Apr 20th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Republicans are More Popular than Cuba, Less Popular than Venezuela
Chris Bowers has an interesting post that helps put the current right-wing freakout over shaking hands with Hugo Chavez in perspective. If you compare the favorable/unfavorable numbers on the GOP in the latest CNN poll and compare them to CNN’s recent survey of what Americans think about foreign countries you’ll see that there are more Venezuela fans in the United States than people who like the GOP:
It’s remarkable the extent to which press coverage of current politics doesn’t reflect the deep unpopularity of the opposition party.
21 Responses to “Republicans are More Popular than Cuba, Less Popular than Venezuela”
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April 20th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I’m impressed that apparently more than 100% of people have an opinion on Venezuela.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
If it’s any consolation, the GOP is still more popular than cleaning up your own vomit and coprophilia.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
It’s unremarkable the extent to which press coverage of current politics doesn’t reflect the deep unpopularity of the opposition party.
Fixed.
April 20th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Matt, you need to take this chart out behind the barn and shoot it. It’s busted in multiple ways.
April 20th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Wow great graph. You would think something as simple as the presentation of data would be free from partisan manipulation. I guess not. Of course I would love to hear the progressive argument for why the graph should start at 30%.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
The chart is from MattY and he works for CAP. What does anyone expect? Just taking a quick glance at the numbers, 14% named China as our biggest threat, yet their ratings given on the chart are 45+/55-. That doesn’t seem to make much sense unless – unlike MattY – those who responded may have been thinking of the Chinese people rather than their government. Likewise, there’s a difference between the members of the Republican Party and their leaders.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
When asked if one’s opinion of a country is favorable or unfavorable, are we being asked to judge the target country’s government, culture, people, landscapes, some combination of those, or what? The text of the question just reads:
“Next, I’d like your overall opinion of some foreign countries. Is your overall opinion of each of the following very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable? . . .”
Hmm. I guess it’s a combination. But how do you square countries like Iran that have absolutely reprehensible governments but thousands of years of being one of the most prominent civilizations in the world, not to mention some fascinating filmmakers, great food, and horrible taste in residential architecture (at least among the expatriates)?
April 20th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
This also reflects how disproportionate the coverage about Venezuela is. People have a lower opinion of them than China and Russia? Chavez has done some undemocratic things, but I would say human rights in Venezuela are still orders of magnitude better than in China and I don’t think opposition press people are being routinely murdered as in Russia.
April 20th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I’m frankly impressed that Matt could overlook the screwup in the numbers for the specific country he was citing.
Anyway, I attribute this to Venezuela sending better players to MLB than the GOP (e.g., Miguel Cabrera versus John Rocker).
April 20th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Mr. Yglesias, I’m a big fan of your blog, but have never commented on a post before; I’m sorry that my first note has to be that this data doesn’t pass the smell test. Something odd is afoot here.
April 20th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
The chart is imperfect (to say the least). But somehow the truth contained in the flawed presentation stands. Who can honestly deny the smell currently emanating from the Grand Old Party ? Ask John Boehner. He’s an expert on cow farts and CO2.
Good God.
April 20th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Matt, I’d take this and mail it to news outlets like NY Times and NBC, ect., this may actually give the clueless media some perspective on how the country views the gop now.
April 20th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Of course I would love to hear the progressive argument for why the graph should start at 30%.
Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Kotter!
For the same reason it ends at 70%: because there are no scores beyond those two points.
Easy answers to stupid questions.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
The data on the chart is off. According to the CNN poll Venezuela has a unfavorable rating of 54 not 64.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
joe from Lowell,
You’re mean. Let’s say we have a graph where 51% of people support same-sex marriage and 49& support gay marriage. Would it make sense to limit the approval ratings at say 48.5 and 51.5? Obviously not. But I agree the GOP is really sucking and even a non-partisan graph wouldn’t change that.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:43 am
Let’s say we have a graph where 51% of people support same-sex marriage and 49& support gay marriage.
I think Matt’s weird game-changing typos are contagious!
But anyway, gg, if the point of a graph is to demonstrate the where different data points fall on a linear scale in relation to each other (rather than to the numbers 0 and 100), it’s quite standard to excise the irrelevant range. You’re right that it appears to distort the ratio of variance, but in this case a ratio would be more misleading, as the subjects weren’t directly asked to compare the variables (i.e. “which do you like more, the GOP or Cuba?”)
If you’re looking for partisan bias in the graph, maybe focus on the fact that only one political party is mentioned.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:11 am
[...] table to a group even more out of tune with American values — Republicans. Matthew Yglesias puts together data from several polls showing that Americans view Venezuela more favorably that the [...]
April 21st, 2009 at 8:43 am
Gordon,
I’d consider it misleading to do that with just one question, but there is a whole series of questions shown on this chart, and they all fell inside that range – so it seems perfectly reasonable to set the parameters that way.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:09 am
Just what reason is there for Venezuela to give a d*mn about what the American people think of her?
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:14 am
Indeed. And if you’re looking for evidence that this blog is untroubled by such flaws, notice that the entry is about disapproval of Mr. Chavez, and the evidence we are given has to do with opinions of Venezuela. Surely there is more to Venezuela than Mr. Chavez. At least, there is for me.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
[...] wrote the other day that “It’s remarkable the extent to which press coverage of current politics doesn’t [...]