This survey will end Thursday, November 16th at 6PM Pacific Time.
If you have a few minutes, answering the following questions will help me with a school project about the recent results of the election. You may answer in the comments section. Please give your age, gender, in which state/region you live (or country, if outside the U.S.). Names aren't required. You may remain anonymous.Thanks so much for your help.
1) How do you feel about the Democrats taking control of the House and Senate?
2) Why do you think this happened?
3) What do you think Democrats will do once in office?
4) Respond to Nancy Pelosi becoming the first female Speaker of the House.
5) What can the Republican Party learn from this defeat?
14 comments:
1.Disappointed but not surprised.
2.People are fed up with the war as portrayed to them by mainstream media and listen to the media without realizing the democrats have no hard and fast answers, either.
3.Not a whole h**** of a lot. B*tch and moan, filibuster, the usual.
4.I have no problem with a woman. I have a problem with it being Pelosi.
5.Every party faces difficulties in war times. Learn from it? I doubt it. History always seems to repeat itself.
Age: 35 West Coast US. Female.
1) I welcome the change.
2) If a president remains in office for two terms, there's a history of this happening in the 6th year. The longer one party is in control, the more the public notices their flaws. Plus, there's that unpopular war thing.
3) I don't expect things to be a whole lot different. Maybe some things will start happening once a new president is in office.
4) I am generally indifferent. I don't know anything about her specifically.
5) All they'll learn is that the public is fickle (which, I'd imagine, they probably already knew).
It's me, anonymous #2 again.
It just occurred to me that I said I welcome the change, but then said I don't expect things to change much.
To clarify my answer to question 1, I meant that I think things need to get shaken up every once in a while, particularly in the house and senate, where (to my knowledge) there are no term limits. I welcome THAT change.
For #3, I don't expect the immediate change of who has the majority to "fix" anything. The same issues exist, and everyone will still argue about them.
1) How do you feel about the Democrats taking control of the House and Senate?
I'm very happy about it. In a time where we have a president wielding too much power and disregarding the Supreme Court - we really need the checks and balances of government
2) Why do you think this happened?
I think the Republicans have become a little too conservative for the majority of Americans. Yes - the media plays their games to skew the vote - but MOST Americans are moderate, not conservative, in their views.
And we're scared of GW.
3) What do you think Democrats will do once in office?
Very little. They'll push the usual agenda. National healthcare will get vetoed. We'll pull back (a little) in Iraq. They won't DO much, but I hope they STOP much from happening.
4) Respond to Nancy Pelosi becoming the first female Speaker of the House.
I think it's fabulous. She's a little militant, but otherwise, I find her very fair-minded with a good voting record. Women are getting more visible in government - it will be intersting to see what happens.
5) What can the Republican Party learn from this defeat?
That the country is no longer full of upper-class folk who control the status quo. And those beneath them are struggling, suffering, and have the power of the majority.
1) somewhere between indifferent and slightly pessimistic.
2) Republican lawmakers seem to have been "coasting," resting on their laurels (and/or pages). They lost their matority because of dissatisfaction with the status quo by a "big enough" number of voters and to a lesser extent, recent scandals involving politicians. It almost doesn't matter which party gets scandalized; I think such things trigger a "change reflex" in voters.
3) (a) raise taxes, and (b) attempt to secure a complete US withdrawal from Iraq with utmost expediency, ideally before the next US presidential election. That way if the pull-out leads to Bad Things, spin doctors can blame the Bush administration. And I believe Republicans would be equally opportunistic; nature of the beast so to speak.
4) I have no problem with a female Speaker, but Ms. Pelosi's reported "anti-Bush" views seem overly partisan and inappropriate for a Senate leader. I think she's capable of doing a great job as Speaker and hope she does so.
5) Can learn? For starters, don't "coast." Don't be satisfied with political and societal status quo; aggressively and continuously try to determine what constituents think is still wrong, and go after those things. Oh, and don't boink the pages, period. Will learn? Most likely, nothing.
51, male, Florida.
male 20 AZ
1- Don't care
2- Publicity
3- Same things everyone else does and complain a lot.
4- We can look forward to same sex marriage.
5- Nothing. It's politics.
Oops. Anon 2 yet again. 29, M, northeast.
1) Although I'm not surprised, I am not pleased.
2) Many reasons. Media, discontent with the war, a larger number of young voters who've been provoked/persuaded by their favorite celebrities, pushes on myspace (which I witnessed musicians doing), etc. I never saw so many young people at my polling place. I'm certain most did not vote conservatively.
3) I think the Dems will attempt to raise taxes to fund more social programs, attempt to complain more about our involvement in the war and make a lot of noise. As for actually "doing" anything, maybe getting more a liberal agenda acepted. *sigh* No, not all of us are liberals. Not all of us are "scared" of our president- some of us actually like the guy, believe it or not.
4) I don't exactly want HER, although I think a woman in the spot may be okay. This woman is now 3rd in line for the presidency and that concerns me greatly. She's represented an extremely liberal constituency and has actually never even had to fight for her position or debate another candidate. She seems happier calling in favors/alliances (Murtha??) than seeing the big picture. I see the whole thing as a bad idea.
5) The "big picture" is hard for many to see. Expedient ends to conflicts overseas=positive support.
mom- 45 - California
1. I guess it's okay, we needed a change.
2. People were fed up with no change.
3. Argue, mostly. Isn't that what most politicians do?
4. She's never done anything important in the past so it'll be interesting to see how she takes her new job.
5. More campaigning?? I don't know.
male, 19, OR
1 very happy
2 republicans are clueless
3 change things and make them better for us all and end the war
4 I'm very happy a woman finally gets the chance
5 The rich men don't rule anymore
WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER!
female 18 CA
1.Not sure, but I don't think it's a great thing. (I'm sad to say I don't pay much attention. Too busy with my family.)
2.People seem to be influenced by what they see on t.v. and scandals.
3.I think they will continue to lessen the morals of our country.
4.Not sure, but I don't like that she's third in line to be the President (I read that above. I didn't know that).
5.TV is powerful.
1) Don't like it.
2) The war.
3) Nothing except argue.
4) Not impressed.
5) What can be learned? It's just politics.
MALE, 46, SO CAL
1) Disappointed, but not surprised. It will be short lived.
2) Lack of educated voters, who listened to tv/radio adds to make their decision on voting.
3) RAISE TAXES! Bring the U.S. economy to a grinding halt.
4) Let's watch a woman make a mess of the situation for a change.
5) They needed to curb their spending, have a better plan for finishing up in Iraq.
35, F, Minnesota
Thanks for your help! I appreciate all of you taking the time to answer.
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