Only .125 Percent Of Republicans Say Cheney Best Reflects GOP’s Core Values
As you know, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham has taken a fair amount of flak for arguing that Dick Cheney should be taken seriously as a 2012 contender because he’s a “man of conviction” who has a “record on which he can be judged.”
Here’s a data point that makes this fantasy seem even more far-fetched than it did at first glance: Significantly less than one percent of Republicans think Cheney best reflects their party’s core values.
That astonishing number can be found deep in WaPo’s article about their new poll on the state of the GOP:
Just 1 percent pick George W. Bush as the best reflection of the party’s principles, and only a single person in the poll cites former vice president Richard B. Cheney. About seven in 10 say Bush bears at least “some” of the blame for the party’s problems.
The WaPo polling unit tells me that approximately 800 Republicans and Republican leaners were surveyed on this question; of that 800, WaPo’s polling gurus confirm, only a single person picked Cheney as the best reflection of the party’s values.
Our handy Plum Line calculator tells us that this means approximately .125 percent of GOPers picked Cheney on that question.
It’s worth recalling that Cheney has been granted far more media time and visibility to make the case for his world view, and the policies that resulted from them, than any other Republican figure, with the possible exception of Sarah Palin. Yet no Republicans in this poll see him as a standard bearer for their party’s principles or values. Okay, I stand corrected: One Republican did. Out of 800.
This stat makes the media’s continued designation of Cheney as some kind of spokesperson for the GOP seem all the more bizarre. It’s as if there’s some kind of willful exercise in amnesia under way about how roundly Cheney was and continues to be rejected by the electorate. It makes Meacham’s notion that Cheney is a credible contender for 2012 seem downright daft, to put it charitably.
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Update: Here’s still more, from the internals: Republicans and leaners were asked an open-ended question about who they would vote for in a 2012 GOP primary. Cheney isn’t even on the list. And again, he’s gotten more media airtime than pretty much any other Republican to make his case.
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O darn!
Stop polling on Cheney – it’s blowing our chances of seeing him run in 2012.
See – he’d be perfect since absolutely no one except a handful of neocons and pundits like him.
Is the Plum Line calculator the WaPo equivalent of the Red Swingline stapler?
Our handy Plum Line calculator tells us that this means approximately .125 percent of GOPers picked Cheney on that question.
Except there’s a problem with even that assertion. If I recall my statistics classes correctly, a response of one is impossible to evaluate because the tests done require that you first divide the number of responses (”R”) by R-1, and you can’t divide by 0.
This stat makes the media’s continued designation of Cheney as some kind of spokesperson for the GOP seem all the more bizarre. It’s as if there’s some kind of willful exercise in amnesia under way about how roundly Cheney was and continues to be rejected by the electorate. It makes Meacham’s notion that Cheney is a credible contender for 2012 seem downright daft, to put it charitably.
As I stated in the previous post’s comment thread, the MSM treats Cheney as royalty. By this time I think it’s obvious that as far as they’re concerned Cheney’s the conservative McCain, the go-to guy for the officially sanctioned, accepted, & received conservative point of view.
odd job: one out of 800 is .125%, no?
(McCain is the go-to guy for the sanctioned “maverick” point of view. Yes, it’s all bullsh*t, but since when has the MSM actually cared about reality? It’s FAR more important to make sure everyone knows how beautiful the Emperor’s new outfit is!!)
Numbers make my head hurt in the morning. I can’t believe there’s a discussion of higher math going on and it’s not 10 here yet.
;P
The Cheney’s have turned into a sort of freak show. They bring them on because of the outlandish statement they know both Liz and her paranoid dad are going to make.
It’s cat nip to them.
“The Cheney’s have turned into a sort of freak show.”
I agree with this though I do believe the Cheneys were naturally a freak show before they started this shadow government.
It doesn’t get a lot freakier than the Cheneys.
I read somewhere this morning that Huckabee is leaning toward not running in 2012, so if he’s out and Cheney’s out by the sheer force of his unpopularity, who’s left? Beck won’t run with Palin, because she talks too much and uses the word “hoot”, so we’re left with Palin and whom? Bachman would be a riot, Pawlenty doesn’t have much of a following yet and Romney just isn’t that popular.
lmsinca, Huck won’t run now with the news that he granted clemency to the suspected shooter in Washington yesterday. His primary opponents would give him the ole’ Willie Horton.
“I read somewhere this morning that Huckabee is leaning toward not running in 2012, so if he’s out and Cheney’s out by the sheer force of his unpopularity, who’s left?”
Bobby Jindal?
hee hee hee!
Newt Gingrich.
Rudy Guiliani.
If they are going to include Loud Obbs or Sarah Palin — neither of whom has decided to run yet — they should definitely be including Cheney in every single GOP primary and popularity poll.
The reason being that the neocon movement may have been brushed aside by the pseudo-populist teabaggers, but the neocons still have considerable sway in the party — vastly moreso imho than the teabaggers. And since DICK is the HEAD NeoCon, he should be represented, lest we ignore a major faction of the Right Wing ideology.
OT:
A new analysis by a leading MIT economist provides new ammunition for Democrats as the Senate begins formally debating the historic health-reform bill being pushed by President Barack Obama.
The report concludes that under the Senate’s health-reform bill, Americans buying individual coverage will pay less than they do for today’s typical individual market coverage, and would be protected from high out-of-pocket costs.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29959.html
Hey – did y’all know we had twins here last night?’
Chris the Fold had twin boys yesterday. There’s a link to a picture in the weekend thread. They are gorgeous!
one out of 800 is .125%, no?
Yes, and I just remembered I am in error. If the sample size was one then there would be a problem, but the sample size was much larger than one. It’s the response that is only one.
That’s different. My mistake.
who’s left?
I think it’s way too early to be handicapping the ‘12 GOP primaries. I expect someone to appear that we don’t know about presently. Either that or the present crop of C & D-listers will result in a considerable lack of GOP enthusiasm.
I still think the only one out there with any real credibility is Jeb Bush, even as I recognize that as a potential candidate he has his own problems.
Greg, was that one person Liz ? Must be.
was that one person Liz ? Must be.
LOL!
OT
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you
can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Dnam oyu!
AZanmig is rghit.
amk
That was easy but weird. OT, I was wondering last week how the Repubs would handle the increased demand for paying for the war in Afghanistan. I guess I have my answer, put everything else on hold, cut spending on other programs and go all in on the war, Idiots.
“The policy debate in Washington is currently focused on two topics: a possible escalation of the war in Afghanistan and health care legislation. Both a troop escalation and health care reform carry significant price tags — roughly $100 billion and $80-$100 billion a year respectively. (It should be noted that health care reform, unlike a troop surge, would cut the deficit.)
When it comes to these two debates, hawkish senators have laid out their priorities. They are more than willing to fund a risky troop surge that is increasingly opposed by both Americans and Afghans, yet remain stalwart opponents of health care reform that could save the lives of the 45,000 Americans who die every year because they lack access to health care.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/30/gop-embrace-afghanistan-healthcare/
“I still think the only one out there with any real credibility is Jeb Bush, even as I recognize that as a potential candidate he has his own problems.”
His last name is “Bush.” There’s his biggest problem, right there.
One of the biggest reasons that Democrats and independents supported Obama over Hilary is because Hilary is part of that old dynamic: Bush, Clinton – and voters rejected that.
There is not going to be another Bush in the White House in my lifetime, I’m pretty damn sure. People are pretty thoroughly sick of what’s already been there and done that.
lmsinca – Grayson was right. The repug policy is – kill americans here as well as there.
I just hope Obama knows what he is doing.
“fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.”
I can read it just fine. What does that say about me? *crosses eyes*
BTW, I put that up because I’m an awful speller.
msmolly – LOL! You funny.
Even though the survey is anonymous, I have a hunch that the lone Republican’s first name is Liz…
But amk, if you only spell one word wrong in a sentence, we all notice right away. And I still love Grayson for his honesty.
“. And I still love Grayson for his honesty.”
O Grayson has never said one outrageous thing -he’s just told the straight truth, with graphs and stuff to back it up.
It’s a way different matter from Joe Wilson coming out of nowhere and yelling “You lie!” without anything to support his accusation.
lmsinca,
I think paying for the war is just the beginning. The president has clearly stated that we need to reduce the deficit and eventually the nation’s debt. IMO this is coming sooner then later.
“They are more than willing to fund a risky troop surge that is increasingly opposed by both Americans and Afghans, yet remain stalwart opponents of health care reform that could save the lives of the 45,000 Americans who die every year because they lack access to health care.”
And given the horrid numbers for Cheney I’m not sure I understand that disconnect. When it gets down to it though Imsinca I suspect the more money one has the more difficult it is to retain compassion. I realize there are many philanthopic and wonderful wealthy people like the Gates, Buffett, and others…but alas there are far more selfish Repub “I’ve got mine screw you” rich.
My Thanksgiving experience showed this on a very personal level. I stayed at my sister’s multi million dollar house overlooking the Ohio River. She and my Cardiologist brother in law have a driveway full..a truck..a Jag..a Volvo..jeeps for the kids..they also own a lake house..with a big boat..motorcyles..jet skis…on and on and on…they are more closely aligned with tea baggers and ***** about taxes every chance they can. If I point out how lucky they are to make so much it generates a big tax bill…they look at me like I’m crazy.
Fortunately I was born on the wrong side of the tracks and I got to visit my favorite cousins…several of whom literally are missing a significant number of teeth. Like me a couple are Vietnam Vets and the rest are just down to earth folks. They get it Imsinca. The absurdity of gnashing our teeth over budget deficits when it comes to doing anything good for America..HCR..Education..Energy..Infrastructure…
all the while throwing open the treasury vaults for military adventures abroad.
The Neo-Cons have been laying low, but their tiny hearts stir at the thought of their Big Dick achieving not just the power of the presidency, but the title as well. The teabaggers tiny little minds rejoice at the thought of the Big Dick as president because he can quell their fears of that pernicious Constitution running rampant o’er the land inflicting nasty things like habeas corpus upon us all.
The reason Cheney’s name keeps being mentioned is the dearth of leaders in the GOP. They’re top heavy with losers, quitters, and the untested. At a time when the party is in the most desperate need of leaders, they have none.
Is this what it looks like right before a political party ceases to exist?
“Is this what it looks like right before a political party ceases to exist?”
I sincerely hope the tea-baggers will be the ultimate perps of death of gop as a party.
“They get it Imsinca. T”
One of the results the right was looking for when the draft abolished was just this disconnect.
When we have a military that is made up mostly of people who came from poverty and disadvantaged backgrounds, which is what you have with an al-volunteer army, most of the country can just conveniently more or less ignore the reality of the war “those people” get sent into and after all, they volunteered.
It makes for a wider disparity between classes here. In a democracy, everyone – EVERYONE – is supposed to share equally in the risk because we’re all supposed to share in the reward.
Look how far the right has pulled us away from our core democratic values.
Not to worry: 5DD is Village approved. He will never go away. Same applies to Lizzie Cheeney (a la Tweety).
My Question Of The Day:
How Come Senator Luger wants to now focus on how to pay for our wars, on an ongoing basis, but never did when Bush/Cheney were running up huge war deficits, with no effort to pay for them, while simultaneously passing huge tax cuts for the super wealthy?
Strange how Senator Luger never let that bother him, in the least.
A modest proposal;
How to solve the White House security problem, to make sure that gate crashers are not allowed in.
Put Tiger Wood’s security people in charge. Not even the police can get by them.
“Look how far the right has pulled us away from our core democratic values.”
As you would say Tena..Word Up!
“Put Tiger Wood’s security people in charge. Not even the police can get by them.”
Or a woman scorned apparently. That was a weird turn of events.
Tena – An honest question. What’s the guarantee that a draft would not recruit more and more poor people, who were unwilling to volunteer in the first place, to be human fodder ? The fact that chickenhawk shites like darth, shrub, dumbsfeld dodged the draft on spurious excuses doesn’t inspire confidence in the fairness of draft.
Andy, I think Obama is beginning to buckle under the pressure to reduce the deficit, but I hope he is able to push a jobs bill through first and finish some of what he has started. I really, really wish they would pass a war tax. That would go a long way toward rectifying our general populations disconnect to the cost of war. If the loss of life doesn’t affect them then maybe a dent in their pocket book would.
ruk, I celebrated this year with what we call our A Team family members, we all agree on most things so it was quite pleasant. My sister is always a sad one to have around, she’s suffered so much, but she even got a few good laughs in.
Insimca,
Did you hear the tape of the 911 call? It was a neighbor who called in the report, and he did not sound like he had even talked to either Tiger or his wife, before he made the call.
Notice who did not make a 911 call. Tiger’s wife, even though she claimed that she was the one who pulled him out of the car.
Think about that for a moment. The report said that Tiger was dazed, and appeared to be going in and out of consciousness. Yet the person who said that she rescued him from the car, did not call 911. Hmmmmmmmmm.
Is this what it looks like right before a political party ceases to exist?
Sometimes. Other times it’s what happens before a new generation of leaders in the party, with new ideas, replaces the sclerotic detritus that can’t lead anywhere except off the cliff.
The fact that chickenhawk shites like darth, shrub, dumbsfeld dodged the draft on spurious excuses doesn’t inspire confidence in the fairness of draft.
IIRC back in the day that was one of the arguments for dropping it.
Let’s just call a spade a spade; the neocons moved their people into the highest levels of corporate media management shortly after Pappa Bush lost. While *republicans* don’t necessarily see Cheney as their standard bearer, neocons do – and they just spent the last decade taking control of nearly every media outlet in America. Unless there is a massive turnover at the executive level, the neoconservative point of view will always be presented as a mainstream philosophy. That means Cheney’s visage will haunt our waking life in perpetuity.
Seriously why does Cheney keep getting polled. It appears more and more that his chances of wanting the job are small and after looking at other potential GOP’ers he seems to be way behind. Who in the media gets requested to a Cheney poll when it is so frickin obvious that he 1) isn’t going to run 2) came from an abismal failure of an administration?
I guess it’s that liberal media again, or maybe just maybe the media is not one way or the other but made of people who play both sides. Maybe the people on the right like having his name out there. Maybe just maybe the next time a polling agenecy or person is asked to run a poll with Cheney, they will look at the customer and say, “why are you asking me to do an irrevelent poll, perhaps there are some real problems in this world that my statistics can shed some light on!”
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to see him run but still… Since when is “800″ a decent sampling number for such a large group?
this begins to look like right before a political party ceases to exist. I gotta say that.