I can remember back in the '70s the Oklahoma Republican Party, telling the Voter the different. Today, some County Republican Party try to do it with NO help from the State Party.
I do know that State Senator Anthony Sykes has try by himself to go around the State, talking to group about the different.
Political platforms confusing to voters
Research shows Oklahomans' beliefs zigzag between the parties, and many aren't sure which camp advocates what action.
The political views of Oklahoma voters look more like they were picked up on a cafeteria line than ordered off a menu, research by Oklahoma City pollster Bill Shapard and University of Oklahoma political science professor Keith Gaddie suggests.
"When you read a position from one of the party platforms, voters will say, 'I like that,' " said Shapard. "Then you read from the other party's platform and voters say, 'I like that, too.' "
Party platforms typically are written by activists, Shapard and Gaddie point out. The result is often a long list of extreme positions -- a menu with no substitutions allowed.
But individuals develop sets of opinions that rarely match either Democratic or Republican party dogma and sometimes differ in surprising ways -- like brown gravy on chicken fried steak or mashed potatoes with ketchup.
Gaddie and Shapard's research, for instance, found Oklahomans strongly opposed to homosexuality but remarkably open to the idea of civil unions. Three-quarters favor universal health care. More than two-thirds support full access to birth-control and human sexuality information. Nearly two-thirds believe human activity is changing the Earth's climate.
Well over half think Oklahomans should at least have the opportunity to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.
But that doesn't mean Oklahomans don't hate taxes, think illegal immigrants ought to go back where they came from, and look with suspicion on government.
"It's kind of a conservative progressivism," said Shapard. "Or progressive conservatism."
Shapard and Gaddie are collaborating on research into the Oklahoma voting public as the state enters its second century. Their work includes a series of surveys by Shapard's polling firm, which also conducts the Oklahoma Polls sponsored by the Tulsa World and KOTV, channel 6.
Shapard and Gaddie's first survey, at the end of January, included 517 likely voters.
Respondents were read planks from state Republican and Democratic party platforms, without the parties being identified, and asked if they agreed or disagreed. The planks chosen were not intended to be representative of the platform as a whole, but a majority of respondents agreed with 15 of 18 Republican positions. More agreed than disagreed with one other Republican position.
Thirteen of 19 Democratic positions received majority approval. More agreed than disagreed with all of the remaining six.
Gaddie said those results may reflect how carefully parties couch their positions.
"The parties really hone their messages," he said. "When someone reads them, they say, 'That sounds reasonable.' "
"People like things to be reasonable," Shapard said. "Nobody likes to feel like they're voting for something that's not reasonable."
Survey participants were also asked to identify eight statements as either Republican or Democratic platform statements. In no case did a majority give the correct answer.
For all the crossover, though, the survey revealed some issues that clearly define Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats, for instance, are much more supportive of government-funded stem cell research, universal health care and the free exchange of birth control information. They are more likely to believe humans have an impact on global climate, oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and support reduction of forces in Iraq.
Almost 80 percent of Republicans said they view abortion as murder and are more sensitive to schools teaching religious views against parents' wishes. They are more likely to favor tax cuts and withdrawal of the United Nations.
Shapard and Gaddie plan at least two more statewide surveys and hope to publish their findings in book form before November's general election.
How the poll was conducted
Soonerpoll.com of Oklahoma City surveyed 517 likely voters registered in Oklahoma. Likely voters are those who have established a frequent voting record. The poll was done Jan. 30-Feb. 5 and included 211 Republicans, 286 Democrats and 20 independents. The margin of error is 4.3 percentage points.
No comments:
Post a Comment