The Glass is 40% Empty
Rob Long ·
April 7, 2012 at 2:04am
Polls are irritating, and baffling, and rarely illuminating. But this one, from Rasmussen, manages to be depressing, too:
...just 26% of American Adults share an even somewhat favorable opinion of the Rev. Al Sharpton, with eight percent (8%) who view him Very Favorably. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% view the civil rights activist and MSNBC host unfavorably, including 37% with a Very Unfavorable view. Fifteen percent (15%) have no opinion of him. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How does Al Sharpton manage only a 60% unfavorable rating?
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Jan '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Because no national conservative political figure has the integrity and bravery to attack Sharpton for exactly what he is.
Minus that and in light of the fact that Sharpton is never forced to pay a price for his rhetoric or actions, the Reverend proceeds apace...and people notice.
Edited on April 7, 2012 at 5:04amMar '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
40% of the country views him as "on our side" (ranging from "that's the guy fighting for us" to "he's an SOB, but he's our SOB").
Jan '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
If James Dobson, Tony Perkins or Mike Huckabee had the same personal baggage as Al Sharpton, would Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi or Debbie Wasserman Test stand by silent as Dobson/Perkins/Huckabee organized attacks against the Democrat power structure?
But elected Republicans are mute and run for cover when Sharpton or Jesse Jackson mount the podium.
And how is that strategy working out for GOP electoral prospects in the black community?
Edited on April 7, 2012 at 5:04amJan '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Sharpton has been shaking down and bullying America since the late 1980s. Jackson has been up to the same moral bullying and extortion since 1968.
ROB LONG - How do you stop a bully?
Edited on April 7, 2012 at 5:05amJul '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Rob Long: Polls are irritating, and baffling, and rarely illuminating. But this one, from Rasmussen, manages to be depressing, too:
How does Al Sharpton manage only a 60% unfavorable rating?
It seems completely implausible to me that human lightning rod Al could inspire that level of indifference. My bet is a big chunk of that 15% is unfamiliar with the man, and another chunk is lying.
The other percentages all make sense.
Jan '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
C'mon, folks, this poll is common sense, not mystery theater.
When Sharpton goes up against a conservative in a debate, especially a conservative elected official, people aren't scoring the merits of each man's argument. They see Sharpton attacking and the conservative defending - every time.
And in politics, friends, when you are defending, you are losing.
"When the people see a strong horse and a weak horse, they are naturally drawn to the strong horse." And that's true even if it's a horse's ass.
Edited on April 7, 2012 at 5:07amDec '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
In the ideal world Al Sharpton would not get a 60% unfavorable rating. But in the real world we live in this is quite possible. People in the real world love the "true narrative". Al Sharpton is a good "story teller" in both senses of the term. He tells probably 40% of the people what they want to hear. He is David fighting against Goliath. He speaks "true narratives" to power.
One of the ironies of life is truth many times is incredible where the lie is believable. This leads people to have fact filters. It is true if it fits the story and false if it doesn't.
The sad part is not the poll, but that he has a cable show and is treated with respect by "newspersons" on that channel. He is not a minister who speaks the truth as much as a "Ministry of Truth" spokesman. If people were books he would definitely be in the fiction section under fantasy.
Oct '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Shoot, I find 60% disapproval of Sharpton encouraging. The fact that 37% registered strong disapproval has me giddy. This ain't Lake Wobegon.
Jul '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Easy fix: make the 15% No Opinion watch a 5-minute YouTube video of Sharpton gasbagging as usual.
Bang, 75% Disapproval.
Aug '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
I'm surprised so many people even know who he is.
Aug '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
I view the No Opinion tranche as the cohort with the proper perspective vis a vis Al and his fellow gasbags.
Aug '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Many of those 40% were born since the Tawana Brawley case, and have never heard of it.
Noah Cross: "Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough."
Apr '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Sounds about right. The 25-30% of leftists who favor anyone on their side, no matter how loathsome.
I'd love to see a poll of how many people, particularly blacks, actually know anything about the blood this cretin has on his hands. Even in this thread we're talking about Sharpton as just another cable news blowhard. Sharpton isn't just another obnoxious talking head like Maher or Olberman. Even Jesse Jackson's actions are limited to rhetoric.
Sharpton has personally and directly instigated race riots that lead to death and destruction - notably Crown Heights and Freddie's Fashion Mart. Sharpton caused violence and destroyed lives with the Tawana Brawley hoax.
This is a vile and dangerous man who should have been marginalized from the national debate long ago. It's a disgrace that he is given a national platform and that there is never any discussion of his record.
Jan '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Cutlass
Sharpton is given a national platform because there is never any discussion of his record. To the contrary, Democrat Party politicians freely pay their respects to him and, like Sharpton himself, they suffer no consequences for their actions.
Your lapse into the passive voice is telling. Who should have marginalized Al Sharpton? His fellow Democrats, who benefit from his support and from his attacks on their political foes? The media, which is overwhelmingly Democrat, sympathizes with Sharpton's grievances, and is terrified that he might turn his minions on them? Other religious leaders, who cravenly buy into the same "social justice" tripe that Al uses as a trump card?
No, the disgrace is with conservative leaders, especially elected Republican officials who accept Sharpton as a legitimate spokeman, agree to appear next to him on TV shows and do not denounce him as the liar, fraud and threat to public safety that he is.
Rush Limbaugh can be boycotted, Pat Buchanan can be fired and Ann Coulter travels with a security guard - How's that passivity working out for you?
How do you stop a bully from taking your lunch money whenever he wants it?
Jun '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
How do you stop a bully? Contrary to popular opinion that it must be dealt with through huge bureaucratic intervention and sensitivity training, the truth remains as it always has. You must call it out and face it down or bow before it and grovel. Anything that avoids the former only feeds the latter.
Apr '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
He only has a 60% disapproval rating for the same reasons more people don't point and laugh at clowns like Reps Maxine Waters and Hank Johnson.
A number of the 40% approvers probably voted for Obama to make themselves feel better having voted for a black guy.
Feb '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Greg Vaillancourt: He only has a 60% disapproval rating for the same reasons more people don't point and laugh at clowns like Reps Maxine Waters and Hank Johnson.
A number of the 40% approvers probably voted for Obama to make themselves feel better having voted for a black guy. ยท 1 hour ago
There aren't 40% approvers. Only 25%. The other 15% don't give an opinion probably because they don't want to be picketed and harassed.
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Freesmith: If James Dobson, Tony Perkins or Mike Huckabee had the same personal baggage as Al Sharpton, would Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi or Debbie Wasserman Test stand by silent as Dobson/Perkins/Huckabee organized attacks against the Democrat power structure?
But elected Republicans are mute and run for cover when Sharpton or Jesse Jackson mount the podium.
And how is that strategy working out for GOP electoral prospects in the black community? ยท 18 hours ago
Edited 15 hours ago
Good point.
Jun '11
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Rob, as someone in the entertain industry, you know the answer: Good press.
Jun '10
Re: The Glass is 40% Empty
Maybe is he causes another Jewish man to be murdered in cold blood his disapproval rate will rise t0 65% (with the disapproval rate among democrats offsetting the 100% disapproval among non-democrats)