Gallup: 22% of Democrats consider themselves conservative

Oookay. . . .

Make of this what you will:

Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.

Asking people to label themselves this way seems to say very little about their actual political beliefs. The terms "liberal," "moderate," and even "democrat" appear to be so disconnected from stands on issues, and voting decisions, as to be rendered meaningless.

Only 5% surveyed placed themselves on the far left. Though I'm sure that many of his supporters didn't perceive Obama as far-left, many must have seen him as at least a liberal. But many self-described "moderates" and "conservative democrats" had to have voted for Obama. What can it mean to be a conservative Democrat if you vote for the ultra-liberal Dem candidate? Not much is my guess.

I don't think we're all defining these terms the same way. It's much more meaningful to survey people on specific issues.

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