This is a pretty amazing poll result:
Asked to name 2 world leaders they don’t like, nearly half of all Republicans named Joe Biden first, while less than a quarter named Vladimir Putin first.
Source:
https://criticalissues.umd.edu/sites/criticalissues.umd.edu/files/CIP%20World%20Leader%20Questionnaire%20with%20results.pdf
LockerK
13512
That 3% of Independents responding Obama really jump out to me. Who are those people, the turboracists that find the Republican party is too liberal for them?
Yeah, Obama as first choice is amazing and insane.
KevinC
13514
I always assume there’s implied air quotes around “independents”. :)
KevinC
13515
Well yeah, Joe Biden stole the election from golden boy Trump! Meanwhile, what as our pal Vlad ever done to us?
In fairness, maybe Biden is the only world leader many Republicans can name?
Okay, but wouldn’t many of us have named Trump in a poll like that? Or Bush before that?
Would I have named Trump before Putin with Putin prosecuting an active war in Europe? No, I would not have.
As for Bush, during his tenure, wasn’t he clearly the most dangerous world leader of his time? Who was more destabilizing than he was?
Matt_W
13519
Interesting that Bolsnaro and Duterte don’t show up on any list.
It’s true that this provides some important context for the question at hand! As long as folks are aware of what’s happening, that is…
But isn’t there some truth to what I’m saying? I feel we can be guilty of behaviors we see from the other party but don’t recognize in ourselves. I think everyone can fall prey to the effects of divisive leadership and media.
Zylon
13521
You seem to have an implied explanation in mind with that “okay but”, that I’d really like to see you state explicitly.
Matt_W
13522
Sure, but this line of reasoning leads directly to “GOP voters hate Biden; Dem voters hated Trump. It’s all the same. Both side hate each other’s candidates. They’re both equally bad and politics is all shit.” Which is nonsense. Biden is a far better President than Trump full stop no question no quibbling without qualification. The road to false equivalence is paved with good intentions.
I endorse Matt’s excellent reply, and adopt it.
Scotten
13524
If you watched/listened to right wing media then you would likely believe the same thing. The shit that comes out of their mouths is beyond trash.
CraigM
13525
The number of people Dem aligned who named Trump as first or second is less (48%) than the number of Rep aligned who put Biden 1st (49%)
Vlad got 76% combined.
This seems… perfectly reasonable to me.
I’m just asking questions! :D
I recognize the dangers of both-sides-ing. I also recognize that Biden is objectively a better president than Trump. (Fucking duh.)
Okay, but this feels akin to the slippery slope fallacy. Meaning it doesn’t have to lead to that.
I blame deplorables and Fox News and Trump and GOP voters and all of them ALL THE TIME. And yet I feel there is value in trying to clearly see and understand any blinders I may have due to party loyalty or the echo chambers I choose.
In the end, it’s just intelligence and decency that sets us apart. I’m trying to use both of those things when I read poll results like that. It’s probably denial too. Like, how can they be so dumb to get played so hard??
Timex
13527
Trump would have us fighting against Ukraine on Russia’s side.
He is a very sharp guy. I respected him even before I become a Democrat, and vote for him 2016 before I switched parties.
The thing I take away from that poll is that Biden was the top first choice among Republicans, ahead of Putin, by more than two to one. Trump was not the top first choice of Democrats, who actually chose Putin first by nearly two to one. Republicans think of Biden first, before Putin, when they think of world leaders they don’t like, and Democrats don’t think of Trump first, they think of Putin first.
When you consider both choices, Republicans name Biden more often than Putin by 10 points, 58% to 48%. Democrats name Putin more often than Trump by 28 points, 76% to 48%.
It’s a huge difference in behavior.
