Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Opinion

Michael Barone

Is America a Good Country or Not?

April 10, 2008 05:38 PM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link | Print

Periodically pollster Scott Rasmussen asks voters whether they think America is basically fair and decent or whether America is basically unfair and discriminatory. In the latest survey, 64 percent say America is basically fair and decent, and 22 percent say it is unfair and discriminatory. Men (70 percent) are considerably more likely than women (59 percent) to say that America is fair and decent. As one might expect, blacks tend to think America is unfair and discriminatory rather than fair and decent, by a 47 percent to 37 percent margin. Whites take a positive view (67 percent to 18 percent) and so do "others" (63 percent to 33 percent), a category that I assume is mostly made up of Hispanics. Republicans by a wide margin (78 percent to 12 percent) see America as fair and decent, while Democrats are split (49 percent to 36 percent).

This poll was conducted on March 31 and April 1 (registration required). Rasmussen has asked this question 19 times since November 2006; the fair and decent response peaked at 64 percent then and in early February (because of Barack Obama's showings in the primaries?). The most negative response (54 percent to 32 percent fair and decent over unfair and discriminatory) came in July 2007.

I think this split among Democrats is a permanent problem for the party. The Democratic base is split between those who like hearing good things about America and those who like to hear the nation denounced or, if that's too strong a word, criticized. Bill Clinton was skillful enough to weave together rhetoric celebrating America and apologizing for its past misdeeds, but not all Democratic politicians are so deft.

You see a similar pattern in the responses to another Rasmussen question, should the United States do what its allies want or should the allies do what the United States wants? All: Allies should do what the United States wants, 42 percent to 29 percent. Republicans: Allies should do what the United States wants, 66 percent to 13 percent. Democrats: United States should do what the allies want, 39 percent to 30 percent. Interestingly, voters under 30 come out on the side of allies doing what the United States wants, 57 percent to 28 percent.

There's little equivocation on whether people who move to the United States should adopt American culture or retain their home country culture. American culture comes out way ahead among all voters (78 percent to 11 percent), Republicans (89 percent to 4 percent), and Democrats (69 percent to 16 percent). Multiculturalism has a very small base in our country.

Tags: United States

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Reader Comments

It's UNITED STATES

AMERICA IS NOT A COUNTRY.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_America_a_country_or_a_continent

two thumbs down

America is a horrible country. It's a country of greed, and we see that more than ever before now with the financial crisis that has put the world in a recession. America is a backward country that is still practicing some barbaric acts such as the death penalty. Americas views on abortion are far behind that of any industrialised country. America spends 10 times more than China on military. I find it quite disturbing that America is spending $700 billion a year to blow people up, yet refuse to spend money on universal healthcare, and demonises welfare which is deisigned to help people (not blow them up). There are great people in America, but compared to other countries, America takes the cake for being the nastiest. The nasty people in America are far nastier than anyone I've ever met worldwide. This is reflected in what America does around the world. You got the CIA going around the world assassinating, torturing, and kidnapping people. America claims to promote democracy, but how is assassinating elected leaders and installing puppet governments upholding democracy? As a country, America has framed Iraq for having WMD so they can take their oil. Bear in mind the USA has never apologised for ruining that country and tearing it apart. 1 million Iraqis have died as a result of American rampage. Israel is the top recipient of U.S. aid. What does Israel do with this aid you ask? They purchase weapons so they can annihilate Palestinians. Is there nothing America will do for money? America is also a safe haven for racists. Racists from around the world who get their websites shut down in their home country usually relocate their website to U.S. hosts. This is because racism is illegal in many countries, whereas it is seen as freedom of speech in America. I have talked to Muslims in America who are afraid to tell people they are Muslim. So how exactly is this country free? Americans have a real warped sense of what freedom is. While racism is seen as freedom of speech, civil liberties are the lower than any western European country, and even lower than the 51st state of Canada. Many ignorant Americans frequently try to assert America is a free country, but in fact it has the most number of people in prison out of any country. Just go to any airport in America and tell me how free it is. It's an authoritarian country gone out of control. One of the problems with Americans is that they know nothing about other countries, so how can they make any comparison as to whether or not USA is a good country or not? Anything they know will be through their right wing agenda oriented media.

http://www.rbgtube.com/play.php?vid=1923

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/hedges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz71r0w_vOU&feature=related

Compared to Native American governments or similar Foreign.

We are living in a great country believe this is true. In the United States you have so much good and a few really bad people. It is by far the best country anyone will ever know.

Here on Native American land, all Indian governments by the United States laws can not be subject to any law nor any court beside their own government. Perfect breeding ground for corruption, and elections can be far from satisfactory.

What happens to your life here on Native American land is ONLY left up to the United States for your protection, and no one else can help.

I assure you if this place were an Island like Cuba, many of us except for the pampered few would all be boating our boats to the United States for freedom.

People should never under estimate what good things they may have, and the goodness by with good things come.

If you were in any other foreign country like Saudi Arabia you would be personally owned, and believe me without the United States it is the same here, and the threat is seriously underestimated.

If you lived in Russia your family could possibly face transportation to Japan or Saudi Arabia for labor and sex slavery. Clearly documented in C.I.A. survey records for sex labor trade out of Russia.

Bless the United States the United States is beautiful.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."-Abraham Lincoln

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Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications—including the Economist and the New York Times.

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