Dude you're not being very fair. You say less than half of Kerry voters think our country is fair and decent. The actual figure is 46%. By contrast only 40% of those same Kerry voters think it's not. Neither percentage is good though.

You know me, I can't stand democrats! But at least be fair and show both sides of the coin.

46% IS less than half.

I think it depends on how you ask the question, or the context of the question. I think I could frame this in such a way that MORE than 46% of Republicans would say it isn't fair and decent. Consider the perception of our federal court system. Our tax system.

Consider a question like, "Do you think our social services system is fair and decent?" I'd be willing to bet many Dems AND Republicans would answer no, and for totally opposite reasons. I've noticed you can get that with the war in Iraq, too. I don't believe it is going well because we aren't crushing our enemies there. Others believe it isn't going well because we are showing offensive behavior at all.

I guess the fundamental question is totally dependant on what you think the word 'America' means in that sentence. I don't believe even a double digit number on either side believes that the fundamental concepts of America aren't fair and decent. I just think that many people feel that we have departed from those concepts.

Blogging has shown me that. You can put a far right winger and a far left winger in the same room, and give them each a "are you satisfied, rate 1-10" list and I think you'd be surprised by how identical their opinions would look. Make it an essay exam and there'd be zero similarities. That's the trouble with polls.

I agree with the sentiment of the article. I believe that the majority of Democrats do hate America for the most part, but it is the fundamental values that Brad and I *believe* define America. They would be aghast at that statement because they look at FDR and affirmative action and imposed equality and demand to know why we are accusing them of hating those values.

We simply don't consider those values "American", and they look at free market enterprise and see a Dickens world of starving orphans and Enron and believe THAT isn't America. In both cases we see America dangerously on the verge of defining itself as something we find distasteful. Some believe we have crossed the line and BECOME distasteful. Those people would have answered the question the way Brad describes, on either side of the political forum.

Bakerstreet should get a job as a Poll Analyst!

But even taking the context of the question, the results are, while not surprising, very enlightening.

I am with you on the "not happy with Republicans today"

I keep asking myself how did it come to this:? people hating their own country much.

I have not  come up with an answer for myself yet.

Rasmussen is well known as a biased polling firm. Lets not forget that most polling now shows 60-70% of Americans think the country has gone down the wrong path and this is during republican majorities. Recent years have been a stark condemnation of the republican party no polling in the world can save republicans now. Do I hate American now? I'm a libertarian and I hate this country now and place the blame solely on this administration for my hatred and general world hatred of this country. It will take decades to clean up the mess.

Rasmussen is well known as a biased polling firm

Rassmussen is known as the polling company that called the last 2 presidential elections dead on.  I hardly think that is Biased, unless you still think W stole the last 2.

I think America is okay...and I'm a Democrat...maybe I'm not a crazy, psycho Democrat, but a Democrat nonetheless.

~Zoo

46% IS less than half.

Yes sir it is. But 40% against is lower and still way less than half.

I think America is okay...and I'm a Democrat...maybe I'm not a crazy, psycho Democrat, but a Democrat nonetheless.

YOu are an endagered species at UM!

I Just love how all the blame for everything falls on George W. Bush.. like he has been president since 1784.

"like he has been president since 1784."

It just feels like that.

"like he has been president since 1784." It just feels like that.

Welcome to the club.  Like I like my children telling me that "oral Sex" is not sex because Bill said so.

Wow, Draginol, where did this come from?

I doubt Democrats 'hate America' or 'think it sucks' simply because they are critical of it. Those that turn a criticism in to smear probably have an agenda.

Let's keep in mind the majority of the country; the Legislative, Executive and almost the majority of the Supreme Court is Republican controlled / represented at the time of the Rasmussen poll.

Had it been Democratically controlled instead, I think we'd probably see a 'little less then half' of Republican voters thinking America not to be a fair and decent country.

I may not be happy with Republicans these days but I am not about to vote for people who basically think our country sucks. - Draginol

This line is what really bothers me. It's about throwing one's hands up in the air and saying, "I don't like the path that we're on but I'm afraid that if we changed from that path it could only get worse." This is the ultimate justification for holding on to the status quo which I think is damning evidence of your attempt to provide incumbents a free pass this coming election. They must be held accountable and they must be voted out, Democrat and Republican alike.

The question was pretty straight forward:

Is American a fair and decent country.  That's it.

46% of Democrats said Yes. 76% of Republicans said yes.

The question was NOT "Do you think America coudl be improved" or "Are you happy with the path we're on." No. The question was whether we're a fair and decent country.

DrMiller: If someone asks 5 people "Is DRMiller a fair and decent guy" and 2 people say yes, 1 person says no, and 1 person says "I'm not sure" are you going to suggest that most people think you're fair and decent? No.  Someone saying "I'm not sure" is not a ringing endorsement.  What would be your opinion of someone who said "I'm not sure" to the question of whether you're a fair and decent person? 

For me, I have no second-thoughts - the United States is a fair and decent country.  I think the world would be much better off if more countries were like the United States (another question that was asked incidentally in that poll).  That doesn't mean I like every US policy or whatever, it has nothing to do with that.  The question is whether we're fair and decent.