Poll: NY Voters Back Protesters Occupying Parks

[villager]

Source: AP

Poll: NY Voters Back Protesters Occupying Parks

Occupy Wall Street protesters were allowed back into Zuccotti Park in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011, though the park wasn't as full as it had been before they were forcibly evicted earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Most New York voters don’t believe the Occupy Wall Street movement has a clear message or represents 99 percent of Americans, but they support the demonstrators’ right to stay in public parks around the clock, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The Siena College poll showed 45 percent of voters statewide have a favorable view of the movement, whose encampment was removed from a New York City park Tuesday by police. Forty-four percent have an unfavorable view, up six percentage points from a month earlier.

However, 57 percent of those polled said the demonstrators should be able to stay in the parks all day and all night, while 40 percent say they should not.

“Voters clearly support First Amendment rights,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.

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Read more: http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/11/16/poll-ny-voters-back-protesters-occupying-parks/

[Ship of Fools]

1. "...or represents 99 percent of Americans..."

What is WRONG with these people? How stupid can you be? Some mornings I
wish I just hadn't gotten out of bed...

[villager]

2. There are definitely some mixed-bag aspects to the numbers, but it shows that police overreaction

...tends to drive the neutrals (and remember, as many Americans supported the Crown as supported the revolution, initially) toward empathy with the protestors...

...at which point, one hopes, they might become a tad more receptive to the message.

[Ship of Fools]

6. It also may be in how you define the word *represents* in this instance.

I'm a 99%er (and so are these *naysayers*) because 1% control xxx amount of the country's wealth. On the other hand, I may not agree with
the Occupiers methods/message and, therefore, say that they do not *represent* me. Does that work?

[villager]

7. It may -- we don't know what language the pollsters used. But I'd say the Occupiers represent

...most of us more than say the "Democrats" do.

I'm a going-broke single dad, looking for work and making school commutes, so haven't been down to my local Occupy yet, but those good folks definitely come closer to my politics and world view as an American than any "elected" official does...

[ret5hd]

8. Well, at least you picked an apt username, except for the plural part.

[Ship of Fools]

9. Oh, how cute & clever. Actually, you're on the ship, too, as it refers to the entire planet.

I ask, respectfully, that we act civilized around here. Gawds only know
there's enough shit going on to piss us all off for lifetime.

I believe my post made a point, fwiw.

[ret5hd]

11. If by "civilized" you mean "occupiers go home" (methods)...

and "the 1% aren't the root cause of our problems" (message), i believe i will stay uncivilized (per your definition).

[Ship of Fools]

12. Aha. I think see the problem.

Personally, I am FULLY behind the message and the methods. In my earlier post, when I wrote ...if I don't believe in the message/methods...
I was using kind of a *generic* "I", standing in for one of those NY voters being polled.

My apologies. I have been working hard, very hard actually, to improve my communication skills.

But I still believe that if I'd offended your sensibilities, there are other ways to
point it out.

Thanks.

[ret5hd]

13. fair enough.

[No Elephants]

16. Yes, plus Mike Barnicle of Morning Joe said this morning that the occupiers do not represent the 99%

because they are all white and all wear GAP or Bananan Republic (my hand to God, that is what he said--and he is supposed to be a populist).



If the poll question had been asked correctly, or prefaced correctly, the answer would have been correct also. However, I think people think, "Would I stay in a park all night? Have the police ever beaten me with batons? Do I bathe in the restrooms of nearby restaurants? Nope. Do most people I know? Nope. Nope, the occupiers don't represent 99% of Americans."

[Newest Reality]

3. So, we are that far?

Forty-percent of those polled voters don't hear the Constitutional ALARM Bell going off? That is truly ridiculous and alarming in itself.

Well, I have a Matrix to sell them. Complacency and media molding via social engineering of beliefs is still a clear and present danger to the rights of people and the sustainability of everything else.

[Kingofalldems]

4. Kick and Rec for the Rove faction

[fascisthunter]

5. Of course.... they represent NYers more than any politiican there

[jwirr]

10. My niece works for a WS as a accountant. She and her baby girl

brought a bunch of cookies and took them down to the Park for OWS. She and her family are 99%ers and support the movement. I suspect many NYers feel the same way.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

15. I have a friend who has worked for Morgan Stanley for years w/doubled work load & yet got pay cuts.

It so sucks that people are afraid to stand up to the crooks who take it all yet keep their money machines working.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

14. I think it's crunch time for OWS. They need to take a huge step forward.

Polls show them losing support and the Tea Party gaining support. That is disastrous. If OWS can move to a clear action based on a clear message - That Wall Street's barons run the whole show - they might gain momentum back. I fear that such a democratic movement will never have a clear message. It's emblematic of democratic ideals. It's the only counter to a relative handful of powerful people.

[lbrtbell]

17. OWS needs to groom some candidates for 2012

It's not enough just to say, "There's a problem." They've made people aware of the problem, so that part is done. Now they need to say, "Here's the solution." Candidates nationwide whom we could vote for would be that solution. :patriot:

[Liberalynn]

18. +1 million

Calling for change is good but its not enough. Taking steps to "actually change" things via the elections would be even better.

I applaud OWS bringing the problems in to light, standing up for free speech etc, but I am not sure anything will actually change just by the act of "occupying" alone. We need to actually vote those who stand against "change" out.

[No Elephants]

19. TheOWS mmovement has a very clear message: "The US kleptocracy is unfair and we want it changed."

What is the clear message of the Tea Baggers? "Obama needs aMe hitler mustache?" "Taxed enough already?"

Approval of the Tea Party is going up relative to the OWS movement because Fox and the RW media are in overdrive on this and the corporate media helps, not because Teabagggers have a clearer message.

For one thing, the media has never told the truth about the Teabaggers, namely that the Koch brothers began planning the Tea Party in the 1980's and threw a ton of money at the alleged grass roots movement, with Dick Armey fronting and heading the public part of the organizational effort.

As far as stepping up, it's our government that should be stepping up at this point and, if not them, our freaking media. The occupiers are enduring and accomplishing all that can reasonably be expected of a movement that is less than three full months old and has no billionaire backers, no friendly media and no political party treating them as though they were the second coming.