Beware of Op-Ed Columnists Talking About "Americans"
No Drama Obama is reticent about displays of emotion. The Spock in him needs to exert mental and emotional control. That is why he stubbornly insists on staying aloof and setting his own deliberate pace for responding — whether it’s in a debate or after a debacle. But it’s not O.K. to be cool about national security when Americans are scared.
Percentage of Americans who were “somewhat” or “very worried” that “you or someone in your family will become a victim of terrorism”…
…two months before the attempted Christmas bombing: 36%
…two weeks after the attempted Christmas bombing: 34%
Percentage of Americans who had a “great deal” or “a moderate amount” of confidence “in the Obama administration to protect U.S. citizens from future acts of terrorism”…
…four months before the attempted Christmas bombing: 63%
…two weeks after the attempted Christmas bombing: 65%
Source: CNN.
Comments
Wow, that is excellent news. Looks like we’re learning on the stiff upper lip front.
Posted by: Greg Sanders | January 11, 2010 02:00 PM
John,
You’re not being fair. Why should we expect columnists/pundits to pay attention to evidence? Come on, they’re busy people and facts can get in the way of the points they want to make.
Ease up, dude.
Posted by: Tom | January 11, 2010 02:29 PM
Tom: Good point.
Posted by: Andrew Gelman | January 11, 2010 02:39 PM
My gut instinct - and one that I would assume most would share - is that emotionality makes people feel less secure. It may make a politician more appealing in certain instances, but even in the frame of “national security as a giant Daddy complex,” Dowd has this backwards.
Posted by: Peter | January 11, 2010 03:06 PM
John, you and your damn data.
BTW staying in the Renaissance Marriott at M and 21.
Posted by: Paul G. | January 12, 2010 10:05 AM
Nice. Now if CNN (and NPR and others) would only report that…
Posted by: Deborah Avant | January 12, 2010 01:21 PM