America petrified
This blows my mind.
35% believe a terror attack is likely over the next several weeks?
That's incredible.
According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, 35 percent of Americans believe a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States is likely over the next several weeks. The figure is the lowest in a CNN poll since the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.....
35% believe a terror attack is likely over the next several weeks?
That's incredible.
posted by mikevotes at
7:06 AM
7 Comments:
Republicans in power. Election year. Lieberman, McCain, Cheney. Bomb, Bomb, Bomb. Bomb, Bomb Iran. FOX News, CNN, MSNBC... Hate radio in every market.
Yeah I can see why 35% would think this. This is just slightly higher than the number who think Bushie's doin' a heck of a job! Hell, I'll bet more than 10% still believe 9/11 was an inside job.
By
-epm, at 7:20 AM
But let's point out that's the lowest it's ever been.
Don't really know the context of the polling question, but this would mean that over a third of the country is still twitchy, waiting for an imminent attack, day to day, for seven years.
I'm willing to concede possible, or open that time horizon, likely over the next 5 or ten years,
But to be waiting imminently like that for seven years......
By
mikevotes, at 7:26 AM
I think the phrase "a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States" may be key here. I don't think respondents necessarily are cowering sleep-deprived under their beds waiting for their piece of the American pie to blow up. More likely then respondents think it's likely for a something to happen somewhere, like NYC or LA, or some nondescript seaport, but not in Des Moines or Fargo or Hattiesburg.
I'd go so far as to say a similar proportion of Congress feels this way as well. It could at least partly explain the continued capitulation to Bush on "national security" matters?
By
-epm, at 7:39 AM
Even if it's not in my back yard, that number doesn't seem really high to you? "In the next several weeks" for seven years?
By
mikevotes, at 8:20 AM
Count me as very surprised by this stat. I mean, this is the lowest number in years, and at least this many people have believed for years now that an attack is imminent in the next several weeks, but nobody seems to connect to the dots when it doesn't happen. It's like the "Friedman unit".
I've seen that certain people seem to like to live in fear; they get an odd sense of self-importance from it. But I'd never have suspected numbers like this.
OTOH, if this (ridiculously high) number is going down, then it means the Republican 'terror machine' is meeting with some kind of diminishing returns.
Good job picking this up, in any case.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 9:13 AM
35% is the lowest? Stunning.
By
Praguetwin, at 9:56 AM
That's kinda what I'm saying. That seems just an ungodly high number to be expecting imminent attack, and that's the lowest.
Again, probably needs to be said, we don't actually know the polling question or the context, but still....
By
mikevotes, at 10:34 AM
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