There are quite a few groups that include "1 in 4" or "25%" of Americans.
Some are religious groupings.
Some are health related.
Some are just noteworthy.
25% of Americans have a positive image of lawyers. (What? It's not great, but it's better than Congress is doing!)
Some are bat crap crazy/ignorant.
I have 1 more for you. Do you see a correlation with any of the groups I have here?
Any amount of study of statistics teaches that correlation is not causation, but lets consider what we have observed in our lives and exercise some common sense. I don't see astrologists, reincarnationists, and atheists with tea bags dangling from straw hats. Do you? Creationists, though....
On the health issues, I think we can agree that's a wash: some will support a government shutdown and some won't. There's not enough information to infer anything here. Though I'm guessing sex addicts probably fall on the more liberal side and support President Obama.
As to the liking lawyers, I'd say that depends on whether (1) you have ever needed one and (2) how it turned out. Not much to do with politics. Though, contempt for lawyers is a tell-tale sign of someone who seeks power through corruption. (The famous Shakespeare quote, "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers!" is actually the beginning of a plot to do just that. It is taken out of context almost 100% of the time.) And to me, this sounds consistent with sabotaging one's own country to defy election results.
Not recycling is definitely RWNJ (Right Wing Nut Job) territory. We lefties LOVE to recycle.
So now we get to it: Do we think there is a correlation between the quarter of America that thinks Obama may be the Antichrist and the quarter of America that supports the government shutdown? Does it make sense to you that the 1 in 4 Americans who is a Birther would also support a shutdown of the illegitimate Kenyan's gubmint? Plus, I don't think it's a stretch to lump in the "God helped my team win the game" and the "I don't know my history" crays with them. (This is a blog, not a scientific paper. I can "lump" whomever I want.)
But more to the point, it would not be a surprise if the same people who think President Obama was born in Kenya -- and will herald the Tribulation and End of Days -- ALSO favor blackmail and extortion of our entire nation to thwart of the policies he enacted and his last election? Majority rule be damned! And here we sit, angry and frustrated, because our government has been taken hostage by a strange, crazy quarter of the population.
I don't hold any hope that these wackadoos will Get Above Their Raisin'. But I do hope that calmer, saner heads will prevail in the GOP and end this circus sideshow. The
Senate passed a budget in the Spring, 2013, and has asked the House repeatedly for
a Budget Conference to put an actual budget in the place. The GOP House
refused a conference (18 times) until the shutdown, essentially putting a gun to the Democrats' heads. The Democrats are right not to engage in these terror tactics.
The solution is easy: Pass a clean Continuing Resolution so the government can run again, then go to conference and negotiate like big boys and girls. Put a budget in place, just like Congress has done for over 200 years. It's the sacred trust of every Congressperson to do this, even the ones who think the President is the Kenyan Antichrist.
