Will Low Satisfaction Rate Affect U.S. Election?

Here’s another indicator which dovetails nicely with everything else we’ve seen measuring the sentiment of the US consumer:

Source: Gallop Poll

First of all, who exactly are these people that are satisfied with things now? 7% is 21 million people!

In any case, the last two times that American’s were this unhappy during election time, the results were bad for the incumbent party. Change is a tough proposition for us humans. We much prefer the status quo. But when times are really tough, then we begrudgingly accept the need for change.

I was in Spain (but not in Madrid) when they had their version of 9/11. That tragedy totally changed the outcome of the elections. Before that day the polls were expecting a total crushing defeat for Zapatero but in less than a week it was the opposite.

Getting back to the chart, in 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter and in 1992 Bill Clinton defeated George H. Bush. You can already see this reflected in polls which put Obama way ahead of McCain.

Comments

[vbierschwale:]

I created a You Tube video that is on my web site titled "Poor ole Uncle Sam" that I believe explains exactly what we are doing wrong in a general sense and how to correct these things.

I doubt anybody will look at it that suffers from the "can't see the forest for the tree's", but if you have an open mind, you might want to take a look at it.

Virgil

www.KeepAmericaAtWork....

2008 Oct 20 09:18 AM

[bearfund:]

I doubt this is going to have much effect on the election. If people were genuinely as dissatisfied as the polls suggest, Ron Paul would be the Republican candidate and would have a 60 point lead over Barack Obama. That he captured only a dozen primary delegates suggests that, as you hinted, satisfaction with the status quo is very high and demand for change all but nonexistent. As with any other psychological indicator, it's usually wiser to watch the tape. What people say and what they mean are often very different.

2008 Oct 20 10:45 AM

[Smarty_Pants:]

What the public wants if of little consequence for the elections. The 'system' is operated to prevent the public from having any viable alternative. See Ron Paul campaign for an example. The *only* candidate with a different viewpoint was ignored, excluded, and ridiculed by the lamestream media until he dropped out of the race.

Now that his predictions are coming true, he is often sought for explanations about government actions on the current banking crises.

There will never be a viable alternative to 'the party'. Only varying flavors of what we've always had. Power and corruption for self and cronies.

Recall that the public *wanted* to defeat the bailout bill, yet despite heavy pressure could only delay its passage, and even then it was loaded down with an extra $150 Billion in pork spending.

Recent events leave no doubt in the mind of anyone with a objective viewpoint that the government is only truly concerned about itself and the lobbiests who fund their campaigns. The public weal runs a distant third at best.

2008 Oct 20 02:44 PM

[moonbat1775:]

Well, since Obama and McCain and Bernanke are of the same conventional thinking that got us into this mess, how can it get any better?

America has an abscessed tooth,
the name, the banking system.
One day we'll have to fix that thing
or the End we won't be missing.

2008 Oct 20 02:55 PM

[Tony Petroski:]

The party in power, since 2006, has been the Democrats. George Bush isn't a dictator, although Barack the Magnificent is well on his way.

2008 Oct 20 07:50 PM

[Jason Rines...:]

America has been here before with the exact same causes and very similar effects. The system does work to remove those corrupt in power and it is the public that gathers it's own research into this area. Nothing like nudging the process along however: ragingdebate.com/about

2008 Oct 21 02:55 PM

[alajac:]

That big rally was on p-poor volume. This baby is going DOWN BIG.

To those who search in vain for 'job growth',
GET WITH THE 21ST CENTURY:
ROBOTS AND COMPUTERS
DO ALL OF THE ACTUAL PRODUCTIVE LABOR.
All that is left is arts, crafts, service,
and sh*t work that isn't profitable to automate
as long as there are $8/hr wage slaves
lined up for miles for every $8/hr job opening.

You can't get bank transparency when the government is guaranteeing the losses. FDIC and every other kind of government guarantee has to go.

Make the banks earn the bailout by giving them the money via equal-dollar distribution to every legal US resident ($700B divided by 350M=$2000 ea.) Then no other stimulus is needed. They'll have to get transparent and extend credit to earn the deposits.

When all governments issue new currency in this manner, there will no longer be an illegal immigration problem.

Write-in Alan Jacquemotte for US President

to show support for this plan,

and your disdain for the other candidates, who, unlike Alan,

didn't see this coming and don't know what to do about it.

2008 Oct 21 03:34 PM

[alajac:]

The Party in power, since 1789, has been the banker's WAR PARTY.

2008 Oct 22 06:08 AM