Quote:
Originally Posted by MattyC
Yeah but how to help it is one of the main areas where American's disagree. There is a decent subset of left-leaning people, obviously, or else a guy like Sanders wouldn't even have a sniff. But they are vastly out numbered by people who have grown up in the mindset of trickle-down and any move away from pure capitalism towards the left is borderline anti-American. No way people vote for someone who even suggests something like universal education.
Those people may be less numerous than I think, but they are certainly the loudest.
|
I think this is the media narrative speaking and doesn't reflect the opinions of actual voters.
Most Americans are in favour of things like universal healthcare, taxing the rich, tax cuts for the poor etc etc. Economics is one of the few areas that most Americans can find common ground.
The media narrative is that GOP voters aren't like that etc but I don't believe that is the case, and public opinion polling data backs me up on that.
More than half of all Americans want social security and medicaid expanded, including the majority of self-identifying republicans in 'red' states. That issue has popular support amongst the electorate.
68% of respondents believe wealthy individuals pay too little tax. 85% of business owners polled are in favour of closing all offshore tax loopholes for corporations.
More than half of all Americans polled are in favour eliminating campaign donations. More than 60% of polled Americans are in favour of raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2020. This extends to organized labour as well, "A new Gallup Poll finds just over half of Americans, 53%, favoring a new law that would make it easier for labor unions to organize workers; 39% oppose it."
Most of what Bernie Sanders is proposing as policy initiatives has broad bi-partisan support from the average American, which is what makes him so dangerous.