Monday, April 27, 2009

Division, Division, Division

The second release of findings from the most recent Elon University Poll finds that both North and South Carolinians agree on one thing: yes Carolina, there is still political division. Interestingly, South Carolinians agree more than their cousins to the north when it comes to the political grand canyon that we currently reside in.



65% of Palmetto State residents believe that the country is more political divided these days than in the past, with 55% of Tar Heels agreeing.



And one doesn't have to look very far to find the division. A significant majority (57%) of all Carolinians believe that Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C. are opposing one another more than usual.



Another example of division comes to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the stimulus package: 46% in both states oppose/strongly oppose the package, while 46% support/strongly support the package. North Carolinians favored the package slightly more, while the reverse was true once you go below "South of the Border."



There is some agreement, however, that both Carolina states share with one another. Too much has been done for "large banks in danger of failing" (75%), "financial institutions in danger of failing" (67%), and "U.S. auto companies in danger of going bankrupt" (65%), while too little has been done for "homeowners facing foreclosure or who have already lost their home" (47%) and "small business owners struggling with staying in business" (67%).

What does this mean? Well, the backlash against Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue seems to be alive and well in the Carolinas, with an intense animosity towards big business and elected officials.

What this might entail for the upcoming mid-term election is too far out to know, but if this numbers hold over the next year, and the general economy doesn't start to recuperate before this time next year, then it's going to be an ugly for incumbents of both political parties--and that could translate into a potentially tough race for North Carolina's U.S. Senator Richard Burr.