Public Opinion - LA Progressive

Have 147 People Hijacked the Global Economy?

RJ Eskow: And when the next crisis comes, “147 people” will react to it exactly the same way they reacted to the last one. You can almost hear them now, can’t you? You can’t blame us, they’ll say. Nobody could’ve seen this coming. How do we know that?

Gay Marriage: The Tide Has Turned and There’s No Going Back

By Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier: Although no one can be sure how the current Supreme Court justices will vote, the American public has already made up its mind. Public support for gay marriage has hit a new high.

Defending the Public Sector

By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer

Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer: The attacks are part of a well orchestrated, decades-long campaign initiated by the corporate sector, which is intent on ensuring that government policy be crafted in their own narrow self interests, which they disingenuously equate with the public good.

Dreaming of Hillary in 2016?

By Victoria DeFrancesco Soto

Victoria Defrancesco Soto: If the Democratic primary were to be held today Hillary Clinton would receive 57 percent of the vote with Vice President Biden coming in at a distant second with less than 20 percent.

Politics: It’s About Identity, Stupid

By Charles D. Hayes

Charles Hayes: Elections are won and lost through appeals to identity. It’s that simple and that complicated. This is why symbols and 30-second, hot-button commercials sway public opinion.

For Progressives, Debt Ceiling “Deal” Was a Real Downer

By Joseph Palermo

Joseph Palermo: The last-minute lobbying by the titans of industry and finance shows that President Obama might have had more leverage over the Republicans in the debt ceiling “negotiations” than he chose to exercise. We now breathlessly await the arrival of the “Super Committee,” the tragedy that follows the farce.

Obama Feels Pressure for Peace

By Tom Hayden

Tom Hayden: Obama of course is not “surrendering” to anyone, least of all the peace activists across the country, but he is responding to massive public pressure for rapid troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

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Beware of the Racial Demagoguery

By Carl Bloice

Carl Bloice: With public opinion across the political spectrum clearly opposed to slashing the healthcare and retirement programs, any negotiated settlement would be undemocratic.

Normal Homosexuality

By Steve Hochstadt

Steve Hochstadt: Is Hollywood trying to push a gay agenda on right-thinking Americans, as some people claim? I think it’s the other way around: Hollywood is trying to sell products.

Election Guide for Election Haters

By David Swanson

David Swanson: I’ll admit it right now. My name is David and I hate elections. (HI, DAVID!) I hate choosing the evil of two lessers. I hate attack ads. I hate endless repetitive debates that exclude all the interesting questions. I hate painting one candidate as all bad and the other as infallible even when I have to squint to see a difference between them.

Free Speech about Saggy Pants

By Steve Hochstadt

Steve Hochstadt: The most unfortunate recent development in American politics is that Constitutional questions cannot be discussed calmly. Too many people care less about defending our Constitution than using it as a club to smash political opponents.

When the Poor Conspire to Keep Themselves Poor

By David A. Love

David Love: Although the history still has yet to be written on the Obama presidency, it looks as if the second coming of F.D.R. ain’t gonna happen just yet. There are very good intentions in this administration, mixed with conflicting allegiances and amateurism.

Racism and the Myth of a “Victim Mentality”

By Tim Wise

Tim Wise: It’s a common argument, made by those who would rather ignore or finesse the problem of racism in America. If you can’t argue the facts, never fear, just suggest that certain facts are too dangerous to be spoken. The possibility that persons of color might adopt a victim mentality once they learn the extent of racism, means we simply have to move on, and tell those who are, as a matter of fact, often the victims of injustice not to dwell on their experiences too much, lest their commitment to self-help be vitiated.