Which Party Cares About Liberty?

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”- attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

I always thought the Republicans were the party more concerned with Essential Liberty.

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed.- Barry Goldwater

If that was ever true, it is true no longer. The Republicans and their supporters have little regard for Essential Liberty and are clamoring for a little Temporary Safety.

Asked if they would favor or oppose a
number of different specific methods to combat terror, the partisan
division is clear in most questions.

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Would you favor allowing these methods if it meant increased protection from terrorist acts?*	OVER-ALL	DEM	GOP	IND
Allowing video surveillance of public places	80%	77%	87%	74%
Allowing your purse, handbag, briefcase, backpack, or packages to be searched at random anywhere	55%	45%	66%	52%
n Allowing regularn roadblocks to search vehicles n	ntttttt nttttttt 48% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 38% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 62% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 44% ntttttt nttttt
n Allowing your car ton be searched at random n	ntttttt nttttttt 45% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 37% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 60% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 36% ntttttt nttttt
n Allowing yourn telephone conversations to be monitored n	ntttttt nttttttt 37% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 20% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 56% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 34% ntttttt nttttt
n Allowing your mail ton be searched at random n	ntttttt nttttttt 36% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 26% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 49% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 31% ntttttt nttttt

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*Percent agreeing with method reported

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The series of questions reveals that majorities of Democrats oppose all surveillance methods except video surveillance of public places, while independents align with Democrats on this series of questions on all issues except random searches of purses, handbags, backpacks and other packages, where a narrow majority of independents are in favor. In all cases, however, independents track closer to Democratic percentages than the more stridently favorable views of Republicans. A majority of GOP voters, meanwhile, favor all types of searches, with the exception of random mail searches—but even on this least popular anti-terror measure, a narrow plurality of Republicans backs the measure.”,1]
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Allowing regular
roadblocks to search vehicles

Allowing your car to
be searched at random

Allowing your
telephone conversations to be monitored

Allowing your mail to
be searched at random

*Percent agreeing with method reported

More depressing poll numbers below.

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Do you agree or disagree that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 terror attacks?	OVER-ALL	DEM	GOP	IND
Agree	46%	32%	65%	39%
Disagree	50%	65%	30%	56% <!– D(["mb","nttttt

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As withnother questions, the survey’s queries about Saddam’s reputed involvement inn9/11 show Democrats and Republicans holding opposite views. But, just ahead of the 2006 mid-termnelections, independents are tracking closer to Democrats than Republicans onnthese questions.

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Pollster John Zogby: “Five years after 9/11, the dramatic resultsnfrom this survey are found in the different partisan perceptions of nationalnsecurity, and what people believe should be done to keep our country safe.nDemocrats and independents line up against the policies of the Bushnadministration, while Republicans line up supporting them.

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“Most Republicans said it wasnright for the U.S. to expand the war on terrorism by attacking Iraq, that therenwas a connection between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 terror attacks, and thatnthey believe the government should have the right to conduct searches ofnpersonal property and telephone conversations to find terrorists. MostnDemocrats disagree on every point.

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“If I were advising Democrats,nI would tell them to energize their base on this issue. If I were advisingnRepublicans, I would tell them to energize their base on this issue. Thendifference is, the President is doing this right now. The Democrats are not.”

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The survey of 1,014 likely voters nationwide, which also places President Bush’s job approval rating at 37%, was conducted Sept. 1 through 5, 2006, and has a margin of effort of +/-3.1 percentage points.

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For a detailed methodological statement on this poll, pleasengo to:

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http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?IDu003d1137

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Please click the link below to view the full news release:
nhttp://www.zogby.com/news”,1]
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Do you agree or disagree that the War in Iraq has been worth the loss of American lives?	<!– D(["mb","nttttttt OVER-ALL ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt DEM ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt GOP ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt IND ntttttt nttttt
n Agree n	ntttttt nttttttt 36% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 20% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 58% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 28% ntttttt nttttt
n Disagree n	ntttttt nttttttt 58% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 78% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 32% ntttttt nttttt	ntttttt nttttttt 66% ntttttt nttttt

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The question of whether the war has been worth the loss of Americannlives finds stark differences on a number of fronts-respondents aged 30 to 49nare much more inclined to believe the war worth the cost than their peers innother groups, although men and women see eye-to-eye on the question. Residents of large cities are least likelynto believe the war worth its costs, while small-city residents are most likelynto believe the war’s human costs justified.

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The division is starker, though, on the question of whether expandingnthe War on Terror by invading Iraq was the right decision. There, 49% say the invasion was the rightndecision, while 50% disagree. While thennation is completely split on the question, there is a clear partisan componentnto those views, with 82% of Republicans saying the decision was the right one,nwhile 77% of Democrats and 60% of independents disagree.”,1]
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OVER-ALL