[Shinegayboyx]

Are they Socialists? Yes, they are. The modern Democrat Party is a Socialist organization. Joe Stalin would be so proud. His dream is coming true. Soon there will be no more need for the American Communist Party.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/...#ixzz17SJTzGxP

Poll: Nearly half of Democrats think government should control the economy

By: Matthew Sheffield 12/06/10 3:38 PM
Examiner Blogger

Democratic politicians have repeatedly stressed to the public that they are not socialists and do not believe in socialism. They may want to have a few words with some of their voters, according to a poll released over the weekend by Rasmussen Reports.

In that survey of 1,000 adults, nearly half of all Democrats, 42 percent, indicated that they believe the government should "manage the economy completely."

That viewpoint is not exactly socialism—there's a different between managing and owning after all—but it's a far cry from the free market ideology that non-Democrats favored in the poll. Just under 25 percent of independents favored government completely managing the economy.

(The Rasmussen release about the poll does not mention Republican views about this but one has to assume they're very low considering that 38 of Republicans believe government should "stay out of economic decisions.")

In total, according to the poll, just 27 percent of Americans believe government should manage the economy. Democrats would do well to note that this small number is not possible to spin into the kind of long-term majority liberal demographers insisted was coming with the election of President Obama.

That Obama's base has such extremely high (and unreal) confidence in the ability of government to command and control the economy may also explain why some Democrats are being to sour on him. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...anaged_economy

27% Favor a Government-Managed Economy

Saturday, December 04, 2010

More than one-out-of-four Americans (27%) think the government should manage the U.S. economy, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Nearly as many (24%) say it's better for the government to stay out of economic decisions altogether.

A plurality (43%) of Adults, however, think the appropriate role for the government is to provide programs like unemployment insurance to help people through difficult times.

But while Congress wrangles over whether to continue funding unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks, many Americans express concern that providing benefits for that long a period may do more harm than good.

Most voters, in fact, still worry that the federal government will do too much in trying to turn the economy around.

[bubborn]

Since you have to pay to see the actual questions and results, I have to dismiss any stories because of possible slant. I was only able to see this question, and it does appear slanted:

4* What is the appropriate role of government in the economy? Should the government manage the economy, provide programs like unemployment insurance to help people through difficult times, or should the government stay out of economic decisions entirely?

Rasmussen and news outlets could easily slant the results to say that if you believe the government should provide unemployment benefits then you believe "the government should manage the economy."

The truth is, the government does manage the economy. The Fed sets interest rates, regulates monetary policy and regulates banking (not very well at times. Congress approves the Federal Budget and approves what we spend and what we tax. The Constitution allows for taxes, other government agencies regulate the securities industry, trade, exchange rates, antitrust, enviornmental laws, saftey laws, etc. The government provides financing for roads, schools, public parks, college tuition, home mortgages, small business loans, social progams and the military.

The poll itself is a red herring, constructed to score political points. I would expect nothing less from Rasmussen.

[Caregrasy]

it's his weekly request to guest on Fox News. He provided the most inaccurate polling of the last election, with virtually all of his polls baking in a several point advantage to Republican candidates that didn't exist in any other polling samples.

His polling methods only add to the suspicion. Rasmussen doesn't sample people by talking to them. He robo-calls landlines at night and his recorded questions ask for people to press keys on their phone to answer. Beyond the skewed questions, by polling this way, he tends to self-select rural and elderly participants - most younger folks have cell phones and those than don't tend to hang up for robo-call polls.