AMERICANS ARE NOT REACTIONARY: "CONSERVATIVE AMERICA" IS A MYTH

Media Matters has a fascinating and enlightening study out today. It's long and its intense but it's very much worth reading if you want to understand the political landscape in America right now. The study debunks conventional wisdom that claims "that the American public is fundamentally conservative-- hostile to government, in favor of unregulated markets, at peace with inequality, wanting a foreign policy based on the projection of military power, and traditional in its social values (i.e.- Bushism).

Instead, the non-partisan, well-researched report goes towards proving that not only are Americans' ideas and values very much progressive but that they are growing more progressive all the time, supporting progressive solutions on economic issues, on social issues, on security issues-- indeed, on nearly all the key issues confronting the country. For years, the conventional wisdom, relentlessly pushed by Republican-controlled propaganda networks, has maintained just the opposite, but the facts are impossible to ignore. The short version:

• The role of government - Americans support an active government that tackles problems, provides services, and aids those in need.

• The economy - Americans support increasing the minimum wage and strong unions, and believe the wealthy and corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes.

• Social issues - Americans support legal abortion and embryonic stem cell research; opinions on equal rights for women and gay Americans have grown dramatically more progressive in recent years.

• Security - Americans support a progressive approach to national security, emphasizing strong alliances and diplomacy over the indiscriminate use of military force. On domestic security issues, progressive approaches to crime and gun control enjoy wide support.

• The environment - By enormous margins, Americans favor strong environmental protections, a core progressive belief.

• Energy - Americans support energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels.

• Health care - Americans clearly favor universal coverage and are more than comfortable with government solutions to the health care problem.

Here's the whole report in all its glory, with source citations, footnotes, charts, graphs, surveys... the entire kit and kaboodle. It's very uplifting.