Democracy Has Prevailed.

December 13, 2007

Fact-Checking The Trib

In one of today's editorials at the Trib (hey, guys - we here at 2PJ are BIG fans of yours), Senator McCain and Mayor Giuliani are excoriated for their positions on immigration. Stuck in the middle of the screed you can read this:
Never mind that the majority of Americans want the illegals' pathway to end.
I guess that would depend on the definition of "majority" is. Take a look.

In a recent (Nov/Dec, 2008) LATimes/Bloomberg poll, this question was asked:
One proposal that has been discussed in Congress would allow illegal immigrants who have been living and working in the United States for a number of years, and who do not have a criminal record, to start on a path to citizenship by registering that they are in the country, paying a fine, getting fingerprinted, and learning English, among other requirements. Do you support or oppose this, or haven't you heard enough about it to say?
The result? 60% Support, 15% oppose and 25% are unsure.

60% is a majority, last I checked.

Or there's this poll from ABC from late September. They asked:
Would you support or oppose a program giving ILLEGAL immigrants now living in the United States the right to live here LEGALLY if they pay a fine and meet other requirements?
The result? 58% Support, 35% oppose and 7% are unsure.

58% is also a majority.

Doesn't the editorial board at the Trib worry that someone is going to check their "facts"? Or is that just another example of "truthiness"?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

John K. says: The Trib was right. But then a 20% poll to the left is the majority of the people. You forget that when this issue was front and center the majority made so many responses to their elected representives that the issue was cancelled in Congress. Later the "Dream Act" was also killed by the same majority response. And by the way, the President supported those initiative. So yes, the Trib got it right. But when facts interfere with the agenda, for the left, the agenda wins out.

Dayvoe said...

I don't think anything else needs to be said about the cognitive processes of our friend, John K.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: If anyone doubts me, I have the votes. If 58% supported this idea, then The President would have passed his Immigration bill. Supported by Sen. McCain as well Sen. L. Grahamn. But it didn't pass, and neither did the Dream Act. The Trib is right. I am not sure were 58% came from but then again the left thinks 20% is a majority of the voters.

Anonymous said...

John is hardly alone on this blog in his impaired analytical skills, sad to say. There is XRanger, who believes the voters ousted a Republican Congress for being too liberal (huh?!?!?!?!) while voting in a MORE liberal (although still well right-of-center) Democratic Congress. And that exploding the national debt to fight a war for some purpose that still eludes logic constitutes "fiscal backbone."

But at least X approaches politics with rhetoric that doesn't ALWAYS sound as though it comes from under a tin-foil chapeau. He even writes the occasional post that is NOT based on simple and rather unclever insults, and he has finally recognized that WaPo is just another outlet for AEI Big Lies.

OTOH, unfortunately, our newest Whacky Wingnut, for whom I had some hope as a reasonable spokesman for the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Wingnuttia early on, has proved himself to be on the same irrational track as the rest of the Lunatic Right and has decided to adopt the tactic that John employs in such an entertaining fashion. Of course MOT adds his own drone track to the Half-Baked Harmony with his "You are so-o-o-o-o angry" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. This, ironically, while foam seeps out from between his lips. Oh well, I guess we get enough LOLs and LMAOs from the other attempted (but failed) troll and one does enjoy a little variety in one's Bulletins from Bedlam, doesn't one?

Are two clowns on a blog enough? Are six too many? (Sorry, but for some reason, old laxative commercials come to mind when thinking of Birchers and other Far Right zanies.)

CB Phillips said...

I think they meant the majority of REAL Americans, not the panty-waist liberals who aren't scared of all the brown people. Silly David.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: If I am wrong then its simple to make a fool of me. Pass the Immigration Act, stop funding the war in Iraq, pass a date that all troops have to be withdrawn from Iraq and rescind the 2001 tax cuts. Democrats would love to do this with their "liberal' congress. Problem is the congress along with the country is not liberal. But when you existence is spent conversing among fellow liberals, then I can clearly why they would think 20% is a majority. The Democrat congress cannot even modify the AMT. The President wins again!

Anonymous said...

Problem is the congress along with the country is not liberal.
Damn. From the mouths of babes and fools oft comes truth. When you're right, you're right, John K. This is exactly America's problem.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the remainder of your comment is fairly incoherent.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: I am the MAN!

Justin said...

Correction, fillipelli, if we were afraid of the "brown people", wouldn't we want to get rid of them? Kind of like you do?

We, on the other hand, are at peace with the idea of folks with skin of a different color, who might speak a funny language, living here.

CB Phillips said...

Um, Justin, I was being sarcastic. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Justin said...

Eh, don't mind me. I guess I've read one too many comments like that not made in jest. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

J Schmuck, I gotta tell ya, you are da man.

You and I will undoubtedly never see eye to eye, but I absolutely appreciate anyone who holds their position throughout, and delivers in in such a clever manner.

As always, i look forward to your next post 9but I will NOT agree with it)

Anonymous said...

As always, i look forward to your next post (but I will NOT agree with it)
The Bush Administration is competent, honest, patriotic, and sane. (:^}