How popular is the American republican party?

[Rafiq]

Currently I mean. Any statistics?

People are always babbling about how unpopular Obama is, and how enthusiastic they are about the republicans winning next term.

So I would like to know hoe popular the republicans actually are, and if majority of people just hate both.

[redhotpoker]

Generally it depends on were you live. I find in Atlanta the suburban middle class tends to be enthusiastically Republican, while the urban middle class (especially the white middle class in midtown) tends to be very pro-Democrat.

Overall working people tend not to like either of them. A Republican victory is a vote against Obama not a vote for the Republicans.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Well, its coming out in the news that the Democratic Party is openly worrying about the re-electability of Obama.

i tried to look up party popularity through Gallup Polls but the closest thing i could find was a poll on % votes for GOP vs Obama candidates.

Latest on GOP (Aug 7) was 35% and Obama 49%

[NoOneIsIllegal]

In terms of numbers, Republicans have somewhere around 15-20 million less registered voters than the Democrats, but a large chunk of Independents will vote Republican come election day.
Typically I think of the parties as almost 50/50. Bill Clinton was the first Democratic president since FDR to stay in office for 2 full terms (that's 40 years... Truman only won one election BTW, despite his long tenure), however, Democrats controlled congress for about 90% of those 40 years.

[GPDP]

Among people who actually vote, support for the Republican tends to be anywhere from 40 to 60 percent in any given election cycle. But taking into consideration the fact that only about 50 to 60 percent of eligible voters actually bother to show up at the polls (and this is during presidential election years, when voter turnout is highest), the actual percentage of support among eligible voters tends to be only around 30 or so percent, sometimes even lower.

So yeah, when taking into consideration both voter turnout and results at the polls, the Republican party isn't very popular at all. But neither are the Democrats, for that matter.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I think that people are more opposed to Obama than they are supportive of the GOP, as indicated by the generic ballot polling (i.e. when they ask "who would you rather vote for, Obama or someone else?", the majority says "someone else"). However, when they get more specific and actually name a GOP candidate, Obama still has the slight edge, at least from the last polling I've seen.

One of the things the GOP has done really well though is spreading it's political operatives throughout rural and suburban areas in "red states".

[Die Neue Zeit]

What GPDP said. Republican support and Democratic support are overrated.

[Rafiq]

So they both are generally are disliked by most of the masses.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

"...67 percent of Americans said Republicans were protecting the interests of large business corporations, compared with 24 percent who believe the same of President Obama (see chart below)."

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/08/08/business/08economist-folbre3/08economist-folbre3-blog480.jpg

- http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/defining-economic-interests/

* * *

"Generally speaking, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or what? (8/2-3 2011)

Rep 24% Dem 32% Independent 39% Don't Know/Not Answered 4%" - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/05/us/politics/20110805_Poll-docs.html

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Among people who actually vote, support for the Republican tends to be anywhere from 40 to 60 percent in any given election cycle. But taking into consideration the fact that only about 50 to 60 percent of eligible voters actually bother to show up at the polls (and this is during presidential election years, when voter turnout is highest), the actual percentage of support among eligible voters tends to be only around 30 or so percent, sometimes even lower.

So yeah, when taking into consideration both voter turnout and results at the polls, the Republican party isn't very popular at all. But neither are the Democrats, for that matter.

The whole thing with voters having to register rather than having more or less everyone being eligible (partly because the U.S. has no population registry and partly intentional policy) sure helps keeping turnout and participation down.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

That and the fact that elections results don't change regular people's lives.

[Rafiq]

The reason I was asking is to generally rub it in the faces of my Class mates.

[Philosopher Jay]

The majority of wealthy people in America, about 5% of the population support the Republicans because they keep taxes low for the wealthy. The majority of middle-class Americans, about 50% of the population support them because they promise to keep blacks and Latinos down and white America safe from foreigners. The other 45% of poor Americans are trying to obtain their next meal and pay their rent and are generally unable to participate in politics.
About 98% of the mass media is controlled by Republicans. They censor all attacks against Republicans.



Currently I mean. Any statistics?

People are always babbling about how unpopular Obama is, and how enthusiastic they are about the republicans winning next term.

So I would like to know hoe popular the republicans actually are, and if majority of people just hate both.

[redhotpoker]

The majority of wealthy people in America, about 5% of the population support the Republicans because they keep taxes low for the wealthy. The majority of middle-class Americans, about 50% of the population support them because they promise to keep blacks and Latinos down and white America safe from foreigners. The other 45% of poor Americans are trying to obtain their next meal and pay their rent and are generally unable to participate in politics.
About 98% of the mass media is controlled by Republicans. They censor all attacks against Republicans.
Actually large segments of the ruling class support the democrats particularly those who gain from welfare programs i.e. retail and consumer goods production.

The Democrats and Republicans are largely the same in my opinion.

[Philosopher Jay]

Yes, large sections of people in the U.S. do support the Democrats. Not everybody is a totally psychotic, racist, bastard, capitalist, conservative, Republican-teabagger who enjoys torture and violence.

At times, there is little difference between Republicans and Democrats, however, at other times, there are significant and meaningful differences. It is important to recognize this.

[Commissar Rykov]

Yes, large sections of people in the U.S. do support the Democrats. Not everybody is a totally psychotic, racist, bastard, capitalist, conservative, Republican-teabagger who enjoys torture and violence.

At times, there is little difference between Republicans and Democrats, however, at other times, there are significant and meaningful differences. It is important to recognize this.
You are acting like the Republicans and Democrats are two separate parties they are not. Just two heads of the same bourgeois beast. The issues they differ on are merely for division about the only real difference I see is that the Democrats spend more money with Insurance Companies while GOP typically industry and big business though both work hand in hand to protect Capital.

[Philosopher Jay]

Hi Commissar Rykov,

In 1860, Marx could have dismissed the importance of the differences between the North and South in the American Civil War. After all, both sides supported the exploitation of workers. However, he recognized that a victory for the South and the continuation of slavery meant much worse exploitation of workers in the North and South. He enthusiastically supported the North in the war. He realized that defeating the Southern capitalist slave owners was more important than defeating the Northern capitalist factory owners.

Lenin could have refused to make a peace treaty with capitalist Germany in 1918. After all, he was head of a socialist state against worker exploitation. Germany was a capitalist state supporting worker exploitation. He could have simply called for revolution in Germany and continued the war. Instead,
he realized that international peace was a necessary condition for the international working class to progress towards socialism. He threatened to quit the Bolshevik party if it did not sign the peace treaty with the German capitalists.

The failure to recognize the qualitative difference in exploitation between the Nazi Party and the capitalist parties in Germany was a major mistake of communist parties in both the Soviet Union and Germany in 1932. It led to the human catastrophe of World War II.

To understand the similarities between capitalists and their parties is important for workers. Just as crucial is to see their major differences.

Warmly,

Philosopher Jay


You are acting like the Republicans and Democrats are two separate parties they are not. Just two heads of the same bourgeois beast. The issues they differ on are merely for division about the only real difference I see is that the Democrats spend more money with Insurance Companies while GOP typically industry and big business though both work hand in hand to protect Capital.

[Commissar Rykov]

Hi Commissar Rykov,

In 1860, Marx could have dismissed the importance of the differences between the North and South in the American Civil War. After all, both sides supported the exploitation of workers. However, he recognized that a victory for the South and the continuation of slavery meant much worse exploitation of workers in the North and South. He enthusiastically supported the North in the war. He realized that defeating the Southern capitalist slave owners was more important than defeating the Northern capitalist factory owners.

Lenin could have refused to make a peace treaty with capitalist Germany in 1918. After all, he was head of a socialist state against worker exploitation. Germany was a capitalist state supporting worker exploitation. He could have simply called for revolution in Germany and continued the war. Instead,
he realized that international peace was a necessary condition for the international working class to progress towards socialism. He threatened to quit the Bolshevik party if it did not sign the peace treaty with the German capitalists.

The failure to recognize the qualitative difference in exploitation between the Nazi Party and the capitalist parties in Germany was a major mistake of communist parties in both the Soviet Union and Germany in 1932. It led to the human catastrophe of World War II.

To understand the similarities between capitalists and their parties is important for workers. Just as crucial is to see their major differences.

Warmly,

Philosopher Jay
Are you trying to compare the GOP to the Nazis or the Slaveowners? Jesus Christ what shit analysis. The reality is there is no difference between the Democrats and the GOP other than organization the GOP is a small tent whereas the Democrats are a giant tent party but to act like either are different is insane they have a monopoly over political power and they work hand in hand to maintain said advantage. You are acting like the American Bourgeois are really at each others throats they are most assuredly not they are giving the Proles a wonderful show so that their vote once again remains divided and useless. Both are Right Wing Parties that attempt to make very minor differences into their only planks the reality is they both want the same just one is willing to fake an interest in Working Class rights neither should be considered any different as they are both heads of the same hydra.