

[me b zola]

4. True. But it is dispelling one more myth

"Red" voters have been hood-winked. Most female rethug voters are pro-choice, but you would never know that if you believed the media.

It is all about our Dem leaders not believing in and reacting to the reich wing propaganda.

Voters overwhelming believe in the same values & issues that are the Democratic Party. It has been a failure of leadership to understand this.

[Hippo_Tron]

9. Okay, but according to any conventional wisdom

Republicans have been using abortion as a method of defeating Democrats in so called "red states" for almost 20 years now. If over 60% of the people in these "red states" are pro-choice, then this can't be the case.

According to the best political advisors, John Kerry shouldn't have bothered stepping foot into Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho because enough people would look at him and just say "baby killer" and not even look at the rest of his platform.

According to the best political advisors, a Democrat running for Governor or Senator in a red state should support a government ban on abortion because it will win them votes. HOW THE HELL COULD THIS BE TRUE IF 60%+ IN EVEN THE MOST RED STATES ARE PRO-CHOICE? Almost EVERY Democrat who runs for Governor or Senator in a red state makes it a point to call themselves "pro-life" and to oppose abortion in one shape or form. If these poll numbers are correct, then WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS?

I know that pro-choice doesn't = Democrat, but Democrats certainly feel that they need to run to the right on abortion to appeal to the "pro-life" crowd. According to this poll, the pro-life crowd is a VAST minority.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Just curious, but have you heard about electronic voting machines?

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Electronic voting machines didn't exist until Georgia 2002

According to any conventional wisdom, Republicans have been using abortion as a wedge issue to defeat Democrats in "red states" since the early 90's.

[flygal]

3. Pro-choice, but firmly convinced dems want their guns taken away

That's my red state of Mt in a nutshell.

[BrightKnight]

5. I have been hearing the 25% anti-choice number for years. -- n/t

[HKTech]

6. they may be "Pro-Choice" they really don't care about it.

The GOP is actually a highly balkanized party, the only common thread is a hatred of Liberals.

The Groups of the GOP are made up of the following...

1. Gun Lovers who only want access to guns - don't care about anything Else.
   
2. welfare Businessmen who only want deregulation and handouts - don't care about anything else.
   
3. Anti-Taxers who want taxes reduced - don't care about anything else.
   
4. Radical Clerics who only want to impose their morality - don't care about anything else.
   

So as long as every group gets what they want, they'll be happy. The GOP can introduce, which will simultaneously eliminate Corporate income taxes, ban abortion and allow Nuclear Weapons for personal protection and they'll still win elections because their base is happy.

[Mr_Spock]

8. Whoa! My brain couldn't figure out how PRO CHOICE meant ANTI ABORTION!

Is that true? That seems unlikely - unless we are being manipulated by a few in government.

[NoodleBoy]

10. Delaware rates highest for non-intervention on choice and gay marriage....

Interesting, considering you could call it "DeLCware." I think I just made that up.

Then again, the issues that make the DLC "moderate" tend not to be so much the conservative supermorality issues but more on the economic front. That left a couple Clinton Republicans I used to work with thinking a little bit.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. I don't think that Deleware loves the DLC or anything

It just so happens that Biden (who has been there before the DLC existed) and Carper are DLCers. Deleware is a very blue state and the Dem for US Senate is probably going to win no matter what. DLC dems have a better chance of securing the nomination, because they have the money. Thus Deleware elects DLCers. No state is far enough to the left, that they would reject a DLCer in favor of an insurgent 3rd party candidate. Nor is the left particularly strong enough in any blue state, that they can consistantly whack off DLCers in favor of more progressive candidates. Vermont is about to become a possible exception to this, but a Democrat is probably not even going to run against Sanders.

Basically... Deleware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and all of the northeastern states, except for New Hampshire (and Maine because their two GOP Senators are popular and have seniority), will usually vote for the Democrat, no matter who the Democrat is.

[NoodleBoy]

15. good points

I could do more research on the extent to which the DLC/Carper controls the state party, but I'm not that interested. Yeah, I'm a college student.

[Hippo_Tron]

12. kick

[Zynx]

13. That poll question is asked in a way that does bring more people over

to pro-choice, but it is asked as a government intervention question. You would have gotten a different answer if you asked whether or not abortion should be legal in various different cases(never, all the time, some of the time).

What Republicans win with is that most Americans feel abortion rights should be curtailed to some extent. Very few Republicans campaign on the notion that abortion should be made flat out illegal.

[KingFlorez]

14. That shows there is pretty much a consensus all over

That being said it means that's not a big issue for a whole lot of voters. We really need to frame ourselves as fiscally sound and the Republicans as reckless spenders and that will take some work.

[DanCa]

16. Many uniformed think that republicans favor exceptions and not "on demand"

They don't realize that this is the latest bush flip flop to appease his base that so no abortions under any condition.

[JI7]

17. Republicans emphasize "partial birth abortion" rather than total ban

on abortion rights. and not everyone votes based on the abortion issue. there are anti choice types who voted for Kerry also because they voted more on things like education, jobs, health care etc.

as someone else said it's more about taxes and war on terrorism. they thought Kerry would do things such as get the govt to make medical decisions for them . and many fall for the "death tax" lie of the Republicans and other things.