The Silent Majority

[Scuba]

The term was popularized (though not first used) by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a November 3, 1969, speech in which he said, "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support."[2] In this usage it referred to those Americans who did not join in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time, who did not join in the counterculture, and who did not participate in public discourse. Nixon along with many others saw this group of Middle Americans as being overshadowed in the media by the more vocal minority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_majority


Nixon's implication was that there was a majority of Americans who supported his conservative (by 1968 standards) policies. It may have even been true at the time.

But who does the term "silent majority" describe today? I'll posit that the silent majority is actually quite liberal, but through both intimidation by right-wing threats and a lack of voice in the major media remain relatively quiet if not silent.

Bah, America is a conservative nation, say the "adults in the room". Bullshit, say I.

Look at the Congregation at the church in Indiana, where 80% of the members resigned after a gay choir director was forced out of his job. Look at the drop in viewership for Duck Dynasty.

Look at the support for Social Security, for instance ...

A recent poll, for instance, by Public Policy Polling, released on Nov. 20, found that voters, by an “overwhelming margin,” support expanded Social Security benefits, not cuts in the 77-year-old New Deal program. Fully 65% of those polled supported expanding benefits, while on nine out of 10 questions about cutting Social Security benefits, the “no cuts” position won by over 70%, with only one question showing the “no-cuts” position winning by “just” 66%.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/21-7


Meanwhile, in Colorado, legalization of marijuana for recreational use won a 2012 referendum with 50,000 more votes than President Obama received on the very same ballots.

The fact is, Americans are far more liberal than the politicians in Washington believe they are (or say they believe they are) ...

POLITICIANS THINK AMERICAN VOTERS ARE MORE CONSERVATIVE
THAN THEY REALLY ARE

When we compare what legislators believe their constituents want to their constituents’ actual
views, we discover that politicians hold remarkably inaccurate perceptions. Pick an American
state legislator at random, and chances are that he or she will have massive misperceptions about
district views on big-ticket issues, typically missing the mark by 15 percentage points.

What is more, the mistakes legislators make tend to fall in one direction, giving U.S. politics a
rightward tilt compared to what most voters say they want. As the following figures show,
legislators usually believe their constituents are more conservative than they actually are. Our
attitude measurements are most accurate on the questions about same sex marriage and universal
health insurance – and in both instances the legislators’ guesses about their constituents’ views
were 15-20 percent more conservative, on average, than the true public support for same-sex
marriage or universal health care present in their districts.

http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_key_findings_broockman_and_skovron_on_what_politicians_believe_about_their_constituents1.pdf


Fact is, when politicians run on progressive/liberal platforms they win. That true in Minnesota (Franken, Ellison) and Wisconsin (Baldwin) as well as NYC (De Blasio). That old "liberals can't win here" argument is a red herring.

The American People are once again ahead of the curve while the politicians and media try to hold us back. I think it's time the Silent Majority made some noise.

[KansDem]

1. Remember this poster?

"Silent Majority"

Came out about that time. Final scene from "Easy Rider" (1969)

[Scuba]

2. The intimidation component. Meanwhile, minority voices are amplified by a zillion watts.