Supporters of Howard Dean usually have the stereotype of hard, uncompromising stances on the issues of the day – war, taxes, health care, etc. – but a new Pew poll shows they are more likely than Democrats in general to shift their positions on arguably the most important issue of last year. Matt Yglesias explains:
Not surprisingly, Dean folks are essentially unanimous in their view that invading Iraq was a bad idea. More surprisingly, Dean activists are much more likely than Democrats as a whole to think we should keep troops in Iraq now that we’re there. 45 percent of Deaniacs want to stay the course, as opposed to 33 percent of Democrats as a whole (which implies an even smaller number of non-Dean Democrats). There’s also a strong generation gap here: Dean supporters under 30 are way more likely to stay the course than are older Dean fans. Twenty-one percent of Dean backers and 20 percent of Democrats generally say pre-emptive use of force is never justified, but only 15 percent of younger Deaniacs agree.
My view will probably change as I get older, but it’s nice to know I have something in common with young Deaniacs in somewhat disdaining the influence of hardened old partisans who are so set in their views that they can’t adapt to changing situations. It gives me hope for a more pragmatic, internationally humane Democratic campaign in 2008, not a blanket “War never solved anything” attitude. (Via Noam Scheiber.)
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