Panic Polling: Walker Supporters Feeling The Heat

-by Noah

Because of my somewhat perverse sense of humor and partly to have a window into the typical delusional Republican mind, I subscribe to Newsmax. It doesn’t cost anything and it gets my adrenaline going every morning. As long as I’ve got Newsmax, I don’t need no stinking Starbucks.
 
Subscribing to Newsmax will fill your inbox with frenzied emails about President Obama’s socialist takeover, his plans to take your guns, secret government cover-ups of Mayan predictions, Obama stealing the minds of children, the wonders of Bill-O, Islamophobia, homophobia, phobiaphobia and terror threats of every stripe… You get the picture. It’s all delivered with a breathlessness of desperation not seen since the end of the original “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” when Kevin McCarthy runs screaming through the streets, “Can’t you see? They’re here already! You’re next!!!!



The Wisconsin/Scott Walker story has been the focus of Newsmax for days. They, like most of the media, were late to the story but each day has brought the crazy that Newsmax does so well. They just can’t help themselves. Wednesday was one of the best, yet. On Wednesday, I got this:
 
“Scott Walker Needs Your Vote, Urgent National Poll”
 
Urgent! Urgent! FEARFEARFEAR!!!! There was no mention of the teabag governor-Republican boy wonder getting pranked and confirming his sleazeball bonafides that sentient people already knew he had anyway. But, Newsmax smelled a heap-a-trouble brewing. The tape of the prank call was viral in the extreme. And, Walker was already slipping in the polls before this. It was all anyone this side of Foxworld was talking about on all Wednesday. Jesus could have landed in Times Square and sung a duet with the Naked Cowboy and no one would have noticed. What’s a raving loony to do? Quick! We need a poll that shows America loves our boy! Let’s poll our readers! Sound the trumpet! Here comes the Calvary of Crazyland!
 
After a self-aggrandizing intro and a plea to “let your voice be heard!”, the poll asks the following questions. Who was I not to answer?

1. Do you support Gov. Scott Walker’s efforts to reduce the power of public employee unions in his state?

     Yes, I support him
     No, I don’t support him

I answered no. I thought I’d cut to the chase right away and darken some wingnut’s day.
 
2. Do you believe public employee unions have become too powerful?

     Yes, too powerful
     No, not too powerful

Ah, the old leading question school of polling!
 
3. Do you believe public employee union members should be paid less, the same, or more than employees with similar jobs in the private sector?

     Pay them the same
     Pay them less
     Pay them more

I think most people, regardless of which side of this issue they are on would choose “Pay them the same,” but I chose “Pay them more” because union pay often sets the bar for higher pay for non-union jobs and I happen to feel that, if there were no unions, all wages would be suppressed. I also believe that, if Scott Walker ends up winning this fight, that non-union workers will be next to get the shaft even more than they already have. Ever since Reagan, I have felt that the goal of the right is to create a pre-Magna Carta society of Lords and Serfs. No middle class: An oligarchy with all too few Lords with all the wealth and the rest of us being relegated to being sharecroppers at best. That is the wet dream of lowlifes like the Koch brothers and the Bush Crime Family. 
 
4. Do you believe President Obama was right when he came out against Gov. Walker?

     Obama was right
     Obama was wrong

I tried not to answer this one but when I hit submit, I was told I had to answer. This one kinda stumped me. You see, I am not aware of the President saying anything that I could possibly interpret as an attack of Walker. All I heard was Obama saying that people have to accept some adjustments and then turning around and saying that he hadn’t heard much about the situation since he had budget problems of his own in Washington, heh, heh, blah, blah. He did throw a few words out there about an assault on workers but it was all prime DC Double Speak and fence sitting, especially in light of his “shared sacrifice” except for the rich Top 2% nonsense, and, his extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. He knows which side his bread is buttered on and it’s buttered by Goldman-Sachs and the rest of their criminal element on Wall Street.
 
I chose yes, figuring that, in their world, they believed Obama had attacked Walker and was wrong to do so. Screw ‘em.
 
5. Do you plan on voting to re-elect President Obama in 2012?

     Yes, re-elect
     No, for another candidate
     Not sure right now

Count on a no from me. Let’s just call it some “shared sacrifice” for Obama. He has sacrificed my vote.
 
6. Who did you vote for in 2008?

     McCain-Palin
     Obama-Biden
     Other

That would be “other.” I went Green and voted for “other.” Hey, I have no illusions about “other” winning anytime soon, but my conscience is clear in that I felt then and feel now that I should vote for a party that I believe in and a party that believes in our future rather than the future bonuses of multi-national corporate criminals, their lobbyists and the Congressmen and Senators that they own and operate like puppets on strings. I can be and have been sold out and betrayed by both major parties and I’d rather not continue being a party to it. As it is right now, neither party is standing up for workers, union or otherwise so I might as well give someone else a shot. Until they fix the campaign finance laws in this country, there is no hope of D.C. standing for anything but Dirtbag Central.
 
The poll results as of this writing are proudly available here.

I tell ya. I just can’t believe it! I’m in the minority! Shocking! Oh well, I think I’ll go out and get some nice fresh New York air now.