A new Zogby poll indicates that Americans’ badly need a primer on the highest court in the land: 77 percent can name two of the Seven Dwarfs and 74 percent the Three Stooges, but only 24 percent can do the same for two U.S. Supreme Court justices. And Justice Clarence Thomas is the most known — named by 20 percent, compared with nearly 11 percent for next-highest Justice Antonin Scalia — probably because of Thomas’ controversial confirmation hearings. The most-cited dwarf was Sleepy, followed by Dopey and Grumpy.
Another finding to make a teacher groan: A mere 42 percent knew that the legislative, executive and judicial branches comprise the federal government. And one more: 60 percent knew Krypton as Superman’s home planet, but 40 percent knew Mercury was the planet closest to the sun.
This is how David Letterman handled the poll: “According to a recent poll, more Americans can name the Seven Dwarfs than can name the nine Supreme Court justices. Strangely, Justice (David) Souter is on both lists.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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31 Comments
The sad facts about the general public in America.
It’s ok! Not like they really need to know. Most people are disinterested in politics and public policy. They just let things happen.
In America, you can afford to be dumb, fat, and happy. Nothing wrong with that.
“In America, you can afford to be dumb, fat, and happy. Nothing wrong with that.”
And boy oh boy do those repbulicans go after that crowd!!
Just give them a couple phrases and by gosh we got ourselves some voters!!
“stay the course”
“Patriot act”
“cut and run”
“fighting them over there yada yada yada yada”
You get the picture!!!
And yet who is it that loves to throw in our faces that the “polls” show that Americans want us to leave Iraq now!
This is why I laugh at polls, especially when it is the democrats throwing them in my face.
When people can’t even tell me who the Vice President is, you actually want me to take a poll about them wanting us out of Iraq seriously?
I bet half the peole who say they want us out of Iraq don’t vote let alone know where Iraq is on the map.
How sad.
Well, it’s our (Society’s) own fault. We place too much emphasis on unimportant issues.
Nathan,”I bet half the peole who say they want us out of Iraq don’t vote let alone know where Iraq is on the map.”
I’ll bet the same could be said about more than half of the people who think we should “stay the course”.
But that seems to be a diminishing group. It must be tough to be getting ready to go fight a war that has very little support.
Yup, I was thinking the same thing, XXX.
It would have been nice had the Commander-in-Chief known about the three major ethnic groups in Iraq before we went in, for instance.
Or had some concept of what happened in Algeria under the French, say.
It’s one thing for the general populace to be uninformed. The repercussions when our “leaders” are idiots is much graver.
CapnAmerica,
You would have to be a complete moron to think that the leaders planning this war did not take into account the History of the region.
XXX,
It doesn’t bother me at all about the support for the war. I understand that the left in this country which hates the military, never supports war, and the media will twist the news and only cover the bad that happens.
“I understand that the left in this country which hates the military, never supports war”
First, I have not heard of one Democrat being against the real war on terror, you know, the one in the country whose government abetted those that actually attacked us. Second, the left never supports war? Perhaps you could explain to me how a Democrat was president when WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam began.
Listen, I know that regurgitating right-wing talking points is a lot easier than thinking, but please, you can do better than this – you’re making yourself look bad.
And as for the media only covering the ‘bad news’: I would say that 3500 people killed in one month in Iraq is a *bit* more newsworthy than a school being painted. Be honest here: you don’t like news (read: reality) that doesn’t glorify your president and your failed ideology.
And as for the media ‘twisting the news,’ I don’t know about you, but after the latest terrorist plot was unveiled, and after the judge ruled against warrantless wiretapping, it was apparent to me that the ‘Bush comeback’ or ‘Bush bounce’ narrative was on full display by the national media. Frankly, I don’t understand how a judge ruling that the president is breaking the law is somehow a boon for the administration and Republicans, I guess it must be that darn ‘liberal’ media at work again.
Sorry, one more comment and I’m out. I once saw a poll that said something like 50% of respondents believed the sun revolved around the earth.
Welkome to Amerka, teh smartist cuntrty n th wilrd.
PS we dindt cume frum no apes.
ddub! You made an excellent point. And I agree with what you said. But there are people who are against the war in Iraq, not because they oppose of war or the reasoning for the war. They oppose the war because of politics. Because they are Democrats and hate Bush. I honestly believe that if there was a Democrat President who went to war in Iraq, these Democrats who are against the war wouldn’t be. But to be fair! Many Republicans would be against it and calling for withdrawl and a timetable. They did that during the Balkin Wars.
Clinton’s Balkin Wars killed thousands and thousands of people. It’s still being occupied by Peace Keepers even today. But hardly any Democrats were against it. But there were Republicans that were.
If you oppose the war because your a pacifist or you don’t agree with the strategy or reasoning, that’s fine. But if you oppose the war for political purposes, I don’t think that is good enough.
I know everything is political and politicized. But it makes everything so illogical. Both parties are responsible for this mess.
SO the question at hand is are a large number of Americans rather poorly informed and somewhat dense?
OF COURSE!
If this were not the case the Republican party couldn’t get more than 10% of the vote anywhere in this country.
Nathan, Bush had no idea that there were even different sects of Islam. He was only interested in showing up his daddy, nothing else mattered.
Nathan,
If memory serves me, it was Bush who didn’t know the names of some of the world leaders during the 2000 campaign.
You may not like polls, but they are a sampling of what the people in this country are thinking. It’s human nature to approve of something like poll stats when you agree with the majority and to disapprove of polls when you don’t agree. The fact is, the tables have turned on how we, the citizens of the U.S., view our involvement in Iraq. When it swings from 75% approval in late March of 2003 to 30% in mid August 2006 (CBS News Poll), people are paying attention to something. And when that’s broken down to only 57% of Republicans approving, it’s time for our leaders to pay attention. They are in office not only to decide what is “right” for us, but also to listen to what we have to say. We vote them in, we can vote them out. That’s what a representative government is all about.
As a liberal, I would prefer that we choose war as a last resort. Why? Life is precious. I understand that sometimes dialogue fails and war is the only option left.
ddub,
Eisenhower sent the first troops into Vietnam.
Joe I have yet to meet a Democrat who opposes the Iraq invasion because they hate Bush. Every Democrat I know approved the invasion of Afghanistan, they helped the 9/11 attackers. Iraq had nothing to do with it. Every reason the Bush administration gave for invading Iraq has been proven false. They oppose the war in Iraq and Bush not because of politics but because the facts point out that the Commander in Chief lied to the American public and distorted intelligence given to Congress to get approval to invade Iraq and cause the deaths of 2600+ US soldiers. The opposition has nothing to do with politics.
Great post, k.
That’s exactly right. Liberals are in no way responsible for the fact that Bush’s little Iraqi experiment blew up in his face.
We told him not to do it for the good of our country. Now that it played out exactly as we said, does not make us responsible for its failure.
It’s the exact opposite.
What it comes down to is a kind of arrogance. Conservatives apparently think that simply BELIEVING a certain way can make it come true, simply SUPPORTING our leader can make his plans succeed.
Iraq will be determined by Iraqis. Period.
What we want and what we think and whom we support will have little influence on the outcome, just like we said from day one . . .
“You would have to be a complete moron to think that the leaders planning this war did not take into account the History of the region.”
Well, Nathan, one of us is a moron.
Read this and see if you can guess who?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/8/215257/257
Bush did NOT know there was difference between Sunni & Shiite Muslims until Jan ‘03
Thu Dec 08, 2005 at 06:52:57 PM PDT
In case you missed it like me, here’s more proof our president is in over his head, a national security risk. According to Peter Galbraith former U.S. diplomat on a Channel 4 special aired Nov 21, Bush didn’t know there was a difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims as late as January 2003. The report (link to video at the Dossier below) has a lot more …here’s the part where Bush shows again how in over his head he really is.
Oborne: I traveled to Boston to meet a former U.S. diplomat who had been a leading authority on Iraq for over a decade. A chance remark made just two months before the war, hinted at how the complexities of Iraq had bewildered Americans at the highest levels.
Peter Galbraith – former U.S. diplomat: January 2003 the President invited three members of the Iraqi opposition to join him to watch the Super Bowl. In the course of the conversation the Iraqis realized that the President was not aware that there was a difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. He looked at them and said, “You mean…they’re not, you know, there, there’s this difference. What is it about?”
For the United States to launch a war where the president is not aware of this very fundamental difference between Sunni and Shiite Arabs is really stunning. It’s a bit like the U.S. president intervening in Ireland and being unaware that there are two schools of Christianity – Catholics and Protestants.
I was OK with Bush until he went in the wrong direction when it came to fighting terrorism. He has proven his ignorance over and over, yet some still buy into the spin.Nathan, in my experience, those who are opposed to the war seem to have done their homework and are much more informed than those who still support the invasion of Iraq. I have never met anyone who opposes the war that doesn’t support the troops. It’s BECAUSE we don’t want our soldiers dying for some lame reason that we oppose the war. I wonder about the intelligence of anyone who would support putting our soldiers in harm’s way for any reason whatsoever so long as the “Commander-In-Chief” says it’s the right thing to do. Blind faith in the government is not what America is all about. Think about it.
The reason we remember the names of the seven dwarfs and not the names of the supreme court justices is that the dwarfs are so much more entertaining and interesting.We always remember the fun things of our childhood, anything we take in before the age of 8 is forever engrained into our mind, that’s just how we develop. That’s why it’s so important to give children stability, security, and love at those ages. What they experience before the age of 8 will shape them for life.
Now you really can’t blame Geoge W. Bush for being stupid – look at Daddy Bush. Wasn’t he the one that had a vice president that could not spell potato?
Some in Bush’s administration were familiar with Iraq and Hussein. Donald Rumsfeld went there in the 80s to supply Hussein with chemical weapons to kill fellow Iraqis and Iranians (just because Iran didn’t care for their American installed ruthless, butchering dictator). There was also Cheney, who through Halliburton, did illegally did business with Iraq skipping past an American embargo.
Joe and Nathan,
If everything that the Bush Admin. said was true about Iraq. and WMDs were found you would see a highly rated president sitting in the White House. I think I would be a fan myself.
BUT When you show so much dis-respect for the troops by lying them into war, giving hand-outs to Halliburton, and ignoring the reality of the situation then much much criticism is warranted. If you ask me the Dems have a spine for standing up this ass-hole. They are pointing out that he is ruining our precious country and leading us down a very unstable future.
Bush has politicized everything. “stem cell”, “Gay marriage”, “Terri Schiavo”, “9/11″ “Mission accomplished” “stay the course” “cut and run” my fav. “fighting them over there so we dont have to fight them over here” how dumb does this guy think we are.
You guys just have some deep inner hatred for something specific in the Democratic Party.
What is it?
Is it because they help minorities?
They like to see people healthy?
They budget?
They believe people should get a fair shot in the economy?
Their congressman/woman are more attractive and look healthier?
Clinton? Probably this reason
This isnt your Daddys GOP anymore fellas. They left about the time Reagan came to office.
Mary,
Since we are speaking from experience, most of the people I know who oppose the war do so out of blind hatred for Bush.
They can do little more than repeat CNN Headline news type of one liners and when actually probed to go deeper on to their arguments they fall short.
Speaking from my experience that is.
I dont have a blind hatred for Bush.
Ive read into his family, Ive scoured the internet for sources. I have seen the downing street memo that proves the manipulation. I have seen the guy joke about WMDs, Say things about how Osama isnt on his mind anymore. I watched the FrontLine Doc. Darkside that proves what went on prior to the war.
Another thing this guy has tip-toed the line of putting America into a total police state, and ending our democracy as we know it.
Should we love this GUY? Should we show him respect, because hes President? Or because hes Republican and Not Democrat?
Im telling you straight white neo-conservative males will be the death of us all!!!!!
Nathan are you serious that nobody can find any reason to oppose the Iraqi occupation other than not liking Bush? Perhaps it’s because the occupation was absolutely useless, a waste of human life and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
What exactly is the reason America invaded anyway? It wasn’t WMD, the UN inspectors already said they didn’t have any. It wasn’t the nuclear weapons programs, that was already rejected by the UN, CIA and prewar intelligence. It wasn’t the torture, the Bush regime has no problem with torture. It isn’t the ties with Bin Laden because there wasn’t any. It isn’t the non-democratic government, America has plenty of allies that don’t have Democratic governments. It wasn’t Iraq’s threatening army, navy and air force, that practically didn’t exist. It wasn’t that these facts came out after the invasion because they were known beforehand.
So what was the compelling reason to go to war other than Bush wanted to prove to his daddy that he was a better president?
No! GaryC! I don’t hate Democrats. I just disagree with the majority of their political stances and platform. Just not the party for me.
I also don’t agree with social conservative Republicans either. I also never voted for Bush.
I’m a Libertarian. I agree with the majority of their platform.
That is how I look at political parties.
Joe’s a libertarian, except for the part about “get out of Iraq now!”
I don’t know how he stands on abortion, and drugs, and Israel and gay marriage.
Real libertarians opposed the war in Iraq, are pro-women’s right to choose, are pro-drug decriminalization, anti-Israeli hegemony, and pro-gay marriage.
To get an idea of what real libertarians think instead of Joe Humpty Dumpty “words mean whatever I want them to” definition, check out http://www.antiwar.com/
SUPREMES?Didn’t they use to sing with Diana Ross?Sorry, don’t remember their names.
Mary and Flo.
HA! I got my tickets to the Rolling Stones!!!!!!!
“They can do little more than repeat CNN Headline news type of one liners and when actually probed to go deeper on to their arguments they fall short.”
If you sub Fox New for CNN you describe repukes.
heheheheLetterman is too funny.