We certainly don’t need a survey to confirm it — just analyze his policies — but 43% of likely voters described President Obama as “very liberal” to Rasmussen pollsters. Nearly 7 out of 10 said he is at least “somewhat liberal.”
Considering that little more than one in five U.S. adults self-describes as liberal, it is crystal clear that the president is much further to the Left than is the U.S. population. Last month from Gallup:
Overall, Americans in 2012 remained slightly more likely to identify as conservative (38%) than as moderate (36%) or as liberal (23%), a pattern that reflects the general consistency in ideological self-reports over recent years.
More broadly, the percentage of Americans identifying with each of these ideological labels has been remarkably consistent since Gallup tracking began in 2008. The range of each has varied by a maximum of only three points.
This may explain why some Obama voters I’ve talked to seem genuinely surprised at the negative impacts of ObamaCare, for example. To a person, they tell me they voted for Mr. Obama over Mr. Romney because they would feel comfortable having a beer with the president. But when they are told their insurance premiums are likely to rise under ObamaCare, that religious institutions will be forced to help pay for abortion-inducing drugs that violate their beliefs, that their veterinary bills are going to increase, they are surprised, some even shocked.
I am not. Many voters simply refuse to take the time to analyze what candidates say, compare it to what they have done, and compare it against other candidates. They just retweet campaign slogans. What a shame.
