New Yorkers Back Occupy Wall Street Movement, Blame Bush Administration: Poll

WASHINGTON -- A new Quinnipiac University poll finds New Yorkers overwhelmingly back the Occupy Wall Street protesters, and even Republicans think they should be allowed to continue their demonstrations.

New York City voters agree with the views of the Occupy Wall Street movement by a nearly three-to-one margin; 67 percent agree with the protesters' views and 23 percent disagree, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

The Quinnipiac poll, released Monday, surveyed people living within the New York City area. Quinnipiac called both landlines and cell phones from Oct. 12 to 16.

Although a majority of Republicans don't agree with the protesters' views, at least seven out of 10 say it's fine for them to protest.

"New Yorkers, even Republicans, back the Wall Street protesters on at least two things they’re talking about, a get-tough attitude toward banks and Wall Street and continuation of the state’s 'Millionaire’s Tax,'" said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a release.

Notably, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike supported the government imposing tougher regulations on banks and Wall Street firms, as well as imposing the so-called "Millionare's Tax."

"Critics complain that no one can figure out what the protesters are protesting," Carroll added. "But seven out of 10 New Yorkers say they understand and most agree with the anti-Wall Street views of the protesters."

New Yorkers were split on how the police have handled the situation, as videos circulating the internet -- and documented in HuffPost's liveblog of the protests -- show police using violent means against the protesters.

When asked who was the most responsible for the current state of the economy -- part of what has fueled the protesters -- New Yorkers put the blame on George W. Bush: 37 percent of New York City voters blame the administration of the former president; 21 percent blame Wall Street and financial institutions; 18 percent blame Congress; and 11 percent blame President Barack Obama.

And although a majority of New Yorkers supported increasing taxes on the wealthy, the poll found more support among voters over the age of 35 than in younger voters for higher taxes for rich folks.

Last week, a TIME magazine poll found a majority of Americans supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Occupy movement was also found to be significantly more popular than the Tea Party.

 

 

Comments

[stevesomers]

12:59 PM on 11/05/2011

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-03/politics/30353835_1_tea-party-movement-unfavorable-view-positive-views

[GustavoRejivik]

03:00 PM on 10/19/2011

Progressives didn't support the Tea Party's Right to protest, ... called them violent, astroturf, angry .. meanwhile Conservatives DO support OWS, the real angry mob's right to protest ...

OWS = 700+ Arrests
Tea Party = Zero Arrests
OWS = Filth, Garbage, Fires and Damage
Tea Party = Cleans up after themselves ...

[Indep Votr]

08:22 AM on 10/19/2011

Harry S. Truman: "The buck Stops with me"

Barack H. Obama: "It's everybody else's fault"

Blaming the last guy for Obama's own outright lies and failure three years late is old, really old.

What an utter failure of leadership.

[CaptainRenault]

05:10 PM on 10/19/2011

Yeah, right. Notice how Bush and company jumped on the chance to hold themselves accountable for letting their buddies on Wall Street run wild and for failing to police the markets?

Get a clue, gemius.

Want the post-mortem? -- Then read the excellent series by the NY Times, entitled *The Reckoning*. It's pretty much all right there.

^ ^

[Indep Votr]

05:34 PM on 10/19/2011

Ahh, the tired liberal mantra of still trying to blame the last guy for Obama's outright lies and failures three years later. Rich, very rich. And original too.

[danielapetersen]

07:26 AM on 10/24/2011

You seem to forget that Obama's stimulus was the second bail out, "genius". It has been government's special interest, not the republicans or democrats, that have allowed Wall Street to run wild. But, then again, who is our government to steal hard-earned money from the people to give to crooks on Wall Street anyway? These politicians are the crooks who the OWS crowd should be blaming.
Anyone who reads that slanted dribble of a toilet paper roll call the NY Times is a liberal and shows their left leaning as soon as they point to it.

[ALiberalKidd]

05:55 AM on 10/19/2011

It is not just bush, but all these damn politicians and their schemes. And a generation of southern conservatism influence on society, complicity between corporations, democratic and republicans politicians, and for all intent and purposes Mr. Obama’s bailouts and foreign policy amounts to a third Bush term drag on the American economy.

Now we should blame Bush, Obama, and conservative politicians.

[rationalitymatters]

07:37 PM on 10/18/2011

So for all those republicans who are hurling insults at the OWS protestors, you are hurling those insults at the majority of us who support them and, guess what? We vote.

[theexperimentisfinished]

11:33 PM on 10/18/2011

actually 57% of OWS supporters dont vote,

[rationalitymatters]

06:45 AM on 10/19/2011

First of all, reading comprehension skills are critical. I said the majority of people who support them vote. Second of all, post proof of your comment. Don't be making meaningless comments without supporting links from reputable (key word being reputable) links.

[Stan Cunningham]

08:06 AM on 10/20/2011

I thought you needed a address to vote? Thats right even dead people vote Dem.

[MLukhman]

06:30 PM on 10/18/2011

GGK1
15 Fans Become a fan
8 hours ago (10:32 AM)
Actually they did. He created more jobs than Obama.
Here' the truth.
http://ref­lectionsof­arationalr­epublican.­com/2011/0­6/03/bush-­vs-obama-u­nemploymen­t-may-2011­-jobs-data­/
#################################################################################

Really, I don't where he got his figures from but I prefer this label given to G W earned for his record over eight years.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/
"...President Bush, once taking account how long he’s been in office, shows the worst track record for job creation since the government began keeping records."

[Dean Robichaux]

04:50 PM on 10/18/2011

Just another case of northeast liberals proving their ignorance. Obamacare, not prosecuting voter intimidation lawbreakers,not prosecuting illegal immigrants (both impeachable offenses), a failed billion dollar stimulus, bankrupting the country by spending more in the last 3 years than the last 2000,etc. I would have to agree, all Bush's fault . ROLMAO!!

[CabinAgue]

06:41 PM on 10/18/2011

Looks like you missed the last paragraph of the article.  "The Occupy movement was also found to be significantly more popular than the Tea Party."  This was by the majority of Americans, not just New Yorkers.

Ooopsie, eh?

[Dean Robichaux]

07:28 PM on 10/18/2011

"OWS was found to be significantly more popular by a majority of Americans than the Tea Party" LOL!!!! Where was it "found"? Under the sofa ?

[miketothad]

04:25 PM on 10/18/2011

Good to know NY state isn't stricken with Bush, Inc. amnesia.
Make up all the Bush-Obama false equivalencies you need.
The GOP will continue to fight against Wall St. regulation.

[StopMakingSense2]

04:17 PM on 10/18/2011

One state woken up 49 to go.. Good luck south of the mason dixon line. That's more like comatose than asleep.

[danny saunders]

04:13 PM on 10/18/2011

Heck I'm not even a New Yorker and I blame Mr. Bush.

[betterbigger]

03:38 PM on 10/18/2011

Bush the lesser and Barack the follower are twins, creating mass mayhem and death around the world. In Barack's case, he has outshined the Bush boy by creating more new wars and using non-discriminating drones to kill civilians.

Both boys should be in prison.

[GammaRayBurst]

04:28 PM on 10/18/2011

Pres. Obama is nothing like Pres. Bush. If an American citizen doesn't want to be hit by a bomb, then I suggest not spewing hatred and terrorist plots from a foreign country, least of all Yemen.

[timiam]

03:34 PM on 10/18/2011

“Bush should be convicted of his war crimes.
Let him go on a world tour to clear his name.
He will not leave his first destinatio­n.”

[Stan Cunningham]

08:11 AM on 10/20/2011

Nothing wrong with hurting other countries. Obama has hurt the US by wanting illeagals in this country and by making our military and country week by giving gays RIGHTS!!

[ALoayza]

03:03 PM on 10/18/2011

New Yorkers are forced to READ on the train or the cab, simple as that. They're generally more aware of current events that matter not like knowing when the Kardashian wedding is airing.

The rest of us choose to listen and watch commercially funded "News" after coming home from the drive thru.

-LA native who transplants to NY periodically.

[granitegirl]

03:03 PM on 10/19/2011

"forced to READ" LOL
from a former New Yorker who did indeed read on the subway. :-)

[ALoayza]

10:13 AM on 10/20/2011

Lol, right?! It's either read or pray you get a great singer who doesn't smell too bad on the train.

[DanBeach]

02:58 PM on 10/18/2011

When the Occupy Wall Street protests began over a month ago, most news organizations were derisive if they deigned to mention the events at all. For example, nine days into the protests, National Public Radio had provided no coverage whatsoever.

It is, therefore, a testament to the passion of those involved that the protests not only continued but grew (and growing), eventually becoming too big to ignore. With unions and a growing number of Democrats now expressing at least qualified support for the protesters, Occupy Wall Street is starting to look like an important event that might even eventually be a turning point.

[DanBeach]

02:49 PM on 10/18/2011

If a Republican were president, there would be millions of properly coiffed middle-class Democrats and independents at those Occupy Wall Street marches, and no questions asked as to what they really want. With 25 million Americans unable to find full-time work, 50 million whose homeownership dream has turned into the nightmare of foreclosure, and an all-time high of 46.2 million, including 22 percent of our children, living in poverty, the call to throw the bums out would be compelling.

But the protest signs in a nation headed by a Republican, though surely gussied up a bit with ad agency savvy, would be the same as they are now: Stop catering to the top 1 percent who get ever wealthier and focus on helping the 99 percent who are hurting. To accomplish that, we need a moratorium on bank-ordered evictions, along with a government-funded program to aid the underemployed that is as robust as the trillions spent to save the Wall Street swindlers who caused all of this trouble.