The Disconcerting Disconnect: 63% of Americans Believe that NSA is Lying About Data Collection Yet 50% Still Approve of the Program

by Gerard Emershaw  

  
According to a Pew Research Center poll released on July 26, 2013, 56% of Americans believe that the courts have not provided adequate limits on what is collected by the NSA. In addition, 70% of those surveyed believe that the government is using the data collected by the NSA for purposes other than anti-terror. Even more interesting is that 63% of those surveyed believe that the government has been lying about the NSA collecting only metadata and believe that the NSA is in fact collecting what is being said in phone calls and e-mails. However, the most interesting result from the Pew poll on the NSA is that 27% of those surveyed believe that the government has specifically listened to their phone calls or read their e-mails.

Overall, 47% of Americans believe that government anti-terror policies have gone too far in restricting civil liberties while 35% believe that government anti-terror policies have not gone far enough to protect the country. This marks a major change from recent American attitudes on this issue. In 2010, 58% of Americans surveyed in a similar Pew Research poll said that government anti-terror policies had not gone far enough to protect the country while only 27% said that these policies went too far in restricting civil liberties. 

Statists and die hard Obama apologists are likely to say that all this simply means that Tea Party blowhards and tin foil hat wearing paranoids are scaring many Americans with disinformation. Civil libertarians are likely to say that this poll data indicates that many Americans are waking up and realizing the prescience of Senator Frank Church's 1975 warning about the NSA:

"Th[e National Security Agency's] capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn’t matter. There would be no place to hide. [If a dictator ever took over, the N.S.A.] could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back."

Despite all this, half of those surveyed still voiced support for the NSA surveillance program while only 44% indicated disapproval. Why the disconnect? If so many believe that the NSA is lying and so many believe that the courts are not doing enough to protect Americans from the NSA, then how can half support the NSA data collection program?

This apparent disconnect begins to make more sense when we examine approval/disapproval of the NSA data collection program among members of the two political parties. Among Republicans, 44% approve and 50% disapprove. Among Independents, 47% approve and 48% disapprove. Among Democrats, 57% approve and 36% disapprove.

Do you see what is going on here? If you are a staunch supporter of the GOP, don't bash Democrats just yet. In a 2006 Pew Research Poll conducted on American attitudes toward the Bush warrantless wiretap program, 75% of Republicans approved while only 37% of Democrats approved.

Now it all begins to make sense. It also all begins to be even more sickening. What Democrats and Republicans both seem to agree on concerning unconstitutional violations of the Fourth Amendment by the NSA is that such dastardly actions are perfectly fine as long as their party's candidate is sitting in the Oval Office. In essence, for far too many Americans, fidelity to the Constitution does not matter as much as whether the commander-in-chief is a donkey or an elephant. For these citizens, politics is akin to sports. For the Yankees fan, when a Red Sox player steals signs from the Yankees catcher, he is a dirty cheater. However, for that same fan, when a Yankees player steals signs from the Red Sox catcher, he is playing heads up baseball. But the machinations of politicians and security agencies are not the same as the antics of professional athletes. Far more is at stake. For most of us, the outcome of a sporting event has little effect on our lives. We cheer or groan when the game is over and then move on. However, the malfeasance of security agencies like the NSA has profound effects on our privacy, our rights, and our freedom. 

When rabid partisanship becomes more important than Constitutional principles and natural rights, then the nation has devolved into a system of tyranny of the majority. When this happens, the nation has transformed into a democratic banana republic. When a party is in power, it can oppress its opponents to its heart's content. While members of the minority party may not like this, they just have to grin and bear it until the next election. When their party regains control of the White House, then it's pay back time!

But is this the kind of country we want? Is this variety of political moral relativism a good thing? Isn't the moral rightness or wrongness of an action independent of whether the actor is a donkey or an elephant? Isn't the Constitution and the natural rights that it upholds more important than which party's candidate is living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? The danger created by the widespread worship of political parties is one which threatens every American.

10 Ways to Save the Republican Party

The results of the 2012 presidential election are in, and they are not good for the GOP. Despite presiding over a disastrous administration that wrecked the economy, showed no regard for civil liberties, made health care safe for corporatism, and waged unconstitutional wars in Libya, Pakistan, and Yemen, President Barack Obama soundly defeated Governor Mitt Romney. Republican stalwarts will no doubt lick their wounds and pursue the midterm elections in 2014 and the next presidential election exactly the way they approached the 2012 elections, but this would be a grave mistake.

According to exit poll data, Romney did exceptionally well among white voters (59%), voters earning $100,000 or more a year (54%), and voters aged 65 or older (56%).  However, Romney polled very badly among women (44%), blacks (6%), Latinos (27%), and Asians (26%). While those such as Patrick J. Buchanan and Bill O’Reilly may lament the changing demographics of the United States, it is a reality than cannot be denied. The United States is not based upon ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, etc. It is based upon a shared love of freedom, tolerance, and economic mobility. The American Dream is “the pursuit of happiness” regardless of one’s ethnicity.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2011, Black Americans totaled nearly 44 million (14.1% of the US population). According to the US Census Bureau, the Hispanic population has increased 43%, rising from 35.3 million in 2000 to 50.5 million in 2010. Hispanics now make up over 16% of the US population. It is estimated that by 2050, the non-Hispanic white population of the US will drop to 46.3%. If the GOP wishes to remain a viable national party that retains the power to elect presidents and majorities in the US Senate, it cannot write off the 14.1% of the population made up by Black Americans. The GOP also cannot settle for just over a quarter of the votes of the burgeoning Hispanic population. An 11% gap among women (who make up 53% of the US population) is another troubling sign for the future of the GOP. Even worse is the fact that Romney only won 36% of voters aged 18-24, 38% of voters aged 25-29, and 42% of voters aged 30-39. Sadly, elderly voters will die off, and younger voters may not “grow up” (as the cliché goes) and become Republicans in middle-age.

If the Republican Party is to remain nationally viable, it must court the Black vote, the Hispanic vote, the female vote, and the youth vote. Even if the GOP does live up to its claim of being a “big tent,” changing demographics are going to present it with a monumental challenge. However, if the party cannot shake its perception as the party of old, white, rich, fundamentalist Christian men, the GOP may one day soon find itself as a footnote like the Whigs. When was the last time you met a Whig? How much do you really know about Millard Fillmore?

What follows are ten ways that the Republican Party can increase the size of its “tent” and begin to actively court and win over voters that it now either ignores or antagonizes.

1. Pursue humane immigration reform

Immigration reform is an important issue among Hispanics in the United States. It is no surprise that Republican views of the issue have left Hispanics cold. Herman Cain’s electrified barbed wire border fence, Mitt Romney’s “self deportation,” and Arizona’s “papers please” immigration law are (rightly) perceived by many Hispanics as racist schemes. It is estimated that the number of illegal immigrants in the US is over 11 million. Attempting to starve out these people so that they “self deport” or attempting to round them up and deport them in Gestapo fashion are impractical and inhumane ideas. The GOP cannot wait until the day that there is some ugly grey Berlin Wall-like monstrosity across the US/Mexico border – or worse yet a Terminator style army of killer drones – to pursue real immigration reform. Making it easier for immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere to legally enter the United States to work and live is the best way to cut down on illegal immigration. This will also help ensure that those who enter the country are honest and hardworking people and not criminals. Republicans may need to hold their noses and contemplate the “A-word” – amnesty – if they wish to make serious in roads among Hispanic voters. Given that President Reagan – whom most Republicans fetishize – signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, a law that granted amnesty to about three million illegal aliens who had entered the country before January 1, 1982 and resided there continuously, this would not be without precedent.

2. Stop the anti-gay rhetoric

According to a recent survey by Gallup, 3.4% of the American population is gay. While this may seem like a small number, the GOP could use all the votes that it can get. More importantly, younger Americans are becoming increasingly tolerant of gays. The cringe-inducing rhetoric of “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” or (the less well known) “Adam and Eve, not Madam and Eve” is nothing if not a turn off for young voters. Consensual gay activity does not violate the life, liberty, or property of any Americans. Gay marriage does not undermine “traditional” heterosexual marriages. While many Christian Republicans may view homosexuality as a sin, the republic is based upon the Constitution and not upon the Old Testament. The well known group Log Cabin Republicans presents strong evidence that many gay Americans favor limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility even if they happen to be sexually attracted to members of their own gender.

3. End the “War on Drugs”

A sure fire way to win over both young voters and minority voters is for the GOP to end (or at least greatly scale back) the “War onDrugs.” Despite having admitted to using illegal drugs in his youth, President Obama has done nothing to scale back the “War on Drugs.” How hypocritical is that? Imagine the GOP being able to take the high ground on this issue. Imagine how “cool” and relevant that would make the party look among younger voters. More importantly, imagine how Blacks and Latinos – who have been disproportionately affected by it – would view the GOP. For example, Blacks make up 14% of regular drug users but are 37% of those arrested for drug offenses. According to the Sentencing Project, Blacks serve almost as much timein prison for drug offenses, as Whites do for violent crimes. Imprisoning nonviolent drug offenders destroys families. The failed experiment with alcohol prohibition has taught us that it is making narcotics illegal which fuels the growth of organized crime. It is also clear that many property crimes are committed in order to obtain drugs – the price of which are artificially inflated by prohibition. Ending the “War on Drugs” also makes fiscal sense. The US federal government has spent over $1 trillion dollars on this foolish crusade. Wouldn’t that be a good place for the GOP to cut federal spending? Wouldn’t legalizing and taxing narcotics make for a nice alternative to increasing income taxes? Depending upon one’s perspective, drug addiction is either a disease or a moral weakness. And how Christian is it to imprison those who are ill or who commit minor “sins” that generally only hurt themselves?

4. Reach out to Black role models

Contrary to what many “traditionalists” in the GOP may believe, Black role models are not thugs or “welfare queens.” The most popular Black role models among American youth are entrepreneurial entertainers and athletes. Whether we are talking about Jay-Z or LeBron James, we are talking about skilled and hard working individuals who excel at what they do. These are individuals who succeeded through their own efforts and did not rise because of government entitlements. In many ways, rappers and professional athletes are among the last good examples of success through the free market (rather than through crony capitalism). Rather than whining about “gangsta rap” lyrics – there is the First Amendment, remember – Republicans should be embracing Black entertainers and athletes and pointing out that their entrepreneurial natures are more representative of Republican ideology than Democratic ideology.

5. Stop antagonizing women

Whether it exists or not, the “war on women” meme took hold during the 2012 presidential election. The cruel taunts aimed at activist and Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke by Rush Limbaugh and other well known conservatives did not help endear the GOP to women. Neither did the misogynistic statements about rape made by Akin and Mourdock. Just because a “traditional” Republican is pro-life and against public subsidies for birth control, it does not mean that he or she must resort to antagonizing women. The GOP must cease and desist with any rhetoric that even has the appearance of being misogynistic. American women are rational and just as open to strong arguments about the virtues of limited government, fiscal conservatism, and personal responsibility as American men are. The GOP must appeal to reason and not outdated gender stereotypes if it wants to win over the hearts and minds of female voters.

6. Return to a more non-interventionist foreign policy

President George W. Bush’s Iraq War was not popular among the American people – particularly among younger Americans. Denying the lies perpetrated in support the war will no longer do. The United States cannot afford to be “the policeman of the world.” The very idea of that is a Democratic idea anyway – hello, Woodrow Wilson. The United States defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II and defeated Global Communism in the Cold War. A few small and weak regimes in North Korea and the Middle East pose no real threat to the nation. The United States foreign policy should be based on Teddy Roosevelt’s old adage of “walking quietly and carrying a big stick.” If attacked, the US military has the capability of defeating any foe in the world. Why go abroad in search of monsters just to create new enemies through “blowback”? Creating a new modern military paradigm that is streamlined and prepared to fight twenty-first century conflicts – instead of wasting money to fight the wars of yesterday – would save money and make the country safer. Imagine the GOP being the “peace party.” And not some Hippie pacifist party but a strong but quiet “cowboy” nation. George W. Bush won the 2000 election in no small part to the disdain that he showed toward the Clinton-Gore policies of military interventionism. Back when Bush was a non-interventionist “compassionate conservative” rather than a Neocon “chickenhawk,” he was far more popular with the American people.

7. Downplay the Economic Royalism

Many voters perceive the GOP as a Plutocratic Party. Having “vulture capitalist” Mitt Romney as its standard bearer did little to alter this perception. The GOP often appears to only care about cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans. The obsessions with the Bush tax cuts is an example of this. Another example is the incessant whining on the right about the 47% of Americans who pay no income tax. Shouldn’t the GOP strive for a nation in which NO Americans pay income tax rather than one in which ALL Americans do?  Crusading for small businesses instead of favoring large corporations would go a long way toward helping the GOP shed its Plutocratic image. Many of the stifling federal regulations on business are those that large corporations lobby to put in place in order to gain an unfair advantage over their smaller business rivals. Free market capitalism is different from corporatism. The GOP must recognize this and get this message out to voters. If presented clearly, it would be a very popular message. Balancing the budget on the backs of the poor is also a poor strategy. The poor are victims of the welfare state and they should be empowered rather than crushed in some Social Darwinistic crusade. The GOP must first free the private sector to create jobs. Only when there are ample jobs should the Socialistic welfare state of the New Deal be dismantled.

8. Downplay the anti-intellectualism

Michelle Bachmann denigrated Barack Obama and Newt Gingrich for being “professorial.” Decades before, Democratic Party presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson was denigrated by Republicans as being an “egghead.” Herman Cain seemed to be proud not to know who the leader of Uzbekistan was. Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov is the President of Uzbekistan, by the way. George W. Bush, Rick Perry, and Sarah Palin all seemed to celebrate ignorance. Rick Santorum appeared to equate getting a college education with catching a social disease – despite the fact that he himself has a B.A, an MBA, and a JD. While it is natural for one’s religious beliefs to be important, the way that many Republican politicians view the pseudo-science of creationism as real science and turn their noses up at the Big Bang Theory or the Theory of Evolution is just comical.  Even the Vatican accepts scientific truths. In short, Republicans need to stop pretending to be stupid. They need to battle rhetoric about things such as “Global Warming” with actual scientific data instead of Biblical quotations. There is nothing wrong with being “the smartest guy in the room,” and Republicans ought to strive for that. Being constant punchlines for Jon Stewart jokes does the GOP no good. Was there anything more cringeworthy than the late Senator Ted Stevens’ explanation of the internet as “a series of tubes”?

9. Stop alienating libertarians

The libertarian wing of the Republican Party has long been an important element of the GOP coalition. The way that Mitt Romney and the RNC treated Congressman Ron Paul and his supporters was unacceptable and counterproductive. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson wound up garnering over a million votes in the 2012 presidential election – nearly double of what the 2008 candidate Bob Barr won in 2008. A million more votes would have come in handy for Mitt Romney. The Ron Paul Revolution created the kind of buzz among young Americans that the GOP should be trying to embrace rather than reject. If the GOP does not stand for the Ron Paul message of limited government and sound currency, then what does it stand for? If the GOP has degenerated into nothing but a warmongering slightly more conservative statist party, then why is it even needed?

10. Start supporting civil liberties

The GOP must come out against the NDAA, the Patriot Act, and other government policies that emulate Stasi East Germany and the other totalitarian foes that the US vanquished over the past century. Even if “they hate us for our freedom” (which they clearly do not), will taking away the freedom of Americans make our enemies hate us less? Truth be told, if we turn the nation into a police state, the terrorists have won. Emulating Orwell’s Oceania is a sign of weakness. We are Americans and we are not afraid. We live free without fear of anyone. The American people are not the enemy. They are not terrorists. They are not criminals. Thuggish organizations like the TSA do not make us safer. They just take away our rights and our dignity. Imagine the GOP being the party that defends civil liberties – both social and economic. Compared with the totalitarian Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge both supported American civil liberties. And what did that earn the GOP? Nearly a decade of dominance in American politics. No coincidence.