independentsforkerry.org

In many respects, the demographic profile of Democrats nationwide is similar to what it was in 2008, according to a new Gallup poll, although Democrats have become somewhat less white and more liberal than the party that nominated Barack Obama as its presidential candidate that year.

As a group, Democrats are more likely than average to be women, less likely to be religious or married, much less likely to be conservative, and much more likely to be liberal than the U.S. population as a whole. Democrats remain decidedly more female on average than the national population, with little significant change in this pattern over the last three years. This contrasts with the male skew in the Republican Party rank-and-file.

Perhaps the most significant change in the composition of Democrats between 2008 and today is the two-point increase, from 35% to 37%, in the percentage describing their political views as “liberal.”

Gallup: These results are based on a special Gallup analysis of the demographic and ideological composition of the U.S. population today (based on Gallup Daily tracking from June-August 2011) versus the start of 2008 presidential election campaign (from January-March). This is a follow-up to Gallup’s earlier piece on the composition of the Republican rank-and-file.

For this analysis, the Democratic population is defined as those who either identify as Democrats or who identify as independents but say they lean toward the Democratic Party. Between the start of 2008 and today, the percentage of Americans identifying as Democrats or leaning Democratic has fallen from 50% to 43%. The percentage identifying as Republicans has risen from 37% to 40%, while the percentage of “pure” independents who do not lean toward either party has gone from 12% to 15%. The years 2006-2009 were recent high points in net Democratic affiliation, whereas the current figures showing a close split between Democrats (43%) and Republicans (40%) are more in line with the pattern that was in place between 2001 and 2004.

Key differences between Democrats and U.S. adults nationally, and changes since 2008, include:

1. Perhaps the most significant change in the composition of Democrats between 2008 and today is the two-point increase, from 35% to 37%, in the percentage describing their political views as “liberal.” This occurred at a time when the country as a whole became slightly more conservative, thus expanding the political gap between Democrats and the rest of the U.S.

The change coincides with the decline in Democratic affiliation in recent years, and it may be that moderate or conservative Americans were less well-attached to the Democratic Party and were the first to shift their allegiance — thus leaving a higher concentration of political liberals among those who continue to align with the party.

2. The racial and ethnic composition of the Democratic Party has also changed slightly. The proportion of Democrats who identify their race as black grew by three percentage points, from 16% to 19%, over the last three years, while the proportion that is white (non-Hispanic) fell by three points, from 66% to 63%. This contrasts with a smaller one-point increase in blacks and two-point decrease in whites nationally.

The percentage of Democrats who are Hispanic rose by two percentage points, from 12% to 14%, identical to the increase among all Americans.

3. Democrats remain less likely to attend church weekly and more likely to seldom or never attend church than the national average. The slight two-point decrease in Democrats who attend church weekly is similar to the one-point decrease in the national adult sample.

4. The proportion of Democrats who are Catholic or who identify with a non-Christian religion declined slightly between 2008 and 2011, while the percentage not identifying with any faith increased by four percentage points. The same trends are seen nationally, although they are less pronounced. In general, Democrats are slightly more likely than the national average to have no specific religious identity.

5. There has been little change in the composition of Democrats along age and gender lines. The percentage of the total national adult sample and the sample of Democrats in the 18 to 29 age group has increased slightly over the last three years. The percentage in the 30 to 49 age range has decreased in both groups. Young adults continue to make up a slightly greater proportion of the Democratic base than of the overall population.

Democrats remain decidedly more female on average than the national population, with little significant change in this pattern over the last three years. This contrasts with the male skew in the Republican Party rank-and-file.

6. Democrats are significantly less likely than the U.S. population as a whole to be married, as was true in 2008. The percentage of adults in the U.S. population who are married has dropped since 2008, as has the percentage of Democrats who are married — each by a similar amount.

7. Democrats are now slightly more likely than the national population to be college educated, although the differences are not large. The percentage of Democrats who are college educated has risen from 30% in 2008 to 32% today. The college-educated percentage in the national population rose by one point over the same period.

Bottom Line

Gallup finds relatively little change in the demographic composition of either major party’s supporters since 2008, even though the nation has become less Democratic, and more Republican and independent overall. All in all, Democrats remain decidedly less white, more female, more liberal, less religious, and less likely to be married than the general population.

Liberals and nonwhites have come to make up a slightly greater percentage of the Democratic base since 2008, perhaps indicating that the decline in Democratic affiliation since 2009 was proportionately greater among conservatives and whites.

The 2012 elections will thus likely show the same demographic voting patterns that prevailed in 2008, and that in many cases have been evident in presidential elections going back further in time.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking Jan. 2-March 31, 2008, and June 1-Aug. 31, 2011, with random samples of more than 88,000 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults.

Democratic Blog News

The Hankster

A proposal to change the estate tax code to keep more farms and ranches intact is back after U.S. Sen. Mark Udall reintroduced a bipartisan bill last week that never materialized in 2010.

The American Family Farm and Ranchland Protection Act would help families stave off the pressure of selling, dividing or developing their farms and ranches when bequeathing them to the next generation. As the law is currently written, if a conservation easement is placed on a property 40 percent of the value of the land can be exempted from the taxable estate. The amount is capped at 0,000. But under Udall’s proposal, the exclusion rate would rise to 50 percent of the total value of the land and cap it at million, providing tax relief should families designate it for agricultural and conservation use.

A ranch near Old Snowmass. (Photo by Troy Hooper)

“Colorado’s farmers and ranchers are the custodians of our rural and natural heritage, but outdated exemptions in estate tax law are sometimes forcing the loss of valuable agricultural lands,” Udall, D-Colo., said in a press release. “My bill would make a simple fix to our tax code to help make it more consistent and fair, while encouraging more robust conservation of our open spaces.  More important, it will encourage families to permanently protect the natural value of their lands through conservation easements so that they can be handed down to the next generation.”

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is a co-sponsor along with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo, Al Franken, D-Minn., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

“Some of Colorado’s most important wildlife habitats, watersheds and prairies are held by private farmers and ranchers, and we should make sure we give them the tools they need to protect these natural treasures for generations to come,” Bennet said. “This bill would provide estate tax relief for family farms in Colorado and provide necessary incentives to encourage these landowners to protect their lands through conservation easements.”

The senators say the bill has broad public support, including that from the American Farm Bureau, U.S. Cattlemens Association, Defenders of Wildlife, Land Trust Alliance and the Nature Conservancy.

The American Family Farm and Ranchland Protection Act was first introduced on July 22, 2010, and referred to the Committee on Finance, but it never made it out of committee. When the session ended at the end of the year, the bill basically died on a vine and had to be reintroduced this year.
 

The Colorado Independent

I am the 1%. I am a S.O.B. (son of a butcher). I started out with nothing. I was raised in a blue-collar dead end town on the Bronx borderline. Today I live the American Dream. My story is the story of the 1%.

The fake story meant to deceive you is that the 1% is Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Senator John Kerry, or Arianna Huffington. Gates was born to a family that owned the biggest bank in the Northwest. Trump was born to a billionaire father, the largest landlord in Brooklyn and Queens. Buffett’s father was a well-connected Congressman. Arianna Huffington and John Kerry married into fortunes. They aren’t the 1%. They’re the lucky sperm club.

99% of the 1% are just like me- small businessmen and women who started from humble origins and earned their money the old fashioned way. Our “overnight success” came from 25 years of hard work, risking everything, and overcoming failure. Many of us are struggling, but will forever keep striving for the American Dream.

I am sick of being denigrated and misrepresented by the media and leftist politicians who are purposely misleading the public about the 1%. 

I am sick of Obama targeting, vilifying, demonizing, and punishing us for our success. I am sick of the class warfare, jealousy, and envy that Obama’s socialist cabal tries to foment among the masses. The public has been told lies about the 1%.

My story is the story of 99% of the 1%. I am a small businessman. I work 16-hour days, mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. I have no guaranteed job for life, nor any pension. I have no rich daddy or sugar daddy.

I don’t own a yacht. I have no private jet. I don’t have millions in an offshore trust. I don’t have one dollar offshore. Unfortunately, I don’t have 0 million here in America either. I am not connected, work like a dog, and fought like a cornered wolverine for everything I’ve ever achieved. No one has ever given me anything. I’ve earned it.

I don’t run a bank and have never been friends with a bank President. My buddies don’t run giant multi-national corporations. My friends don’t control the White House, Congress or the Fed. My friends are small business owners just like me. They are the 1%.

Along the way I’ve created many jobs, helping others live the American Dream too. I’ve made countless payrolls, and paid for other people’s health insurance. I’ve also failed countless times, wiping out my savings. But I never complained, blamed anyone but myself, and never asked for a bailout. Is this the story the media tells you about the 1%? Funny, I’ve never heard it.

My butcher father taught me to ask for nothing from government. I believe in self-reliance and personal responsibility. I’ve never collected a check from government in my life- other than a student loan. And I paid that back in full, with interest. I want and expect nothing from government. And in return, I just want government to get out of my way, and stop stealing (Obama calls it “redistributing”) so much of the money I’ve earned.

I became a self-made millionaire by the age of 30 by working grueling hours, being relentless, and risking my own money. My success was earned with blood, sweat, and tears. I’ve missed far too many cherished family moments with my four children. I rarely get a chance to watch TV. I live on a world-class golf course, but I’ve never played golf once in the ten years I’ve lived here. Should I be demonized and punished for my sacrifice and work ethic?

My butcher father taught me to out-work, out-smart, and out-hustle my competition. He taught me to study hard when others are partying. He taught me to stay away from drugs, and alcohol. He taught me that nothing good ever happens after Midnight. His dream was that I be accepted at Columbia University, where he wished he could have gone.

So I studied. I sacrificed. I got Straight A’s. I graduated Valedictorian of my high school. I was accepted at Columbia University (as was my sister). I earned Deans List honors. Should I now be punished for doing everything right, by others who chose to party when I was studying?

My butcher father was right. So I listened some more. He told me you had to risk your own money and start your own business to achieve the American Dream. So I became a risk-taking entrepreneur. After enduring several devastating failures, I became a business owner, television anchor and host, Las Vegas oddsmaker with my own star in the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, and eventually the 2008 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. As Don King says, “Only in America.

Is this the story of the 1% you hear in the media? Is this the narrative you hear from Obama?

I’m just one of millions of small business owners in the 1% who strive every day to achieve the American Dream through discipline, unmatched work ethic, sacrifice, and personal financial risk. Are you aware that the standard Small Business Administration loan is personally guaranteed? How many bank, automotive, or green energy executives personally guaranteed their government loans? Zero.

We have earned our success. Shouldn’t those who create jobs, pay the taxes that pay for the roads, schools, entitlements, and the bills of government be celebrated as heroes and role models? Last I checked you don’t demonize, denigrate or punish heroes, do you?

We are the true 1%.
 
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts.” His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com

Independent Political Report

In a rather lengthy piece on Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and the Occupy Wall Street movement, reporter Kris Kitto obtains this nugget from Ralph Nader on Stein’s candidacy:

Former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader says signature collection alone can consume a third-party campaign’s resources.

“By the time you finish, it’s Labor Day, and you’re exhausted, and you don’t have any money,” says Nader, adding that he sees promise in Stein. “She’s an M.D., which is a good advantage, since healthcare is a big issue … She has a good head on her shoulders.”

Nader’s comments certainly cannot be construed as an endorsement of Stein. Nevertheless, they are noteworthy given Nader’s history with the Green Party and its Presidential candidates. After serving as Green Party presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000 — and receiving 2.74% of the national popular vote in 2000 — Nader famously broke with the Green Party in 2004 and refused to seek its endorsement. The GP retaliated by nominating David Cobb for President rather than endorsing Nader’s independent ticket. The presence of an independent Nader candidacy on most state ballots in 2004 and 2008 significantly depressed Green Party presidential vote totals in those elections. Nader previously stated he would not be running again in 2012, but would instead be working to secure Democratic primary challengers for President Obama. However, little came of that effort. Nader’s positive comments about Stein in the Hill article may be his first positive comments about a Green Party presidential candidate since 2004.

Also of note in the article is Stein’s explanation of the origins of her campaign team:

After losing the 2002 race, she mounted losing campaigns in 2004, for the Massachusetts House of Representatives; in 2006, for Massachusetts Commonwealth secretary; and in 2010, again for the governorship. She won races for Lexington Town Meeting representative in 2005 and 2008.

“To my mind, low vote counts are not a reflection of a failed campaign,” she says.

What’s come out of her serial candidacy, Stein says, is an organization that will help her attack the monumental task that third-party candidates confront every presidential cycle: obtaining enough signatures to appear on the ballot.

In other words, Stein’s campaign team is not freshly created for this race; large portions of it have been with her through several campaigns since 2002.

Stein’s opponent for the Green Party nomination is Kent Mesplay. The party will choose its presidential nominee July 13-15, 2012, at its Baltimore convention.

Independent Political Report

To the silly people complaining about the “Attack on Christmas.” Since “Christ-mas” has nothing to do with a Christmas tree, or Santa, or black Friday, I think you guys need to get a grip on your own religion. Decorating a tree is a Pagan tradition.

It just bothers me that hypocrites constantly feel attacked about their beliefs but always have rationalizations about why they aren’t good Christians. They blame everyone else but themselves while they send xmas cards with Santa or Frosty on the the front. Any “Christian” who has let their child hunt for Easter eggs has participated in a pagan ritual that according to the bible are satans works and a sin.

They forget all about the guy on the cross when they are in Wal-Mart buying crap they don’t need then put themselves on the cross as martyrs for an over commercialized holiday.

On Easter we never say happy resurrection day. We hunt eggs, a Pagan ritual of fertility. Do right wing Christmas enthusiasts believe this is a left wing conspiracy too? No one is attacking your beliefs, they are helping you to find reality.

But go ahead and keep blaming the devil for declining congregations and rampant sin in an unjust world. Just keep telling yourself while you cower behind your plastic homage to a pagan induced ritual, that everyone else is at fault. While you, with your unjustified righteous indignation, pass though this Earth crowned in a store bought, unsanctioned halo bestowed upon you by a child molesting preacher.

Hypocrites.

The Democratic Republican

In Spain’s recent general election, which was marked by a victory for the conservative People’s Party, Spain’s young Green party (EQUO) doubled its vote from the previous election. From the European Green Party:
Votes for Green parties doubled in when compared to the last parliamentary election three years ago in Spain; however the absolute [...]
Green Party Watch

If you are traveling to other countries, expedited passport services are an effective method for obtaining the necessary paperwork. This is especially important if you must travel without prior notice. Here are benefits to rush passport.

Fast Service

When you hire an expedited service for passports, you can receive everything that you need in a short amount of time. In fact, many of these businesses offer same day service. When one travels with just a few days notice, it can be extremely difficult to get all of your papers together in that time frame. A good service takes care of these things for you and makes traveling to another country possible.

Guarantees

When you choose a service with guarantees, you can rest assured that things will be taken care of for you. For example, a guaranteed service will provide everything that you need. If for some reason the service fails and you cannot make your trip, you owe nothing. This provides a strong incentive for the business to take care of everything, and in the guaranteed time frame.

Online Tracking

When you hire a competent service for passports and request expedited passport services, they will provide free tracking for your order. If you want to see how things are going, you can log onto the website. This eliminates the need for calling someone to check on the order. Accessing the website can be done at any time of the day or night.

Removing Stress

When passports are not an issue, you can focus on other aspects of your travel. This can help to remove a great deal of the tension and stress that can come from International travel. You may wish to relax and enjoy a shopping trip for some new clothes. When you experience fewer headaches, you have a more enjoyable trip.

Service That Is Personalized

So, applying for a US passport can be a very tiresome experience. People who work at the US Department of State are not worried about getting your papers to you at any certain time. In fact, they have little motivation as it is simply a job to them. However, when you hire a service, they know that your papers must get to you on time or they may not have a job.

When you deal with government agencies, there may be limited ways to contact them. You also may not hear back from someone very fast. A good service will provide excellent means of customer support. Often times, you may contact a service by phone and talk to someone in real time. You also may have access to online chat, and email. If your service is local, you can visit the office in person.

Your activism continues to make an meaningful impact in the halls of Capitol Hill.

Just yesterday, Rep. Louise Slaughter delivered the signatures of over 130,000 CREDO members to Chief Justice John Roberts demanding action on Clarence Thomas for failing to report the source of his wife’s income over the last 13 years.

Over 90,000 CREDO members signed petitions asking their representatives to co-sign Rep. Slaughter’s letter to Chief Justice John Roberts. Then CREDO members followed up with nearly 4,000 calls asking them to sign.

In the end, 51 representatives joined Rep. Slaughter’s call for an investigation into Clarence Thomas’s unethical behavior.¹

The activism of CREDO members was critical in building momentum for other members of Congress to sign on to Rep. Slaughter’s letter, and the fact that so many representatives decided to support the investigation into Clarence Thomas shows that your activism really does make a difference.

Rep. Slaughter praised the role that you and other CREDO members played and she sent us a note of thanks for us to pass on to you:

“CREDO Action members have played a huge role in our efforts to hold Clarence Thomas accountable. Thanks in part to your efforts, 52 members of Congress co-signed the letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, along with 130,000 citizens. I thank CREDO and its activists for joining me in the call for an ethics investigation of Clarence Thomas.”

You can spread the news of the delivery by clicking here.

CREDO will continue to work to hold Clarence Thomas accountable for his unethical actions.

Thank you for you activism.

Ali Rozell, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

P.S. We will be launching a campaign next week to demand that Clarence Thomas recuse himself from hearing the Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of the health care law. If you’d like to take action now, you can sign the petition by clicking here.

The Democratic Republican

Inside the U.S. Capitol (Pic by ThatMakesThree, via Flickr)

The failure of the congressional “Super Committee” to reach an agreement jeopardizes the federal unemployment benefits of almost 2 million unemployed workers, according to the National Employment Law Project.

The “Super Committee” is made up by 12 lawmakers — three Senate Democrats, three Senate Republicans, three House Republicans and three House Democrats — charged with drafting legislation to cut at least .2 trillion out of the deficit over the next 10 years.

The National Employment Law Project — which promotes “policies and programs that create good jobs, strengthen upward mobility, enforce hard-won worker rights, and help unemployed workers” — wrote Monday:

The real failure of the Joint Select Committee is not the lack of a deficit-cutting agreement, which poses no threat to the economy, but rather the failure to reauthorize the federal unemployment insurance programs that expire on December 31st. Unless Congress acts promptly, the economy will take another hit in the New Year as two million unemployed workers will lose the modest federal benefits they rely on to get by and that, in turn, support businesses in their communities.

Not eveybody agrees on the impact of the committee’s failure to reach cuts. Accoeding to Mark Zandi, chief analyst at Moody’s Analytics, “the economy will suffer in 2012 if a congressional supercommittee fails to come up with ways to trim the country’s deficits.”

A March 2011 report (.pdf) issued by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy and the National Employment Law Project indicates that “unemployment compensation has provided a net benefit to Florida’s economy of over .8 billion since the beginning of the recession, combining both the state program and federal extension programs.”

A study released in October by the conservative Tax Foundation shows that Florida has the fifth lowest unemployment benefits in the country.

The Employment Law Project adds that “over the past three years, federal unemployment insurance has helped more than 17 million Americans while they’ve looked for new work in the toughest job market since the Great Depression.”

“Hanging on By a Thread,” a National Employment Law Project report issued in October, indicates that:

• 1.8 million workers who currently receive federal unemployment insurance or would have begun to receive it will be cut off if Congress does not renew the program before it expires on December 31st.
• Of these 1.8 million workers, more than 430,000 were laid off as recently as July and will reach the end of their state benefits in January without the prospect of any federal relief, if Congress fails to act.
• Nearly 650,000 workers in 33 states and the District of Columbia will face an immediate “hard” cut‐off of their benefits in January.
• Congress has never cut back on federally‐funded unemployment insurance when unemployment was anywhere near this high for this long. The highest unemployment rate when federal benefits were cut by Congress was in 1985, at 7.2 percent. Today, the unemployment rate stands at 9.1 percent.
• Unemployment insurance kept 3.2 million people (including nearly one million children) from falling into poverty.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis was among Colorado Democrats unhappy with the supercommittee’s failure.

“Once again, Congress has failed the American people. This type of dysfunction is becoming more and more typical of Congress,” Polis said in a prepared statement. “This is particularly upsetting considering there were already two bipartisan road maps for resolving our debt crisis that have been submitted. Either the Bowles-Simpson plan or the Gang of Six report can be the foundation for a bipartisan solution to address the debt crisis and ensure that our nation returns to strong financial footing. I call upon Congress to address our fiscal crisis immediately.”

Rep. Diana DeGette had this to say:

“While I join Americans in expressing disappointment that the 12-member Super Committee was unable to fulfill its task of developing a deficit reduction plan, all is not lost. The time has now come for Congress as a whole to fulfill its responsibility to the American people and come together to develop and pass a balanced approach to reducing our national deficit and growing our economy.

“A broad range of economists and the American people understand that reducing the deficit will require a combination of responsible spending cuts, that do not place undue burdens on those who can afford it the least, and adjustments to our tax code, that ensure low-income and middle-class Americans have the same opportunities as the wealthiest among us. It is time for their leaders to understand that as well.

“Congress must end the political gamesmanship that has overwhelmed this session and prevented us from accomplishing important work for the American people. I’m certain my colleagues from both sides of the aisle agree, and will finally focus on a balanced approach that includes the cuts, investments, and revenue enhancements that are essential to America’s ability to reduce our deficit, and ultimately compete in the 21st century global marketplace.”

Senator Mark Udall also blasted the committee for failing to reach agreement:

“Today’s news is disappointing and frustrating for Coloradans who want leaders capable of making tough decisions and guiding our nation through difficult times. Our trillion debt is the biggest national security challenge we face, threatening our leadership in the world. Businesses across the country have told us that they need certainty that our nation’s debt won’t crush our economy in order to start hiring again. And Americans looking for work, at risk of losing their home or struggling to keep a small business running, were counting on Congress to make the first big step toward fiscal responsibility and economic recovery.

“The failure of the super committee means that once again, when it mattered most, Congress failed to do its job. In order to cut our debt, Americans agree that everything needs to be on the table – including spending cuts and revenue increases. Everyone needs to give. Tragically, it seems that some members of Congress were more concerned about a pledge they made to a special interest lobbyist – and protecting their own careers – than in doing the job they were elected to do.

“Where do we go from here? Regardless of who is to blame for the failure of the super committee, we now face automatic cuts across the board, including to defense – cuts that are going to hurt. As one of the small group of senators who pushed two years ago to create what became the Bowles-Simpson Commission on debt and deficit reduction, I’m urging Congress to vote on the Bowles-Simpson plan. It’s a balanced proposal that will make tough spending cuts, raise some new revenues, shore up Medicare and Social Security and get our nation’s economy back on track. Congress should also pass the balanced budget amendment that I’ve proposed, which will prevent special interest tax breaks and protect Social Security, while ensuring Congress will never get us into this mess again.”

Scot Kersgaard contributed to this article.

The Colorado Independent