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| Top political scientist: U.S. voters are 'pretty damn stupid' |
| 2010-11-22 |
| [Washington Examiner] Political news hounds often rely on University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles Franklin for expertise. In just the past few months, his insights have appeared in articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, News Agency that Dare Not be Named, Politico, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and many other publications. He's also a co-founder of the influential website Pollster.com, as well as co-director of the Big Ten Battleground Poll. So Franklin answered with considerable authority when he was asked, at a recent forum on the November 2 election results, why Republicans emerged victorious in so many races. "I'm not endorsing the American voter," Franklin said. "They're pretty damn stupid." Franklin was responding to a question from Bill Lueders, news editor of Isthmus, a weekly alternative newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. In an account published Thursday (H/T Ann Althouse), Lueders says he asked Franklin why "the public seemed to vote against its own interests and stated desires, for instance by electing candidates who'll drive up the deficit with fiscally reckless giveaways to the rich." "Franklin, perhaps a bit too candidly, conceded the point," Lueders writes. "'I'm not endorsing the American voter,' he answered. 'They're pretty damn stupid.'" Lueders writes that he responded, "Thank you, professor. That's the answer I was looking for." The rest of Lueders' account explains that smart voters support things like high-speed rail and higher taxes for the rich, while dumb voters support "an obvious phony like [Republican senator-elect] Ron Johnson over Russ Feingold." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #18 D *** NG IT, CLEARLY THE FUTURE OWG MIGHTY USSA = OWG WEAK USRoA GLOBAL SSR + CPUS NEEDS A POLITBURO + PRESIDIUM, ETC. TO SAVE IT FROM IMPLOSION LIKE THE USSR DID! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-11-22 22:39 |
| #17 "Stupid" like foxes we are. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-11-22 18:52 |
| #16 "yet another new low for the left" There'll always be another 'new low' for them, SM - they keep a fleet of backhoes on retainer to ensure it. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-11-22 18:50 |
| #15 Hold on people, hold on. In all fairness to Professor Franklin, he said this about his interview by journalist and alleged human being Bill Lueders: ...I wish what I said next had also been quoted. I went on to say that despite not knowing the details of Johnson's policy positions, the voters did NOT make a mistake in choosing Johnson as the more conservative candidate and certain to be more favorable to cutting government. That was indeed the correct connection by an angry electorate, even if the details were quite vague. Voter's often act on little information and can be astonishingly unaware of things one might consider "facts". A post-election Pew poll finds less than half (46%) know the GOP won only the House but not the Senate. And at times voters appear to vote for candidates who are likely to take positions at odds with the voter's interests. But in the Johnson-Feingold race, I think despite lack of details about Johnson, a majority of Wisconsin voter's picked the guy they wanted, and for basically the right reason. Dems may be astonished at the rejection of a favorite son, but in making this choice I think voter's properly expressed their preferences and matched them to the right candidate. So I wish I had phrased this differently but that's my bad, no one else's. But I do not agree with the conclusion that voter's were "stupid" to pick Johnson over Feingold. In fact I believe a majority got the Senator they wanted, and that is always good for a republic. So, in reality, what we have is the publisher of an "alternative weekly" tailoring the comments of a respected political scientist to support his views by using some creative omission. While Prof. Franklin said - and admitted he said - something stupid, he didn't say everything it would seem like he said from the article in the Isthmus. Translation: yet another new low for the left. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2010-11-22 14:29 |
| #14 Such education, such poverty of mind. The very IDEA that someone might not agree with them doesn't even occur. The slant of questions like "candidates who'll drive up the deficit with fiscally reckless giveaways to the rich" isn't even questioned - and why so? Everyone speaks like this. |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-11-22 12:30 |
| #13 May be, Chauncey - but we ain't stupid enough to think politics is a science. So we got THAT goin' for us... |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-11-22 11:28 |
| #12 I just love this from dip-sticks "rebuttal"... point I was making, which I've made numerous times before, was that voters embraced Ron Johnson before they knew much about him. Gee Frankie baby, did you make the same comments after the Obamanation won? Talk about "ignorant" voters electing someone before they knew anything about him.......... |
| Posted by: Alan Cramer 2010-11-22 10:36 |
| #11 'They're pretty damn stupid.' I believe the bumper sticker's next line is 'Thank a unionized teacher' |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-11-22 08:33 |
| #10 I wonder if it even occurs to people like this that his comments make them look even more out of touch and elitist? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-11-22 08:30 |
| #9 Just another "What's Wrong with Kansas?" dips*&t. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2010-11-22 07:51 |
| #8 Franklin's reply on Ann Althouse. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-11-22 02:05 |
| #7 "Lueders says he asked Franklin why "the public seemed to vote against its own interests and stated desires, for instance by electing candidates who'll drive up the deficit..." As others say, it seemed pretty stupid for US voters to elect Obama with his socialist inclinations, clear to anyone who bothered to look... but then journos bent over backwards to enfeeble the minds of the US electorate and convince them to back the pig in a poke. Ignorant, or misinformed certainly are better terms. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2010-11-22 02:04 |
| #6 'They're pretty damn stupid.' I prefer ignorant. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-11-22 00:45 |
| #5 What was his first clue? |
| Posted by: Private Eye 2010-11-22 00:44 |
| #4 At least one of the best & brightest knows why Obama won. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-11-22 00:37 |
| #3 In just the past few months, his insights have appeared in articles in I think you misspelled bullshit.... OTOH - the american voter did elect Obama.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-11-22 00:36 |
| #2 Then color me dumb, assh*le. Dumb like a fox. "smart voters support things like high-speed rail and higher taxes for the rich" Smart? I do not think that word means what you think it means. By all means, though, feel free to waste your money on boondoggles like high-speed rail. Just keep your goddam hands off my hard-earned money. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-11-22 00:27 |
| #1 I vote the way I vote because, when I do, I feel like I'm kicking assholes like this right in the balls. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-11-22 00:26 |