Posted by Racer on February 28, 2004, at 13:43:48
In reply to Survey ?? for voters in California, posted by Racer on February 28, 2004, at 13:20:36
> 1. Just to place you in context, would you please identify your general age group? Say, just within a decade, like I'm 40s.
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> 2. On Prop 57, do you approve of the proposal?
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I disapprove of the proposition on a number of grounds. I grew up during a period when second mortgages were considered a bad thing, and savings were considered vital to survival. Balancing the household budget seemed a moral issue, and all credit cards were paid off every month. Those views seem pretty conservative to a lot of people these days, but they're the values I was brought up with, and they are an integral part of my world view.
> 3. If you disapprove of the proposal, are you planning to vote for it anyway?
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Yes, I'm going to vote for it despite my disapproval of the proposal.
> 4. If so, what are your reasons for choosing to vote for a proposition you disapprove of?
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This one is a hard one to answer. The defining moment, though, was the first time I saw Senator Dianne Feinstein appearing in an ad in favor of it. That ad convinced me that, while I consider it a form of extortion to make Prop 58 dependant on Prop 57, the benefits of refinancing our existing debt at a lower rate were valid. So, I feel as if I'm paying "protection" money to thugs, but I'm going to do it because the alternative seems worse. Since we've got Governor Won'tDiscussRaisingTaxes in office, the specter of massive program cuts is too frightening to me, so I'll vote for the monster bandaid.
> 5. Do you approve of Prop 56?
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Yes, I do, absolutely. I don't think it goes quite far enough, but I'm voting FOR it, rather than against the alternatives. (I often cast yes votes as a no vote against the other side, if you know what I mean. For example, I've only ever voted FOR two candidates for elective office, one school board member, and one presidential candidate. Every other time, I've cast my vote AGAINST another candidate.)> 6. To what extent have the political ads for and against 56 influenced your decision? For example, is there one particular ad that you think of when you think about the issue? Is there any one thing about the advertisements that stands out in your mind when you're making a decision about your vote?
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Had I had any doubts about Prop 56, the ads saying, "Oh, it's a BLANK CHECK for RAISING TAXES" would have made up my mind for me. It's not a blank check, because it specifically excludes property taxes -- and, let's face it, most of the taxes we pay in California are property taxes. The ads are so misleading, and I can't quite tell if the advertisers are unable to understand the distinction themselves, or if they're trying to mislead us and counting on us not being able to see their dishonesty. Personally, I find that insulting, so that would have pushed me in favor of voting for this proposition.
> 7. Where do you get most of your information about these and other issues? TV news? Cable news channel news? Newspapers? The voter's handbooks and sample ballots? The Internet?
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A combination, overall, of all of the above. I read the ballots, and I read the handbooks, and I read only the Sunday newspaper (for a variety of reasons), but I probably get most of my "news" from TV, overall.> 8. If you get the majority of your information about the issues from television news, whether broadcast or cable, is there any one source you rely on more than others for the truth of the information?
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Yeah, there are two major sources I turn to for a deeper understanding of the issues, but they're both national. The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and NOW with Bill Moyers (and that really adorable David Brancaccio). For local news, I guess I rely on reading between the lines in the local paper, and watching local coverage on broadcast.> 9. Has anyone here been personally involved in any way with the political system in any of these campaigns?
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Nope, no energy for that sort of thing this year, but I wish I could.
> 10. How many here have received "push-poll" calls about this election? (A "push-poll" is where they call you and ask who you'd vote for and "would it influence your decision against voting for [x] if you learned that he [insert "bad" deed here]?" It's a negative campaign strategy disguised as a poll.) Have they altered your decision on any candidate or issue?
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Yes, I've gotten a bunch of them. I feel sorry for the poor callers when they face me, though, because I tell them what I think, rather than letting them influence me. One woman seemed determined to carry through all the way, despite my saying, over and over, "No, I can't say that that would change my mind, because I don't know the context." I finally told her, "Look, you're not going to get anywhere with me as a real pollster, how about we just stop here?"Another one was calling from out of state, so I told her bluntly: "If I can't make a clear distinction between candidates, I vote the party ticket on that office. Your candidate raises a number of concerns in my mind about his use of resources, based on the avalanche of materials supporting him that have flooded my mailbox, and the fact that the call center you're working in is located in Iowa while California is suffering such a profound drought in jobs. If that's happening during the campaign, what does that mean about his resource management skills once he's in office?"
Obviously, I have opinions. I feel like a peanut vendor at a ballpark sometimes, and most of the people I discuss these things with are also very opinionated. I hardly know anyone outside that group from whom I can get a better picture of reality, so I thought I'd try here. I hope someone is inspired to answer these questions as well.
poster:Racer
thread:318520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040219/msgs/318525.html