Are the American people predominantly right wing or left?

[TheStinger]

When was the last time the Yanks actually declared war.

[MikeH]

People don't normally bother these days.

[Dauphin]

A quick search suggest these are the only times the US have formally declared war.

Great Britain June 18, 1812
Mexico May 13, 1846
Spain April 25, 1898
World War I * Germany April 6, 1917
World War I * Austria-Hungary December 7, 1917
World War II * Japan December 8, 1941
World War II * Germany December 11, 1941
World War II * Italy December 11, 1941
World War II * Bulgaria June 5, 1942
World War II * Hungary June 5, 1942
World War II -- Rumania June 5, 1942


Source
http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/DeclarationofWar.PDF

[TheStinger]

I thought Germany declared war on the US.

And Japan had made it quite clear what was happening

[Dauphin]

The US declarations against them were probably just a acknowledgements of a state of war.

[TheStinger]

I think its quite clear things aint wot they used to be.

The bit where Chamberlin tells everyone britain is at war is terriffic. It is quite chilling when you know what happens next

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Big Crunch
these are the only times the US have formally declared war.

We also declared was against Tripoli, IIRC in 1803.

I read that 55% of the American voters are non-minority working class (the so-called Reagan Democrats). Although they want liberal programs like free public education, quality health care, and secure retirement programs, they don't trust government's ability to provide them efficiently. As a result, these voters tend to line up behind the conservatives.

[Arrian]

@ BC. Good point. We've gotten into the habit of declaring war on things involve little (or no) opportunity for actual combat.

War on Poverty (Send in the marines, they'll kick the crap out of those poor people! Oh, wait, that's not it...)
War on Drugs (Gotta use all that Napalm on something, right? Might as well torch some fields in S. America).

War on Terror (at least there can be actual fighting in this "war").

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Lancer
We're tired of taking it and want to dish it out now.

Did you say that, or did Bin Laden? The US has dished it out overseas for decades. We just don't care other than the cheerleading "we done kicked their asses" part, as long as it happens in someone else's country.

[Edan]

I think the country (as an average of all views) in general tends to be moderately left wing (closer to centrist than left wing), but with a sizeable portion (say 30%) who are moderately flexible in the views(as opposed to the more partisan people on both sides.)

[GePap]

The country leans a bit right: I think 20% are hardcore conservatives, 10% hardcore liberals, and then 70% all over the place. The right is also better organized and can mobilize more voters. If one views religion as making us more conservative, well, Americans invoke God far more than anyone else at , or near, our level of industrilization.

As for why we are more 'right', I do think it is history,. but not WW2 ( I think Americans are fixated on WW2) after all, the biggest parties in Europe before WW1 were socialists, so it did not take the Horrors of WW2 to turn Europe leftward. The US grew up on the notion of the small "independent' farmer, and religion was always important. After all, the only strong socialist moveemnt ever in the US (turn of century) was mostly Christian socialist.

[Oerdin]

The country is very centrist however places such as Europe are much further left of center so they run around calling us rightists.

[Oerdin]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
We also declared was against Tripoli, IIRC in 1803.

Jefferson made a "police action" (and you folks thought Truman or Johnson made up that phrase) against the barbary pirates. No war was declared.

[Lancer]

"How can you possibly have a war against terrorism?"-St Leo

Terrorist training camps...take out countries that allow terrorists to train in their borders. Make them responsible for their actions.

"The US has dished it out overseas for decades. We just don't care other than the cheerleading "we done kicked their asses" part, as long as it happens in someone else's country."-MtG

Yeah, it's a war, declared in New York.

[Sava]

I believe there are an equal amount of righties/lefties; but I also think that 60% or more of the country are ignorant sheep that believe everything the TV tells them.

[Sava]

BTW, this poll is stupid because there are more than two political ideologies and a simple "right/left" scale isn't an effective scale to judge the overall beliefs of Americans.

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Lancer
. Except here at Poly where there are so many leftists, most of America is damn glad we have a president that doesn't blink.

'blink' has got to be a typo, right? The 'b' is near the 't' but the 'l' is nowhere near the 'h'

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Center-right, on the US scale. Right, on the international scale.

Surely the US has to be centre on its own scale, by defintion.

Or are you making some attempt at a distribution analysis?

[Flubber]

The poll question almost requires a point of reference. The US population seems more rightist than most of the more developed countries on both economic and social policies. Its probably an individualist thing but consider things like

the social safety net
gun control
government controlled healthcare
acceptance of taxaxtion and regulation



On a world wide standard the US might be pretty centrist ( many right wing totalitarian regimes out there) but compared to the other most developed nations, they seem firmly to the right

[Q Classic]

i'm american, and i think the country is starting to turn right.

which might not be good for me, seeing as i'm not white, black, rich, or sprung from a dynasty.

[Oerdin]

Originally posted by St Leo
How can you possibly have a war against terrorism?

By killing terrorists.

Silly, Canuk...

[Thud]

Technically, more Americans are registered Dems, but a lot of Dems are pretty right compared to the rest of the world. I said right.

[Bereta_Eder]

IU dont think americans knew or know what left wing is.

i mean live it breath it feel it and have it in their everyday lives.

in the future for sure they will.

[Odin]

It depends on where in the US you are talking about.



Southeast: Moralist Conservative

Northeast: FDR-style Liberal

Lower Midwest: Centrist

Upper Midwest: Green-style Liberal and Social Democratic

High Plains, Northern Rockies, Alaska: Secular Conservative

Southwest: Libertarian Liberal

West Coast, Hawaii: Green-style Liberal

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Lancer
JW, the euros being left of our left is one of the things I'm looking for here. If the euros think we are a bunch of right wing wackos, all of us both left and right, then what an amazing phenomina. If true, how the heck did the situation come about?

I'm gonna say because America is a creature of the Enlightenment, and we never really had a self-doubting, Sturm and Drang Romantic movement in this country until appx. 40 years ago during the sixties.

But even that has lost its power.

We tend to be a confident, optimistic bunch and that sort of cultural personality doesn't lend itself well with an ideology that is largely driven by fear of individual failure.

[SKILORD]

Being an Independent (Now) (A Right Wing Independent, Like the Republicans only neither Catholic nor untrue to my word, or my dedication to see a smaller government, I'll have to say we're to the right.


It's true too, Conservativism (By which I mean, Generally, Classical Liberalism) Is taking sway perdominately in the South, MidWest, NorthEast, NorthWest and The Southern Plains, If you really think abour it the California place and the Kennedy Place are the only two really 'leftist' states in the Union.

[GePap]

The Northeast is solidly liberal: Bush's biggest defeats were in Cali and the northeast, places such as NY, NJ, Conneticut. The shift right has been in economics, but not in social issues whatsoever.

[Thud]

Well, I live in Connecticut(I see you are from NY). It's divided pretty sharply, because on the one hand we have some of the slummiest places in America, Hartford and Bridgeport\New Haven centers, but then we have the so-called "Gold Coast", arguably the richest place on the face of the earth. Most of Connecticut geographically has a sort of Puritan Conservatism, which I think Skilord refers to, and even the Elitist liberals are sort of pissed off at the left for having them pay so much to the government.

America is divided pretty shockingly class and education wise, so I think you really can't say that we're really liberal. The trend is definietly that way though, even though we are currently expericing a golden age of conservatism

[Ben Kenobi]

If this is the golden age of conservatism, I'd hate to see the golden age of liberalism.

All in all, I think that the US is generally right in both economic issues and political issues of the rest of the world.

We've answered some of the reasons for why the US is more in support for the war, but what about economic policy? The US has been more conservative well before the second world war.

[Guynemer]

Considering voter turnout, the majority of Americans are neither conservative, liberal, nor moderate.

The majority of Americans simply don't give a ****.