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Friday, March 04, 2011

Are we at a tipping point?
Posted by Jill | 9:17 PM
A stimulus that seems to finally be showing signs of breaking up the job drought logjam just a wee, tiny bit. A health care reform bill that isn't great, but ought to be a start towards more affordable health care for all. These are things that were labeled "liberal overreach" by conservatives and other reactionaries, and the media.

So what, then, do you say about investigating women who have miscarriages, or forcing them to listen to rants by Christofascist zombies before they can get an abortion, or about threatening to strip opposition state Senators of their seats so you can stack it with members of your own party and elmininate even the ILLUSION of choice that we currently have? What do you say about the gutting of education, or health care programs for the poor, of cuts in funding for meals for housebound seniors? If what we're seeing from the Republicans isn't overreach, what is?

In Wisconsin, it seems to be regarded as overreach, because there is the biggest case of buyer's remorse up there since the first unfortunate sap in the late 1960's bought the first Chevy Vega off the assembly line:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to strip public employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights appears to be so unpopular, that a Rasmussen poll now finds that almost 60% of likely Wisconsin voters disapprove of his job performance.

That finding shows just how quickly Walker -- who was elected to his first term last November with 52% of the vote -- has sunk just in his first two months in office. And it comes one day after Rasmussen released results from the same poll, all of which showed public opinion firmly on the side of the unions in the labor rights battle that has deadlocked the state capitol for the past few weeks.

In the poll, 57% of respondents said they disapprove of Walker's job performance -- including 48% who say they strongly disapprove. Meanwhile, only 43% said they approve of the job Walker is doing.

Not surprisingly, respondents who said they belong to a public union sided heavily against Walker, with roughly eight in ten giving him negative marks on job performance. Yet not only were public sector union members opposed to Walker, but a majority of private sector union members also disapproved of the governor by a 53% to 43% margin.

Also interesting to note -- the overwhelming opposition from people with children in Wisconsin public schools. Sixty-seven percent of people in that demographic disapprove of Walker, including 54% who strongly disapprove.

Could it possibly that people are looking up from beating people just like themselves to a pulp and are stopping to look up the ladder at the guy lifting the twenties out of their back pockets? Ratings for cable news indicate that this just might be so:

Yesterday, another milestone was reached. The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC drew 39,000 more viewers in the key advertising demographic of 25-54 year olds. Beck did manage to draw more total viewers, but even that statistic is revealing. It shows that Beck’s audience is comprised of only 21% of the young demo. That compares to Maddow’s 31%.



This is further evidence of Beck’s accelerating collapse. Last week it was reported that Beck declined 32% (25-54) and 26% (total viewers) year-to-year for the month of February. And that’s on top of a January year-to-year drop of 50% (25-54) and 40% (total viewers).


The public is obviously tiring of this manic-paranoid’s freak show. As a result, many staunch conservatives are becoming bolder with regard to their criticisms of Beck. And some are even recognizing that Beck may be just the tip of the iceberg and that anyone who hitches their wagon to Beck is equally deserving of ridicule and revulsion. That applies particularly to Beck’s primary benefactors, Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, but also to those who work with and/or defend Beck. They will all learn that this stench is unremitting.



As for Maddow, this is just one day, so it will take some time to see if her strength continues. Pessimists will whine that Maddow’s primetime scheduling gives her an advantage, but the fact is that this is the first time she has outdrawn Beck and that makes it significant. For now she deserves to celebrate and I congratulate her.




Me too.

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2 Comments:
Anonymous Tata said...
Today, Christie turned on the police and fire fighters. The local papers seem stunned.
3/4/11, 10:31 PM  
Blogger Murr Brewster said...
Could it be? Are people paying attention? We'll think a good thought. You give me hope.

Also, maybe we can offer cruises to China to visit our jobs and money.
3/5/11, 3:54 AM  
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