Ann Marie: Read About What American People Want

When Ann Marie Buerkle, bit in her mouth in spite of winning by less than one percent, tells us she knows "what the American people want," I wonder what on earth she is thinking?

Then I remember that she has a reputation around here for making things up to fit her scheme. That scheme: her personal quest for power. 

Sorry, Tea Baggers: you've been had.

Polls Show Opposition To Medicare Cuts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/15/polls-show-american-wary-_n_849725.html

April 15 and 16, 2011 / various polls

Study: Most Americans want wealth distribution similar to Sweden

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/25/poll-wealth-distribution-similar-sweden/

This article is particularly interesting: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

52% Want Troops Home from Afghanistan Within a Year

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/afghanistan/52_want_troops_home_from_afghanistan_within_a_year

Rasmussen poll March  7 2011

CNN Poll: Majority Of Americans Want The Government To Fund The Health Care Law

http://politicalcorrection.org/blog/201104120005

CNN April 12, 2011

Greg Sargent's blog

Poll: Majority Doesn’t Want Obama To Be Bipartisan

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/poll-majority-doesnt-want-obama-to-be-bipartisan/

Plum Line, Feb 24, 2011

Americans Want Clean Energy: Poll after Poll Proves It

http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=10453

Posted: 30-Sep-2009; Updated: 23-Jun-2010

Environmental Defense Fund

Poll: 78% Of The American People Want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repealed Now

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/tell-congress-the-american-people-want-dont-ask-dont-tell-repealed-now/discrimination/2010/05/25/11156

by DAVID BADASH on MAY 25, 2010

CNN Poll

Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose GOP's Windfall for the Rich

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/37663_Poll-_Majority_of_Americans_Oppose_GOPs_Windfall_for_the_Rich

Charles Johnson
Fri Dec 3, 2010 

CBS News Poll

Poll: Majority of Americans Ready to Pay for Better Infrastructure but Demand Accountability

http://www.bafuture.org/news/press-release/poll-majority-americans-ready-pay-better-infrastructure-demand-accountability

Jan 8 2009

Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research

Power and the Unbearable Obligation of the Elected Leader

After the election in November 2010, we heard that John Boehner met with Randall Terry in Washington. 

Terry is the extremist Right-to-Life founder and leader you may remember exhorted people to violence in his fight against abortion. He was bankrupted and spent time in jail.

He's back in public view in Washington now that the Republicans have regained the House.  He is fighting for traction.

Turns out that Boehner's chief of staff, and not Boehner as far as we know, met with Terry and a group of people he brought with him.

This led me to think about who is present at public meetings and who is not, and thus what messages about power and favor are being transmitted.


I created this handy chart, in which power is reduced to formula. All the combinations represent public meetings. Who knows what kind of dealings go on in private and over the internets?

[The principals are each given values of 10; their respective groups of people, staff, supporters etc., are represented by 4s.]

I meet with you  10:10      (indicates approximate equality of power and influence)

I meet with your people  10:4      (you are somewhere else but important to me)

I meet with you and your people 10:10+4      (ceremonial and/or you may have something I want) 

I and my people meet with you and your people 10+4:10+4      (indicates a party going on, lots of note-taking)

I and my people meet with your people  10+4:4      (you definitely have something I want; unusual)

My people meet with you and your people  4:10+4      (I am "busy" and that is all you and your people will get or, as I suspect is the difficulty for John Boehner with Randall Terry, I need to keep my public distance but you have something that I want or fear)

My people meet with you  4:10    (I am "busy" but not rude)

My people meet with your people  4:4    (blah blah blah)

Ann Marie Buerkle, of course, knows Randall Terry and worked closely with him during her early activist years. She may be working with him still. We shall find out who dares to be seen with him these days.