Conservatives Have Some Pretty Confused Thoughts About Vladimir Putin These Days
Spend enough time down in the dodgier neighborhoods of our political discourse, and you'll come away with the funny feeling that the most flamboyant critics of the White House and its current occupant maybe don't have a real appreciation for what true "tyranny" and "autocracy" look like. People have some funny emotions sometimes, and it leads them to just toss around words, willy-nilly.
On the one hand, conservatives are much less likely to view Obama in positive terms and more likely to view Putin as effective, experienced, bold and strong. However, Putin does not even get as much credit as Obama when it comes to other positive values -- like sincerity, honesty and religiosity -- suggesting only a begrudging respect for Putin.
It is striking Putin and Obama are not far from each other on any of these positive features. But the overall picture does not suggest conservatives are fond of Putin.
Maybe so, but these crosstabs are pretty strange!
(All respondents) Which President has values more similar to yours? 45% Obama 10% Putin 45% Not sure
Among Republicans:
23% Obama
18% Putin
59% Not sure
Among conservatives:
18% Obama
18% Putin
65% Not sure
The extent to which you can so completely lose the thread of what constitutes basic political and societal norms in the United States and Russia that you cannot be sure who holds values more similar to yours is a serious disorder.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/03/poll-conservatives-putin_n_4891032.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
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