There's wisdom in them thar hills! | Philly

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

There's wisdom in them thar hills!

It's the American heartland that's supposed to be wetting its pants over the idea of closing Guantanamo Bay, but somebody forget to get the message out to this senior citizen who's about as heartland as they come, from "Almost Heaven," West Virginia:

The poll found that a wide majority of those who support closing the prison said their views would not change even if detainees were sent to maximum security prisons in the United States.

“It’s a bad symbol for our country: Preach one thing and do something else,” said Roberta Hall, 73, a Democrat from Barboursville, W.Va. “We can transfer them here. We’re good at keeping prisoners. That’s what we do best.”

It just goes to show there are lot of regular folks out there who are smarter than the manipulative fearmongers in Washington give them credit for. Still, a lot of people apparently are buying into the notion that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will soon be moving in next door to your daughter, as the New York Times/CBS News poll from which Hall's comment is pulled finds public opinion on Gitmo is very divided, even after Obama was elected promising to close the detainee center.

Indeed, conservatives are crowing tonight about the poll and a couple of others showing that Obama's once sky-high approval is easing down as worry about the long-term federal deficit grows. They probably shouldn't crow that much because even if some voters want a different approach on the economy, not very many trust the GOP to be the ones at the helm. The survey found that only 28 percent of voters approved of the Republican Party -- the lowest that number has ever been.

Posted by Will Bunch @ 7:53 PM Permalink | 13 comments

Comments

Posted 08:32 PM, 06/17/2009

SBVFT Contributor

Speaking of wisdom: Will Bunch hero Paul Krugman, writing in August of 2002: "To fight this recession the Fed needs more than a snapback; it needs soaring household spending to offset moribund business investment. And to do that, as Paul McCulley of Pimco put it, Alan Greenspan needs to create a housing bubble to replace the Nasdaq bubble."

Comment removed.

Posted 08:36 PM, 06/17/2009

Vandy

"public opinion on Gitmo is very divided, even after Obama was elected promising to close the detainee center." Wait a minute, Will. Both Obama and McCain said they would close Gitmo during the campaign, so to imply that Obama was elected on that issue is factually incorrect. In fact, those of us who believe Gitmo should remain open instead of being confused with Abu Ghraib had no one to vote for.

Posted 08:50 PM, 06/17/2009

SBVFT Contributor

WSJ: "Mr. Obama's overall job approval and personal ratings have slipped, particularly among independent voters. His job approval rating now stands at 56%, down from 61% in April. Among independents, it dropped from nearly two-to-one approval to closely divided." SINKING LIKE A STONE, EVEN WITH THE STATE RUN SYCOPHANT MEDIA FAWNING OVER HIS EVERY MOVE AND SUPPRESSING ANY AND ALL UN-HOPEYCHANGEY NEWS. CAN YOU SAY "JIMMY CARTER"? OH, AND BUNCH, STILL WAITING ON YOUR OPINION OF THE IG WALPIN FIRING. OR ARE YOU IGNORING IT COMPLETELY LIKE THE REST OF YOUR STATE RUN FRAUDULENT PROFESSION?

Posted 08:57 PM, 06/17/2009

Fisher

1. Gitmo still open. Uhm, didn’t your anointed one, say like within 90 days, like it would be closed (another failure of leadership) 2. Conservatives are in the minority as you point out regularly. Thus, if 8 point shift does really reflect the 40% of the conservative roles agreeing with this you are stretching it? Really, it states a core group of conservatives of 40% of John Q Public is conservative, that does figure doesn’t win liberals the next election. Since most people don’t vote and a core group of 40% of Americans voting at 50% would reside Obama’s ever increasing messes. Did you notice his vague banking programming has as many details as his stimulus program (also not working).

Posted 09:02 PM, 06/17/2009

Fisher

Doesn't "A majority of people surveyed, 53 percent, said they did not know enough about Judge Sotomayor" is that like a failure of leadership? This would of course mean Will understands what leadership is.

Comment removed.

Posted 09:07 PM, 06/17/2009

Vandy

Comrade, wait until 2012 when the 2010 census takes effect in the form of an updated electoral college/congressional map. Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania are expected to lose one or two votes/seats, while Arizona, Utah, Georgia, Texas and the Carolinas gain seats.

Comment removed.

Posted 07:12 AM, 06/18/2009

montani semper liberi

“It’s a bad symbol for our country: Preach one thing and do something else,” ............... American common sense is alive and well, thank you. Let's not overlook the impact the Iranian revolution could have on the neocon fear game.

Posted 08:44 AM, 06/18/2009

WriteWinger

Boy this guy wilbur is a sad example of journalism today. Hey dope, you must have missed the Gallup poll that said 41% of the country considers themselves CONSERVATIVE and only 20% spineless liberals. The Republican Party has lower ratings because THEY retreated on CONSERVATIVE principles and yes that includes George Bush, who of course is still better than the idiot we now have. So now you know why Rush and the rest are saying the Republican Party has to listen to it's base because THEY define what the party should be, not the other way around. That two bit phony Colin Powell's advice is NOT what the party should follow. The most aisle crossing Republican candidate in history didn't appeal to him. Why?? We know why, he was just too cowardly to admit it. So listen up Wilbur- just like Clinton was the best thing to happen to Republicans since Reagan, this jerk Oblathering Idiot will be too come 2010!!!!!!! I wonder if you will still be blogging then?

Posted 09:56 AM, 06/18/2009

db_cooper

First of all, Will, folks from rural areas often have jobs from the local state or federal prison that has been plopped there - so such folks often have ulterior motives for wanting prisoners sent their way, and it has nothing to do as affirmation of personal agenda regarding Gitmo. Second, regarding the GOP being happy about Obama's popularity declining - yeah, like you never pointed to Bush's polling numbers during his years for affirmation of your viewpoints, and Obama's dropping numbers make me happy because it means his economy-killing plans for health-care and cap-and-trade will need to be tempered by reality (Obama's proposals poll well below his personal numbers). And third, the GOP is in the toilet largely because a lot of conservatives don't associate with them any longer - Rasmussen shows 40 percent of this country considers themselves to be conservative, with moderates in second place and liberals in third place. The GOP ended up being venal, self-serving and corrupt - terms that describe the Dems even more now that they are fully in power - and Dem polling numbers have been tracking south as fast as the GOP's (the GOP just has a head start, but the trends are parallel). What people want is honest leadership that looks after middle-class interests, and party affiliation is becoming seconary, largely because both parties are rotten to the core and have sold out to interests that don't have the well-being of the middle class at heart.

13 comments

About Will Bunch

Will's book: Learn about it here and purchase it here.

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

E-mail Will by clicking here.

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