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USConstitution.net 2010 Survey Results – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net

USConstitution.net 2010 Survey Results

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This site has conducted an unscientific survey on various issues since July
of 1998. The results, while interesting in most cases, are to be taken with a
grain of salt — the results can easily be skewed by an individual or
group of individuals; the sample is, by nature, not representative (because it
consists only of Web users who visit my site and bother to view the survey page
and submit an opinion).

This page includes results from 2010. For results from other years, please
go to the Main Results Page.


Question 147, December 2010 On December 6, President Barack
Obama announced a compromise with congressional Republicans that extend the
Bush-era tax cuts to all Americans for two years in exchange for, among other
things, an extension of unemployment benefits for 13 months. Good deal or bad
deal?

Response Count Percentage
The President did the right thing by compromising 95 37.85
The new Republican majority gave the President no choice but to
compromise
83 33.07
The President should have resisted the tax cut extension – Republicans
would not have let the unemployed suffer
63 25.10
I have no opinion 10 3.98
Total 521 100.00

Question 146, November 2010 What do you feel is the
prevailing reason for the Republican wins in the November election?

Response Count Percentage
General dissatisfaction with President Obama 166 31.86
General dissatisfaction with the Democratic Congress 125 23.99
Rise of the Tea Party 71 13.63
Military concerns 3 0.58
Economic concerns 142 27.26
Health care concerns 14 2.69
Total 521 100.00

Question 145, October 2010 What are your plans for the
November election? (Note: results of this poll are through November 2.)

Response Count Percentage
I will vote on election day 1067 67.70
I will vote, but early 352 22.34
I’m unsure yet if I will vote 29 1.84
I am not registered to vote 14 0.89
I’m not old enough to vote yet 79 5.01
I will not be voting in November 35 2.22
Total 1576 100.00

Question 144, August/September 2010 By the of August,
President Barack Obama planned to have pulled all combat troops out of Iraq,
leaving 50,000 troops behind for security and training. Is this the right thing
to do?

Response Count Percentage
Yes 759 53.41
No 524 36.88
Not Sure 138 9.71
Total 1421 100.00

Question 143 (July 2010) Each July, this survey will be
offered, allowing us to track, over time, the political persuasion of our
visitors. Questions are asked about party affiliation as well as economic and
social ranking on a scale of 1 to 9 (1 being very conservative and 9 being very
liberal).

Response Count Percentage Avg Econ Avg Soc
Other Parties 86 3.80
Communist Party 13 0.57 6.85 6.46
Constitution Party 112 5.38 1.90 2.69
Democratic Party 366 16.15 6.63 7.69
Green Party 36 1.59 6.94 7.78
Independent 560 24.71 3.51 4.33
Libertarian 235 10.37 2.07 4.80
Liberty Union 4 0.18 4.50 2.25
Natural Law 4 0.18 5.25 7.25
None 4 0.18 2.25 2.50
Reform Party 3 0.13 4.33 4.00
Republican Party 808 35.66 1.96 2.33
Socialist Party 25 1.10 7.48 7.96
Total 2266 100.00 3.30 4.16

Notable “Other” parties: Tea Party, Conservative, New Whig

Economics ranking:

Response Count Percentage Grouped
1 = Very Conservative 727 32.08 65.09
2 403 17.78
3 345 15.23
4 113 4.99 19.03
5 = Moderate 246 10.86
6 78 3.44
7 179 7.90 15.62
8 78 3.44
9 = Very Liberal 97 4.28

Social ranking:

Response Count Percentage Grouped
1 = Very Conservative 650 28.68 52.12
2 285 12.58
3 246 10.86
4 117 5.16 19.24
5 = Moderate 244 10.77
6 75 3.31
7 179 7.90 28.64
8 156 6.88
9 = Very Liberal 314 13.86

Question 142, June 2010 Whom do you blame most for the
on-going Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster?

Response Count Percentage
BP – lessor of the oil rig 313 29.01
Halliburton – contractor, responsible for final cementing of the oil well 78 7.23
Transocean – majority owner of the oil rig 34 3.15
Andarko Petroleum – minority owner of the oil rig 0 0.00
Cameron International – supplier of the failed blow-out preventer 43 3.99
Private Sector Total 468 43.37
The Government generally 147 13.62
The Obama Administration generally 234 21.69
The Minerals Management Service – government regulator of off-shore oil rigs 142 13.16
Public Sector Total 523 48.47
No one is to blame 88 8.16
Total 1082 100.00

Question 141, May 2010 Following the Deepwater Horizon
disaster off the shore of Louisiana, what are your feelings about opening up
American offshore drilling sites?

Response Count Percentage
I supported it – and support it more now 327 33.33
I supported it – and still do at the same level 310 31.60
I supported it – and still do, but less enthusiastically 62 6.32
I supported it – but no longer do 43 4.38
I did not support it – and am just as opposed as before 74 7.54
I did not support it – and now I am vehemently against it 141 14.37
I have no opinion 24 2.45

Question 140, April 2010 Simple question: The Health Care
and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the Health Care Act)
— constitutional or not?

Response Count Percentage
Yes 473 20.15
Unsure 97 4.13
No 1777 75.71
Total 2347 100.00

Question 139, March 2010 Since its early days, the Senate
has allowed unlimited debate. This means that as long as a Senator had
something to say on a bill, the bill could not come to a vote. This was
eventually used as a tactic to kill a bill — a Senator or group of
Senators would take to the floor and “debate” without stopping. Sometimes this
debate entailed reading entries from a phone book or recipe book. In 1917, the
cloture rule was introduced, allowing debate to be terminated by two-thirds of
those casting a vote. The two-thirds rule was changed to two-thirds of all
seated Senators in 1949, and in 1975, the number was reduced to three-fifths.
Many have argued that the filibuster and cloture rules allow the minority to
override the will of the majority. Others argue that these rules protect the
minority from the tyranny of the majority. Who is right?

Response Count Percentage
The filibuster is anti-democratic and should be eliminated
entirely.
94 13.60
Filibuster rules should be changed to ensure all Senators have a chance
to speak, but to eventually allow bills to come to a
vote.
223 32.27
The filibuster is a critical part of the Senate, and eliminating it
would destroy the Senate.
374 54.12
Total 691 100.00

Question 138, February 2010 After the election of 2008, and
the seating in the Senate of Minnesota Senator Al Franken, Democrats enjoyed
large majorities in both the House and Senate and a filibuster-proof
super-majority in the Senate. Despite this, many Americans were dismayed when
Congress could not seem to get any constructive law passed. With the election
of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate, the Democrats have lost their
filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Do you think this will help Congress
get some work done, or not?

Response Count Percentage
The election of Scott Brown is going to force Democrats to work with
Republicans, and the result will be better law.
137 45.82
The election of Scott Brown restores the filibuster to the Republicans,
and will make gridlock in Washington even worse.
89 29.77
The election of Scott Brown just means Democrats will make more
unseemly deals with Republicans, instead of unseemly deals with other
Democrats.
73 24.41
Total 299 100.00

Question 137, January 2010 On Christmas Day in 2009, a
terrorist attempted to blow up an airliner as it landed in Detroit. Liquid
explosives has been smuggled onto the plane in a syringe that had not been
detected as the man passed through security in Amsterdam. Calls have gone out
for increased use of millimeter wave scan technology to do full-body scans of
passengers, which allow screeners to “see” what’s underneath the passenger’s
clothing. Privacy advocates, however, decry the increased use of routine scans
as unnecessary invasions of personal privacy. What do you think?