Despite Barack Obama's continuous attempts to pit one group of Americans against another, Gallup finds that fewer Americans (41%) see the United States as divided into "haves" and "have-nots" than those that do not see it that way (58%).The Occupy movement which held a class warfare theme, instigated by Obama and embraced by Democrats and liberals, received much ink from myself and others while covering their antics which included but were not limited to, violence, death threats, occupying public parks, defecating in public, urinating in public, living in tents and complaining about the "haves" claiming 99 percent are "have-nots."
The majority of Americans disagree.
If forced to chose what they self identify as, 58 percent again would identify as the "haves" while only 34 percent see themselves as "have-nots"
The Breakdown:
Not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats are on opposite ends of the spectrum in both cases, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to say society is divided into haves and have nots, and more likely to see themselves in the "have nots" group. However, it is independents and moderates who since 2008 have grown significantly less likely to see society this way.
Implications, via Gallup:
Americans' views of their own position as "haves" or "have nots" have been remarkably stable, even as the nation's economic problems have intensified. Still, the finding that fewer Americans now than in 2008 consider U.S. society as divided into "haves" and "have nots" suggests a decreasing -- rather than increasing -- level of worry about unfair income distribution in the U.S. at this time.
As populists and politicians have made inequality more of a political issue, moderates and independents in particular are turning away from the idea of a society divided in two. Thus, Americans as a whole are no more likely to see the country as divided into haves and have nots than at any time in the past two decades.
In another Gallup poll, they find more Americans say it is important that the federal government enact policies that grow the economy and increase equality of opportunity than say the same about reducing the income and wealth gap between the rich and the poor.
Obama's Hail Mary in trying to distract the public from his dismal job performance and disastrous economic policies by inciting a class war which resulted in the out-of-control Occupiers causing chaos across the country... failed.
Last minute thought...... this means the Occupiers need to change their "We are the 99%" to "We are the 34%".
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