While President Barack Obama has focused his rhetoric in recent weeks on depicting a reckless Wall Street and insufficiently taxed "millionaires and billionaires" as threats to the American middle class, a newly released Gallup poll indicates that Americans apparently have been coming to a different conclusion during Obama's presidency, with fewer people now seeing big business as the "biggest threat" to the country in the future and more seeing big government as the "biggest threat."
Over the last forty-five years, Gallup has periodically asked this question: "In your opinion, which of the following will be the biggest threat to the country in the future--big business, big labor, or big government?"
When Gallup asked the question in a survey conducted Dec. 4-7, 2008, a month after President Obama was elected but before he was inaugurated, 53 percent said big government was the biggest threat, 31 percent said big business was the biggest threat, and 11 percent said big labor.
Three months later, in a survey conducted March 27-29, 2009, 55 percent said big government was the biggest threat, 32 percent said big business, and 10 percent said big labor.
When Gallup asked the question again two weeks ago--in a survey conducted from Nov. 28-Dec. 1--the percentage saying big government would be the biggest threat to the country in the future had grown to 64 percent--an increase of 11 percentage points from December 2008.
At the same time, the percentage saying that big business would be the biggest threat had dropped to 26 percent--a decline of 5 percentage points from December 2008 and 6 percentage points from March 2009.
Wow, why isn't that being reported? Because the media loves them some statist, government power expanding Demosocialistcrats like Obama. But, how do these poll results rate historically? Glad you asked:
The belief that big government is a bigger threat to the country than big business or big labor hit an all-time high of 65 percent in Gallup polling in 1999 and 2000, in the seventh and eighth years of the Clinton administration. After three years of the Obama administration, at 64 percent, it has now almost reached that high again.
Interestingly, according to Gallup, fear of big business has been declining during the Obama years even among Democrats, while fear of big government has been climbing.
In 2009, according to Gallup, 52 percent of Democrats said big business would be the greatest threat to the future of the country. In 2011, only 44 percent of Democrats still say that,
In 2009, only 32 percent of Democrats said big government would be the greatest threat to the future of the country. Now, in 2011, 48 percent of Democrats say big government is the greatest threat to the future of the country.
In 2009, 80 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Independents said they thought big government was the biggest threat to the future of the country. Now, in 2011, 82 percent of Republicans say that and 64 percent of Independents.
Even some dems know that Obama and his designs on dictatorship are just not good for the country. Government is doing and ruling too much. We need to breathe. But Obama and his prompter are sucking up all the oxygen. Time to change out.
