That's what lots of Americans seem to think, given these new poll results:
While the macro-politics has remained relatively stable, our poll still has some striking -- and rather surprising -- results. First, despite all the attention the oil spill has received, 60% support offshore drilling and 53% believe drilling's economic benefits outweigh its environmental risks. Second, nearly two-thirds of the public (64%) back Arizona's immigration law, as another two-thirds (66%) believe it will lead to the discrimination of Latino immigrants who are in the country legally. Third, a majority of Americans (52%) say they are willing to give up personal freedoms and civil liberties to prevent another terrorist attack, and another majority (51%) approve of using racial or ethnic profiling to combat terrorism. And fourth, and perhaps most surprisingly, General Motors scores better on our feeling thermometer (37%-27% fav/unfav) than the Democratic Party (37%-42%) or the Republican Party (30%-42%) do. Ed Whitacre -- the 21st century version of Lee Iacocca? His TV ads for GM, talking straight to camera, acknowledging past GM transgressions, might provide an interesting lesson for Washington politicians currently on the electoral ropes.
How to make sense of that? Well, it could be a bad poll. But if it isn't, then either the majority of those questioned are very uninformed (to put it nicely) or they are willing to have laws which discriminate against Latinos or blacks, willing to lose their rights and willing to destroy the environment; all for the chance of being allowed to go on fat, dumb and happy.
Was that mean-spirited? I'd love to have better interpretations of the findings. If not, we could have one gigantic party before the apocalypse. Chocolate fountains!