In my last update on the American Majority Project, I walked you through how Americans vastly prefer Free Market Capitalism to Big Government Socialism – and that if the next election were to be seen as a choice between Republicans and Big Government Socialists, that Republicans would win in a landslide.
In this update, I want to dig further into some of the underlying cultural issues behind the American people’s rejection of Big Government Socialism.
Our polling revealed a key underlying belief: Americans don’t believe that our government is looking out for their interests.
For example, when asked which of the following statements about the state of America most represented their views, swing voters said:
- People who run for office are in it for themselves: 77
- People who run for office are in it for people like me: 23
- People in government think they know what’s best for us but they don’t: 70
- Our elected leaders and public servants are doing the best they can to represent the values and interests of the people they serve: 30
- Lobbyists and corrupt politicians are rigging the game to benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of people like me: 68
- America’s laws and regulations protect people like me from exploitation by the rich and powerful: 31
Our polling also illustrates how this principle can be applied to specific issues such as health care, spending, and social justice.
When asked which of the following statements about current issues most represented their views, swing voters said:
- We should fix health care in America by putting patients and doctors in charge instead of insurance companies and big government: 75
- We should fix health care in America by giving the government more power to protect patients: 25
- The recent price increases in food, fuel, and other essential goods will get worse if government continues its reckless spending: 65
- More funding for education, the environment, and the social safety net is worth the risk of inflation: 35
- The government should treat me equally under the law: 64
- The government should treat me in a way that achieves equal outcomes for all groups of people: 36
We have prepared a slide deck with other key poll results, including cross-tab data, illustrating these principles which you can download HERE.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Our first round of focus groups will begin later this month.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich