Bipartisan State Of The Union Seating Draws Negative Reactions Online, Analysis Finds

For all the talk about bipartisan State of the Union seating, Americans don't seem to care much about the matter, according to a new poll.

Powell Tate's Polipulse, with the help of social analysis company Crimson Hexagon, analyzed online opinions via blogs, forums, Twitter and Facebook from Jan. 14 to Jan. 24 and found that some 65 percent of folks had a negative reaction to the gesture. Only 19 percent said it was a good idea.

Scroll down to see the full results of the poll. In the past, Crimson Hexagon has analyzed immediate Twitter reaction to Prop 8 being overturned and opinions on last year's American Idol.

You can watch the State of the Union LIVE tonight on The Huffington Post, along with tweets and real-time fact-checking and analysis, beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

SEE THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS:

Watching the State of the Union? Meetup and watch it with other HuffPost readers and send your thoughts and photos to [e-mail].

Comments

[Progressive Dem]

02:34 PM on 01/26/2011

Quote: The GOP is just running out the clock to 2012.Sure why not eh?

The Stock Market is at an all time high again. Corperate profits at an all time high. Unemployme­nt still hanging around 9+ percent. The economy is recovering albiet slowly. No more losses of 100K+ jobs a month or worse. The Banks, Wall Street, the Mega Corperatio­ns and the Oil companies are FAT and RICH posting record breaking profits and sitting on TRILLIONS of dollars.

In 2 Years if unemployme­nt is still high all the Republican­s have to do is say "The Federal Bailout" (which they were more then happy to accept behind the closed media curtain) didn't work as planned and reap the rewards from the American public for being do nothing obstructio­nists once again.

Got to love America (laughs).The folks reponcible for saving the economy got slapped for effort in 2010. The people responcibl­e for causing this mess to begin with then doing nothing to stop it are rewarded by a greatful American public (laughs).

[dre7861]

12:51 PM on 01/26/2011

Another poorly worded poll - God, what kindergarden do they get the people who write these polls from? This one is loaded to produce a negative result - see how many options are lumped under negative while they is only one positive choice.

If they had asked me I would have said that it was symbolic, with some ungenuiness thrown in, but still a good idea. I like the fact that the SOTU was not marred by the Pep Rally mentality of the past ten years. I say keep it up for subsequent ones.

[oafishcad]

12:47 PM on 01/26/2011

Why don't they just sit together by state? Alphabetically?

[ARKillackey]

01:18 PM on 01/26/2011

Better chance to sit them by amount of wealth and power, which they might have done.

[oafishcad]

02:13 PM on 01/26/2011

Well Kerry and McCain were sitting together.

[valluhree]

12:35 PM on 01/26/2011

This poll is full of it. Sitting in different "teams" has always struck me as immature. I'm glad that everyone mingled; hopefully we can become the UNITED States of America once more.

[TeeLolly]

12:54 PM on 01/26/2011

I agree. Personally, I thought it was a good idea and a good beginning, but also believe it wasn't completely genuine (which would have counted as negative), and that it minimized the visual image of the Republicans' gains (another negative in this poll). In addition, it seems silly to include opinions before the SOTU with opinions afterwards, once people saw how it worked out. I kind of enjoyed getting an occasional glimpse of someone looking around to see whether he or she should stand or remain seated, based on what fellow party members scattered throughout the House were doing.
 
Perhaps the results would have been different had there been an equal number of "positive" options instead of so many gradations of what was deemed "negative" versus only one "positive" reaction ...

[myravensong]

12:34 PM on 01/26/2011

"You cant run a government solely on a business basis...Government should be human. It should have a heart." ......Herbert Henry Lehman

[G E H]

12:34 PM on 01/26/2011

I guess 65% of the people know an empty gesture when they see it.

[cybersense]

12:30 PM on 01/26/2011

Is it just too much to ask that people in our congress at least look like they are behaving as adults?

[stillable2think]

12:24 PM on 01/26/2011

This poll is a joke. And not a very good joke either.

[heartlandlib]

12:20 PM on 01/26/2011

Is this further proof of the dumbing down of our country. Are the people against it because if they don't see which side stands up and applauds or sits and scowls then they won't know if they are for or against and issue brought up by the POTUS. People, we have big problems and need to work together which should start with our leaders. Use your brain and figure out for yourself if you agree with an issue or not through thought not what your "party" tells you you believe in.

[HighSierra1981]

12:16 PM on 01/26/2011

Chance for Democrats to hide loses??? WHAT??

[judiNJ]

12:50 PM on 01/26/2011

Hmmmm, guess who runs Polipulse ...... spotted that just by this one answer.

[ARKillackey]

01:13 PM on 01/26/2011

No. It ws a chance for Republicans to appear integrated.

[liberallibrarian]

04:08 PM on 01/26/2011

We have to give them opportunities to socialize with their peers. It makes them appear more human.

[Xenobion]

12:02 PM on 01/26/2011

How did the choice "symbolic" get chosen as a Negative? Talk about a flawed poll.

[jaredbrain]

12:02 PM on 01/26/2011

I showed this poll to my statistics professor and he laughed and laughed and laughed.

[HighSierra1981]

12:18 PM on 01/26/2011

Exactly, This is just ridiculous

[Saxton]

11:57 AM on 01/26/2011

I liked the arrangement. It was nice to focus on what the president was saying without having to hear cheering and jeering. When the parties are seperated into their groups all you have are cliques that can form a mob mentatlity to either cheer the president or boo him. The seating arrangement allowed our political leaders to be seen throughout the world as having some manner of decorium and respect for our president and citizens of this country.

[MochaLite]

11:48 AM on 01/26/2011

I want boy-girl-boy-girl next time! That will really show the country that they care about us!

[nia122]

12:11 PM on 01/26/2011

That would be like person of color-white-person of color-white. You'd have to add a lot more females or people of color into the mix, or hadn't you noticed?

[yoozum]

11:43 AM on 01/26/2011

It's a nice gesture, granted. My problem with it is that I have this sneaking suspicion that in the days leading up to the SOTU, members of congress did no actual work and just planned out their seating arrangements. It's a conspiracy theory, yes, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were entirely true.

[MochaLite]

11:54 AM on 01/26/2011

Yes! Like high school just before the big dance - Will he invite me? Should I call her?

[kyrose777]

12:04 PM on 01/26/2011

I'm sure they put a lot of time and thought into their sitting arrangements. Just think about what went on in some of their minds: congressman Y thinking if I sit next to congresswomen X " what message would I be giving out to my colleagues and to my constituents; maybe I shouldn't sit next to her. Well, let's see.........ooh, this is tricky, maybe I could sit with......oh no..".
Message to congress members: Just sit down and do your jobs for the good of the country!!