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Politics

Yet Another Poll: Economy Is Washington's Fault, Not Wall Street's

Matt Welch | 10.17.2011 1:15 PM

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Don't know how it got to be Poll Day on Hit & Run (see previous posts by Nick Gillespie and Katherine Mangu-Ward), but here's another new survey from The Hill, showing attitudes about our post-Occupy Wall Street world:

The Hill poll found that only one in three likely voters blames Wall Street for the country's financial troubles, whereas more than half — 56 percent — blame Washington.

Moreover, when it comes to the political consequences of the protest, voters tend to believe that there are more perils than positives for Obama and the Democrats.

A plurality believe that the Occupy Wall Street movement will hurt Democrats and Obama in the 2012 election. Even those whose sympathies lie on the left of center seem unsure about the likely political repercussions. Just half of all liberal likely voters — the group most likely to blame Wall Street for the recession — and fewer than half of all Democrats believe the protests will help their side next year. […]

The split on the question of apportioning blame for the nation's economic travails corresponds closely with voters' political ideologies: More than 7 in 10 conservatives blamed Washington for the recession, while more than 5 in 10 liberals blamed Wall Street.

But self-identified centrists, importantly, appear to be siding with the right on economic issues, with nearly half blaming Washington for the recession.

Whole thing here. Link via the Twitter feed of "Liberty Writer" J.D. Tuccille. Reason on #OWS here.

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NEXT: Americans Are Like Vinny Barbarino When it Comes to Runaway Government Spending: So Confused and So Goddmaned Awful

Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

PoliticsEconomicsBarack ObamaWall StreetOccupy Wall StreetPolls
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  1. Joe M   14 years ago

    So the economy is Washington's fault, eh? If only there were something we could do about it...

  2. Neu Mejican   14 years ago

    But self-identified centrists, importantly, appear to be siding with the right on economic issues, with nearly half blaming Washington for the recession.

    How is "less than half of the group" the same as "the group siding with"?

    Odd assertion.

    1. Old Mexican   14 years ago

      Re: Neu Mejican,

      How is "less than half of the group" the same as "the group siding with"?

      It is if you have three groups and not two, as you assumed.

    2. John   14 years ago

      It isn't when you consider that there is a third group called "not sure".

      1. Old Mexican   14 years ago

        That's what I said! 😉

        Those who say it was government
        Those who say it was Wallstreet
        And those who say "Fuck if I know!"

    3. Joe M   14 years ago

      49% Washington
      36% Wall Street
      15% Not sure

    4. Neu Mejican   14 years ago

      Math fail for you all.

      (your point is obvious, of course, but beside the point)

      1. Neu Mejican   14 years ago

        As aside on this. One can "blame Washington" without siding with the right on the issue. I would guess a large percentage of people who blame Washington do so because they feel like there wasn't enough regulation going on.

  3. Abdul   14 years ago

    Only tangentially related, but check out this three year old observing an OWS march on the White House.

    Is she cute? Insightful? or brainwashed by Koch-funded propaganda? You make the call.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_aFAMQWSHo

    1. Dagny T.   14 years ago

      The OWS crowd wishes it could make an argument as convincing as "pizza!"

      1. Abdul   14 years ago

        Great alternative title: Matt's 3 year old pwns OWS, clutches clovers.

    2. free2booze   14 years ago

      Wow. When I first read your comment, I thought you wrote "tangentially retarded".

  4. Libertarian Boys Club   14 years ago

    The Hill poll found that only one in three likely voters blames Wall Street for the country's financial troubles, whereas more than half ? 56 percent ? blame Washington

    Trick question cause they are one, and the same

    1. Old Mexican   14 years ago

      Re: Libertarian Boys Club,

      Trick question cause they are one, and the same

      Just ask Obama - bought and paid for.

  5. Episiarch   14 years ago

    He killed his sensei and never said why. That's always intrigued me.

    1. Dagny T.   14 years ago

      I would have thought you'd be more into fucking the shit out of bears.

      1. Episiarch   14 years ago

        That's Warty. And NutraSweet is into "saving" the children...but not the British children.

        1. Dagny T.   14 years ago

          How many British children have you created or saved? I think his record speaks for itself.

          1. Episiarch   14 years ago

            Created? Probably millions. Can you sue for child support from another country?

            1. Old Mexican   14 years ago

              I guess we'll find out. What's your address?? Oh, and your SSN.

              1. Episiarch   14 years ago

                1600 Pennsylvania Ave, DC. 123-45-6789.

                1. John   14 years ago

                  Kind of like Elwood Blues using 1060 West Addison as his address.

  6. Old Mexican   14 years ago

    The Hill poll found that only one in three likely voters blames Wall Street for the country's financial troubles, whereas more than half ? 56 percent ? blame Washington.

    And of those, who blames the real culprit: the Devil?

    1. Satan   14 years ago

      The dark underworlds have always and will always maintain a Moody's AAA rating. Don't blame me for this shit.

  7. John   14 years ago

    http://bigjournalism.com/dloes.....t-message/

    Looks like the media will have to work harder to craft the OWS message.

    1. Mike M.   14 years ago

      Absolutely incredible! Even after the original Journolist debacle, these lefty media schmucks still apparently haven't learned the lesson that mass internet communications not only aren't private, but are likely to eventually leak out when so many people are involved.

      These people are even more stupid than I thought they were. I'm going to have to lower my opinion of them further still.

      1. Federal Dog   14 years ago

        Speaking of Journolist hacks, whatever happened to Dave Weigel?

    2. Double D   14 years ago

      I, for one, am shocked...SHOCKED...that our noble journalistic institutions have been hijacked by this shadowy cabal.
      Conservatives are no better. The only way to glean facts anymore is to be at ground zero when something unfolds.

    3. Banana   14 years ago

      Two left wing bloggers! Matt Taibbi!!! When will people recognize that whoever writes at 'Rolling Stones' sets the agenda!

  8. sarcasmic   14 years ago

    Blame Canada!

  9. John   14 years ago

    "Brookfield got lots of calls from many elected officials threatening them and saying, 'If you don't stop this, we'll make your life more difficult,'" Mayor Bloomberg said on his radio show on Friday.

    No real estate developer can get on the wrong side of the city pols and zoning regulators, who review thousands of requests every year. Crony capitalism such as zoning deals are all about regulators making sure they can get their way.

    Before being shut up by politicians, Brookfield spoke for hundreds of thousands of weary area workers and residents. This columnist, who lives a block from the park, can attest to the impact on the neighborhood, though I suppose I should be grateful that my newborn son is now mostly trained to sleep through late-night drumming, chanting and vuvuzela horns. Anyone tempted to idealize this movement should visit and contrast the aggressive, often drugged-out crew around the campsite with a family community still gamely rebuilding after 9/11.

    Occupy Wall Street promised an Arab Spring of regime change. Protesters should know that the street bordering the park now called Liberty Street was called Crown Street from the 1600s until just after the Revolutionary War. The protesters are a couple of centuries late to our democratic revolution, but there's still time to make a statement against crony capitalism. All they have to do is leave.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop

    Scumbags.

    1. Federal Dog   14 years ago

      "Anyone tempted to idealize this movement should visit and contrast the aggressive, often drugged-out crew around the campsite with a family community still gamely rebuilding after 9/11."

      Here, they are drugged, drunk, screaming, destroying private property, and screwing openly on the streets.

      And vowing never to leave.

  10. thexjib   14 years ago

    false dichotomy... the problem is wall street and Washington working closely with each other to protect their interests at the expense of the freedoms, security and prosperity of the people.

    We need a separation of economics and state for the very same reason we need separation of church and state.

  11. John   14 years ago

    As your leader in the Senate of the United States, it is my bounden duty to tell you that this thing is about as popular as a crab in a whorehouse.

    Said Everett Dirksen to Richard Nixon, according to "RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon.

    That is just awesome.

    1. Mainer   14 years ago

      back when men were men

      1. sarcasmic   14 years ago

        Far back in the mists of ancient time, in the great and glorious days of the former Galactic Empire, life was wild, rich, and on the whole, tax-free. In those days, spirits were brave; the stakes were high; men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.
        --'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy'

  12. Federal Dog   14 years ago

    Only morons somehow think that companies buying political favors can do so without government misconduct.

    I wonder how those idiots interpret the fact that the government has raced to coopt them. Can they really not grasp that they are a pro-government rally fully assimilated by the most corrupt elements of the system?

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