Will Occupy Wall Street Alienate The Middle Of The Country? It Hasn’t Yet. - Greg Sargent/WaPo

[WillyT]

Will Occupy Wall Street alienate the middle of the country? It hasn’t yet.
By Greg Sargent - WaPo
Posted at 04:19 PM ET, 10/24/2011

<snip>

Will Occupy Wall Street prove a major turnoff to independents, moderates, and the blue collar whites in swing states Obama needs for reelection — just as the “McGovernite” liberal middle class activists drove away working-class and moderate voters in the late 1960s and early 1970s? Conservative commentators — and some neutral ones — continue asserting with great confidence that it will.

But for these critics, it’s always 1970, and we now have three national polls that suggest there’s no evidence this is happening. Today’s new CNN poll finds that a slim plurality of overall Americans, 32 percent, views the movement favorably, versus 29 percent who view it unfavorably.

Among moderates, a plurality of 32 percent view it favorably, versus 26 percent who say the opposite. And among independents, a slimmer plurality of 33 percent view it favorably, versus 30 percent who say the opposite. A third or fewer of these voters give Occupy Wall Street the thumbs down.

This comes after a Time poll that found that majorities, including of independents, view the protests favorably, and a National Journal poll which also found that majorities, including of blue collar whites, agree with the protesters. Conservatives responded to those polls, with some justification, by pointing out that the question wording described the movement in a sympathetic light by conveying its views.

<snip>

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/will-occupy-wall-street-alienate-the-middle-of-the-country-it-hasnt-yet/2011/10/24/gIQAZ1zJDM_blog.html

:kick:

[pampango]

1. From the poll: Overall favorable view of OWS-32%/29%, Democrats-45%/12%, teabaggers-12%/65%.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/10/24/rel17e.pdf

Favorable/unfavorable view of OWS:

Overall: 32%/29%
Under 50: 32%/23%
Over 50: 33%/37%
Democrats: 45%/12%
Republicans: 17%/47%
Tea Party: 12%/65%
Liberal: 63%/6%
Moderate: 32%/26%
Conservative: 14%/46%

[L. Coyote]

2. The Media and the Agent Provakkks are in charge of that department, expect

timing to be everything ... as usual. Remember Chicago '68.

[postulater]

3. My thoughts also.

[femrap]

4. I live in the middle of

'fly over' w/ lots of bible thumpers....and the people around here seem to love OWS!!! I'm always asking people in the grocery line and elsewhere what they think of OWS and they LOVE it. Everyone is sick of Greed and getting screwed over by 'da man.'

I've waited all my life for this!!!

[gratuitous]

5. Are we seeing the limits of controlling the news?

I know the popular media have been doing their level best to present the Occupiers are a bunch of smelly hippies, but they don't seem to have been very successful. Maybe there's a limit to the bullshit tolerance of the general public, and despite my doubts, the popular media may have reached it at long last.

[customerserviceguy]

6. There's a long time until the elections

And the reich wing has tools they couldn't have imagined possessing in 1970.

I truly hope the OWS movement keeps the sympathies of the ordinary people, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if our enemies managed to demonize the movement.

[Matariki]

7. "But for these critics, it’s always 1970"

it's about time someone noticed that.