I lived in Calif. from 1967-1988. Was in to fishing more than guns, but I could sense walls closing around me as a free citizen. I
bailed when they had another one of those never-ending increases in smog restrictions.
I don't think this next is worth a seperate thread, even though we're getting close to the cutoff point, but it is a good example of the self-delusion now going on there. "So what if I'm slowly losing my freedom? My 401K is doing great!"
STORY
State Voters See Only Blue Skies
John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer
Times have never been better for California voters, who say in record numbers that the nation and the state are cruising along in the right direction.
More than two-thirds of the voters surveyed in a new Field Poll believe that things are going right for the country, up from 54 percent who felt the same way last year. Only 25 percent think the United States is on the wrong track, compared to 37 percent in the 1999 survey.
"This is the biggest number we've seen since we started asking the question in 1988," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "This question is used as a general gauge of public satisfaction and it's an unambiguous reply."
The poll shows that satisfaction extends across the demographic spectrum - from age to gender to religion to economic status. Even 58 percent of the people not in the labor force, either unemployed or not working by choice, think things are going great in the United States.
Among all the subgroups, the only blip on the good-times radar screen is a political one. Voters who support the Republican ticket of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have only a 46-to-43 percent favorable view of the way things are going, while 48 percent of conservative voters think life in America is on the skids, compared to 43 percent who believe things are fine.
"It's likely that those views are being held mainly for political reasons," DiCamillo said.
"How's it going?" is the ultimate political question, as then-President George Bush found out in 1992. With the country in the depths of a recession, 82 percent of California voters thought the United States was going down the wrong track, compared to 16 percent who believed the country should 'stay the course,' as Bush suggested.
A few months later, Bush was out, replaced by Democrat Bill Clinton.
The public's buoyant mood is probably bad news for George W. Bush, who is faced with the thankless task of convincing voters that things really aren't as good as they seem.
"It's a lot easier to tell people that if they don't throw the bums out the country will go to hell in a hand basket," admitted Sal Russo, a veteran GOP consultant. "Since people are complacent, he (Bush) has to start talking about the bad things that (Democratic nominee) Al Gore will do."
Ebullient Democrats are convinced that won't work.
"Republicans in California are seen like the neighbor's dog that won't stop barking," said Bob Mulholland, a state party spokesman. "Anyone arguing for change right now should see a psychiatrist."
The poll shows that 82 percent of the Democrats and 88 percent of the voters who style themselves as liberal are pleased with the country's direction. Those supporting the Democratic ticket, however, see bright skies ahead by a staggering 90 percent to 5 percent.
The good feelings in California run wide and deep, the poll shows. While 76 percent of upper-income voters, those with a household income of more than $75,000 per year, like the way things are going, 63 percent of those earning less than $40,000 feel the same way.
There is little difference among voters of different ages. The highest positive feelings, 70 percent, are found among the youngest voters, ages 18 to 39. But even among voters 60 and older - typically more conservative - 65 percent have only good feelings about the future.
A Gallup Poll released this week shows that, nationally, 63 percent of the people pronounce themselves satisfied with the country's progress, while 33 percent feel things should be better.
"Our poll numbers are more optimistic than any other numbers I've seen published,'' DiCamillo said. ""Californians are clearly more optimistic about the way the country is going."
The feelings about California's future are similar, if not quite so ecstatic. Among registered voters, 58 percent think the state is doing well, compared to 35 percent who see it heading down the wrong track. While that's the highest positive number ever record by the Field Poll, it's only slightly different from last year's 52 percent to 34 percent.
The survey is based on a random survey of 505 registered California voters and was conducted Aug. 18 through Aug. 22. The margin of error is 4.5 percent in either direction.
E-mail John Wildermuth at jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com
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