An interesting public opinion poll

A recent public opinion poll found that a majority are willing to consider a “political revolution” to redistribute income from the richest Americans to the middle class.

This includes a majority of Tea Party supporters, of independents and of people who didn’t vote in 2012.

The poll found majorities in favor of raising taxes on the wealthy, raising taxes on corporations, single-payer health care and free college tuition.

But it also found that a majority of Americans think big government is a more serious problem than big business.  Majorities of whites, of blacks and of Hispanics agree on this.

I am not bothered by seeming inconsistencies in public opinion in polls.  The polls represent multiple-choice answers to complicated questions by people who are not given time to think.   The results represent sentiments rather than considered thoughts.

What can we make of these sentiments?

I think that when Americans say they want “political revolution”, they mean the kind of change in direction that followed the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 or Ronald Reagan in 1980, not the type of violent revolution that overthrew the French and Russian monarchies in 1789 and 1917.

I think the USA is ripe for a political revolution, but I’m not sure of what kind or in which direction.

I think the basic problem in the United States is not big government or big business as the interlock between the two.

LINK

Poll: most voters say they’re open to a political revolution to redistribute wealth by Andrew Prokop for Vox.

Tags: Bernie Sanders, Political Revolution, Polls, Public opinion polls, Redistribution of Wealth