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The “new American center” (not as split as we thought) – new NBC survey hints that new political party is desired

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No Democrats No Republicans

Today, NBC News and Esquire magazine released the results of a survey that they conducted to measure the “national sentiment” of Americans. The results of the survey show that the United States may not be as divided as we think. Typically characterized as a nation with beliefs that fall strictly in line with Republican and Democrat ideals, this new survey shows that “at the center of national sentiment there’s no longer a chasm but a common ground where a diverse and growing majority is bound by a surprising set of shared ideas.” The survey results show that the nation is divided into eight segments which they list as follows (ordered from liberal to conservative):

  1. Bleeding Hearts
  2. The Gospel Left
  3. Minivan Moderates
  4. The MBA middle
  5. Pick-up Populists
  6. Whatever Man
  7. The Righteous Right
  8. Talk Radio Heads

The surprising result is that a majority of Americans fall within the four segments in the middle, representing no clear cut political affiliation, and represent a very powerful (but unheard) voice in the country. According to NBC, the political arena is ripe for picking for any platform (new or existing) that is smart enough to step in and fill the need:

“The center is real, passionate and persuadable. It leans Democratic but a majority of those in the center agree with a mix of Republican and Democratic ideas, and about the same percentage self-describe as neither liberal nor conservative. The center, in other words, is ready to swing — and in the years ahead a nimble political platform could swing along with it.”

Here’s a sampling of the survey results and how the “new American center” felt about these issues.

  • America is still the greatest country in the world (54%)
  • America can no longer afford to spend money on foreign aid (81%)
  • Fear another 9/11 or Boston-style bombing is likely (70%)
  • Believe their children’s lives will be more difficult than their own (62%)
  • Feel the rich keep getting richer at the expense of everyone else (70%)
  • Desire a federal minimum wage hike to no less than $10 per hour (67%)
  • Support offshore drilling (81%)
  • Support the death penalty (90%)
  • Believe respect for minority rights has gone overboard, in general, harming the majority in the process (63%)
  • Are mostly white (78%)
  • Believe registered voters should be required to show a photo id (58%)
  • Oppose providing illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship (54%)
  • Feel churches and religious organizations should have no role in politics (69%)
  • Agree that the U.S. will be at risk if we’re not able to maintain a military and economic edge over China (62%)
  • Support raising taxes on the rich (76%)
  • When it comes to politics, often agree with some ideas that Democrats have and some ideas that Republicans have (58%)
Sources: Esquire Magazine, NBC News

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