Is it possible, just possible the ruling class is out of touch with their low-life, tax-paying voters?
Interesting you should ask the question. I just found this poll showing a huge gap between what the ruling class thinks and the taxpayer.
http://newswithguts.com/article.asp?art_id=2002_12_13_2_51_4
Public and elites differ sharply on immigration
New survey finds no other issue as divisive
By David M. Bresnahan
Published 12/17/2002 12:01:00 AM
WASHINGTON -- While it has long been suspected that the public and elite opinions differ on the issue of immigration policy, a new survey provides the most compelling evidence yet that an enormous gap exists between the American public and opinion leaders on this issue -- a gap that appears to be widening.
A new report, released today, from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) is the first detailed examination of the immigration-related findings of a recent opinion survey conducted by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations earlier this year.
The survey was based on telephone interviews of ordinary Americans and a cross-section of "opinion leaders," including members of Congress, the Bush administration, church leaders, business executives, union leaders, journalists, academics, and the leaders of major interest groups.
The new CIS report, "Elite vs. Public Opinion: An Examination of Divergent Views on Immigration," by Steven Camarota and Roy Beck, was released at a panel discussion on today at the National Press Club.
The authors of the study were joined on a panel with Scott Rasmussen, president of Scott Polls, a leading political polling firm, and a frequent commentator for Fox News, CNN, and other national media; and James Gimpel, political scientist at the University of Maryland and co-author of "The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform."
The report is available on-line click here.
Among the findings in the report:
The gap between the opinions of the American people and their leaders on immigration is enormous. The poll found that 60 percent of the public regards the present level of immigration to be a "critical threat to the vital interests of the United States," compared to only 14 percent of the nation's leadership a 46 percentage-point gap.
The current gap is even wider than the 37 percentage-point difference found in 1998, when 55 percent of the public viewed immigration as a "critical threat," compared to 18 percent of opinion leaders then.
The poll results indicate that there is no other foreign policy-related issue on which the American people and their leaders disagreed more profoundly than immigration. Even on such divisive issues as globalization or strengthening the United Nations, the public and the elite are much closer together than they are on immigration.
The enormous difference between elite and public opinion can also be seen on the specific issue of illegal immigration. The survey found that 70 percent of the public said that reducing illegal immigration should be a "very important" foreign-policy goal of the United States, compared to only 22 percent of those in the elite.
Co-author Roy Beck noted that the poll's findings indicate that "continued deep public dissatisfaction with current immigration policy indicates that this is an issue just waiting for a candidate to champion it and thereby reap a significant political benefit." The is especially true, he said, because, "it could be marketed as 'anti-elite' and more in sync with the American people, a message that has traditionally been well received by voters."
Steven Camarota, the other co-author, pointed out that, "The very large difference between the elite and public opinion makes what has transpired on immigration in recent years much more understandable. It explains why border enforcement increased in the 1990s, but at the same time, enforcement within the United States was phased out. More recently it explains why broad interest group support for an illegal alien amnesty, including the business community and labor unions, has not translated into the passage of an amnesty."
Among other findings in the report:
President Bush's efforts to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants appears to be hurting him politically. While 53 percent of the public said his handling of foreign policy overall was excellent or good, on immigration only 27 percent said his handling of immigration was good or excellent.
When asked a specific question about whether legal immigration should be reduced, kept the same, or increased, 55 percent of the public said it should be reduced, and 27 percent said it should remain the same. In contrast, only 18 percent of opinion leaders said it should be reduced, and 60 percent said it should remain the same. It appears that there was no other issue specific question on which the public and elites differed more widely.
A significant discrepancy also exists with respect to illegal immigration, as when respondents were asked an open ended question "What are the biggest foreign policy problems?" The public ranked illegal immigration sixth of 69 concerns, while elites ranked it twenty-sixth.
WHY DO THE PUBLIC AND ELITES DIFFER? It is not entirely clear why the public and nation's leaders have such different views on immigration. Other areas in which the public and elites disagree are those dealing with protecting the jobs of American workers and economic competition from other countries. This strongly suggests that one of the main reasons ordinary Americans are concerned about immigration is that they fear job competition. Opinion leaders on the other hand are overwhelmingly educated, and compared to the public much more affluent. Thus at least part of the reason for the difference of opinion stems of the class interests of the two groups. However, the huge difference between the public and opinion leaders on the issue is clearly an important social phenomenon in need of further exploration. What we can say from this data is that the gap is large, persistent over time, and seems to be growing.
The complete results of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations survey can be found HERE.
