Gallup Poll: Americans More Positive on Troop Surge
Some Americans — Republicans and, even more so, Independents — have become more optimistic in the past month. But not Democrats.
Democratic bloggers like to refer to themselves as the “reality-based” community. A better moniker for a community whose perceptions are so deeply entrenched that they can’t be altered by changing facts is “reality-denial.”
The complete Gallup report is here .
The Surge was a short term strategy built around the idea that if violence levels could be lessened, maybe political reconciliation could happen. It is short term because from the outset, it was not possible to maintain the increased troop levels due to inadequate numbers of troops to deploy. We are now nearing the time when they must start coming home no matter what.
It is great that violence is down at the moment. I say at the moment because there is no reason at present to expect it to stay down.
Violence is down because of an unsustainable Surge with more cops on the street. It is down as the factions have cleansed their own turf and are re-organizing for greater confrontation ahead.
Nothing suggests that the dominant factions in the country are inclined to try to get along, as opposed to resorting to violence.
“Democratic bloggers like to refer to themselves as the “reality-based” community. A better moniker for a community whose perceptions are so deeply entrenched that they can’t be altered by changing facts is “reality-denial.””
So the majority says what is facts now? Come on; I can see your angle but your construction is just woeful.
Marc: you’re entirely correct. I noticed the same thing and think I mentioned it once as well. The reality based community is becoming a bit detached from reality as it were.
"Facts are facts, no matter the percentage of people who are aware of them or believe in them. The majority doesn’t determine the facts; neither does the minority."
A drop in violence is not the best definition of success. Right before Tet and the steady loss of troop levels and public support for the Vietnam War all the numbers and stats were looking hunky-dory. Yet something never happened in Vietnam… Something… Oh yeah - political reconciliation. I am hearing everything about this most important development - that it is not happening or that it is.
Well guess what - those on the left have a bias against seeing this critical development (not all but y’know) and many of those on the right have a bias for seeing it. Who’s correct here? I dunno.
I have not seen anything strong for the belief that the undeniable drop in violence has been accompanied by the more important reconciliation. So I can’t say the troop surge is the new black, and I won’t have myself called reality-detached because of this.
Surge now has over twice the approval rating that Congress does. Heh.
So if a big drop in violence isn’t progress, then a big increase in violence wouldn’t be a setback?
"So if a big drop in violence isn’t progress, then a big increase in violence wouldn’t be a setback?"
It’s progress but it doesn’t constitute "success" for the surge according to its own rationale.
Well in that separate respect it is obviously better. But predicting that more troops in an area decreases the chance of deaths in protected civilians isn’t Vietnamese quantum physics to begin with.