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Chilean authorities arrested 22-year-old volunteer firefighter Francisco Mondaca and former forestry official Franco Pinto over the weekend after prosecutors charged the men with causing massive fires in February that left 137 dead and over 16,000 homeless in central Chile.
The post Chile Charges Firefighter with Causing Forest Fires That Killed 137 People appeared first on Breitbart.
A man is accused of throwing flaming liquid onto another man on the subway in New York City, as residents endure rising assaults on trains.
The post PHOTO: Man Burned While Shielding Fiancee During Flaming Liquid Attack on NYC Subway appeared first on Breitbart.
On Thursday’s broadcast of C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) stated that as long as the military wing of Hamas exists, there won’t be a ceasefire and the Palestinian people won’t have a future. Bera said Hamas is “not
The post Dem Rep. Bera: A Ceasefire Won’t Happen Until Hamas’ Military Wing Is Destroyed appeared first on Breitbart.
New polling from Scott Rasmussen reveals that America’s elite 1%—those with high incomes, urban residences, and postgraduate degrees—are significantly out of step with the rest of the country on a range of issues.
It’s a troubling trend for America, and it doesn’t bode well for our future considering the elite 1% occupy many of the leadership roles in our cultural, educational, and government institutions.
There’s perhaps no statistic more shocking than the 69% of politically obsessed elites who think it would be better if only people with college degrees could vote. By comparison, just 15% of all voters hold that view. (Rasmussen defines “politically obsessed” as elites who talk about politics every day.)
Rasmussen’s latest survey, conducted by RMG Research, asked other questions ranging from government censorship to gun ownership. On nearly every issue, there’s a wide gulf between the ruling class and everyday Americans.
You can learn more about work on the elite 1% by tuning into “The Scott Rasmussen Show,” which airs Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on Merit Street Media.
In the meantime, listen to our full interview on “The Daily Signal Podcast” or read an edited transcript below.
Rob Bluey: What are the headlines coming out of your latest research?
Scott Rasmussen: As a reminder, the last time we talked about how the politically obsessed elites think the American people have too much individual freedom and people in this elite world really trust the federal government.
What we did this time is began to ask some of these same groups, the elite 1 % and the politically obsessed, what do they think America looks like?
Perhaps the funniest finding of all is we ask the question, “Do most Americans agree with you on most important issues?” Now, if we ask voters, about half say, “Yeah, I think most people agree with me.” Among the politically obsessed elites, 82% of that group thinks that most Americans agree with them on most issues. It’s not even close to true, but they’re looking in a mirror. They see what they want to see.
What’s scary about that, if you think about it in context of the administrative state, if these people believe that their views are representative of America, it justifies them cheating a little bit or bending the rules because they can say, “We’re fighting for the American people.” In fact, they’re fighting against the American people.
Bluey: Are there particular policy issues where you see that playing out more so than others? For instance, one that comes to mind is climate change.
Rasmussen: It’s actually harder to find places where the American people are with the elite. You mentioned climate change. About 2 out of 3 of this politically obsessed elite think that most voters are willing to pay $250 a year or more to fight climate change.
When we do polling to ask people how much they’re willing to pay—in terms of taxes or higher prices—about half say they’re not willing to pay anything, and 72% say nothing more than $100.
If you think about that in a policy sense, these influencers believe the American people are willing to pay something they’re not, and that’s why they can support some different policy ideas.
But look, it’s starts with a very basic thing: 71% of the politically obsessed elites think most Americans trust the federal government most of the time. That has not been true for 50 years. It’s been a half century since people tended to trust the government that much. Today, only 22% of voters voiced that much trust in government.
That is one of the core distinctions. If you trust the federal government, you trust the regulatory apparatus a lot more. You trust other rules and regulations, and voters just aren’t there.
Bluey: Another area that you polled had to do with social media. What did you find when you surveyed the elite 1% on that particular topic?
Rasmussen: Everybody, whether you’re in the elite or not, has some concern about disinformation and fake news. Where the difference comes is what to do about it.
Among most voters, they say that having the government decide what is misinformation and fake news is a bigger threat than the fake news itself. Among the elites, they say just the opposite.
Should the federal government be allowed to censor social media posts? Among all voters, 16% say yes. Among the politically obsessed elites, just over 50 % say, “Of course, we should have the right to censor social media.” Fundamentally different views.
The views of the elite 1% amount to a rejection of America’s founding ideals. Even on something as simple as, “Does the federal government listen too much or not enough to the American people?” Overwhelmingly, voters say the government is not listening to us and the elites are saying it’s listening too much.
Bluey: There seems to be a wide discrepancy of views when it comes to who should vote and who should have a say in our country’s future. That number to me was one that stood out and was quite alarming.
Rasmussen: Absolutely alarming.
We asked a question that seemed to me to be absurd, Would it be better if only people with a college degree were allowed to vote?”
Appropriately, most Americans just soundly reject that idea. But among the elites, they heavily believe this country would be better off if all those deplorables who didn’t go to college weren’t allowed to vote.
Bluey: And one issue where there’s also quite a big disparity is gun ownership. How do the elite view guns?
Rasmussen: Consistently for decades, voters say they want to live in a community where guns are allowed. Sometimes it’s in the low 60s, sometimes after a horrific shooting event, it moves down to the low 50s, but consistently a majority of Americans can support that.
Among the elite 1 % that politically obsessed portion of it, about 70% of them say, “No, we want to live where guns are outlawed.” And 76% of them want to ban the private ownership of guns.
If you are in that politically obsessed elite and you believe strongly that we should ban guns, and if you believe that most American people want to live in a community where guns are outlawed, then you take an almost religious fervor to the fight to ban guns because you can convince yourself that you’re fighting on behalf of the public. And once again, you’re actually fighting against what the American people are looking for.
Bluey: Do you feel that the elite 1 % are more out of touch in 2024 than maybe they were in past generations?
Rasmussen: First, I don’t have data from past generations, so I can’t make a clear assessment on that. But I think it’s probably a little bit different.
There have always been elites. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were clearly elites of their era, but they also had a commitment to something larger than themselves. Thomas Jefferson, in writing the Declaration of Independence, said he was just articulating what the American people were feeling. At the same time, Alexander Hamilton said, “We need to establish a monarchy.” If you actually read his plan, it’s horrific.
So there have always been some people and elites who kind of rejected the founding ideals, who rejected the concepts of the Declaration of Independence.
>>> ‘Most Terrifying Poll Result I’ve Ever Seen’: Scott Rasmussen Surveys America’s Elite 1%
What’s changed in the last couple of generations are two things.
No. 1, we’re a little bit more sorted geographically. Members of the elite aren’t encountering non-elites on a regular basis. It’s not just that we live in gated communities or separate areas. Public transportation has been replaced by Uber. There’s not a lot of contact with people who aren’t like you.
The second part is there has been the rise of what a lot of people view as the global elite, where people begin to see others from other countries as more like them than they do their own countrymen.
Bluey: The use of pronouns has become quite pronounced in a lot of corporate settings, even in our federal government. There are some departments and agencies that now include them in email signatures and things of that nature. Is there a difference of how elites view pronouns vs. the rest of America?
Rasmussen: Let’s start with the fact that most Americans don’t even know what you’re talking about when you’re expressing your preferred pronouns. Only about 1 out of 10 voters has ever introduced themselves in that manner.
When they hear talk of it, it seems very foreign. But among the politically obsessed elite, about 60%, have introduced themselves expressing their preferred pronouns. And it’s hard to overstate the cultural difference at that point.
If you’re in this elite world—if you’re in the elite schools or many agencies of the federal government—it is absolutely normal and an everyday occurrence that you meet somebody and they tell you not only their name and their position, but their preferred pronouns. In the rest of America, that just doesn’t happen.
When you get into discussions about misgendering somebody, there are regulations being pushed right now that would require employers to punish somebody for misgendering—for not using somebody’s preferred pronouns. Only 9% of voters think that’s a fireable offense, but even more than that, they don’t even know what the discussion is about.
This is where that glaring gap between the elites and most Americans is quite visible. It is the cultural world they’re in, whether we’re talking about guns, or climate change policies, or preferred pronouns, or even the topic of should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sports.
Among the politically obsessed elite, 41% say they should. Now, that’s not a majority, but essentially, the politically obsessed elite is evenly divided on this question, whereas to most Americans, it’s ridiculous. Of course, biological males have a physical advantage. Of course, it is dangerous to let biological males into the women’s locker room. But the elite is having a discussion about it. That is out of step with the country. It is dangerous.
It’s fine to have different views. We all live on our own bubbles. Your bubble is a little different than mine, but probably has some overlap. But you have to be able to look outside your bubble and see what the rest of the country is doing.
If you’re in this elite world, you have enormous influence and you think your views are reflecting the public at large, that’s a really dangerous combination.
Bluey: One of the most notable examples of the last decade is when Donald Trump was elected president. It seemed that the elites were in shock. What might happen if Trump is victorious in November and how might they react?
Rasmussen: On Election Day 2016, most of the conversation was Hillary Clinton is up by three in the polls, but there’s a margin of error, she’ll probably win by six. There was a shock. They couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t imagine what was happening. And because in their mind, Hillary Clinton was the ideally prepared person.
Looking ahead to this year, first thing I will tell you is if the election is at all close, the way the last nine elections have been in, whichever team loses, they’ll believe the election was stolen. If Donald Trump wins, we will hear an awful lot about how he stole the election from these elites.
But something else is happening that’s playing a part in the election. It’s a distorted view of the public.
When we see the campus protests about the Palestinian situation, 62% of the elites have a favorable opinion. They think it’s great what these protesters are doing. Most voters don’t. Only 24% of voters support the protesters.
That leaves the pundits to misread the way a situation has played out. In fact, since the campus protest started, support for Israel has gone up—not what some of the protesters might have hoped for.
A lot of the elites are misreading the dynamics going on right now. About 80 % of the elite 1% approve of the way Joe Biden is doing his job.
The post 69% of Elites Want to Restrict Voting to College Graduates Only appeared first on The Daily Signal.
The comedian Eric Andre has delivered an angry rant about the Israel-Hamas war, calling himself a "self-loving Jew" who wants a "permanent ceasefire" in Gaza.
The post Comedian Eric Andre Demands ‘Permanent Ceasefire’ in Gaza, Calls Himself a ‘Self-Loving Jew’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the Fort McMurray oil hub in Alberta, Canada, as winds shifted, and a massive wildfire approaches.
The post Canada Evacuates Thousands as Wildfires Surge appeared first on Breitbart.
Pro-Israel activists in Farmington Hills, Michigan, succeeded in pushing off an anti-Israel proclamation -- for now -- that came before their city council on Monday evening.
The post Michigan Community Pushes Off Anti-Israel Resolution appeared first on Breitbart.
Residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, have been ordered to be ready for evacuation at a moment’s notice as wildfires draw near.
The post Canada Starts Evacuating Oil Town as Wildfires Surge appeared first on Breitbart.
A fire broke out on Sunday morning in a vast shopping center housing 1,400 shops and service outlets in the Bialoleka district in Poland's capital.
The post Fire Burns Down Almost Entire Warsaw Shopping Center with 1,400 Outlets appeared first on Breitbart.
A New York City teacher accused of sexual activity with a student remains in the classroom even after officials fired her.
The post ‘Can’t F***ing Touch Me’: NYC Teacher Fired amid Student Sex Allegations Remains in Classroom appeared first on Breitbart.
On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) stated that President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold certain weapons from Israel if it goes into Rafah’s population centers “doesn’t help” and “took pressure
The post Top House Armed Services Dem: Biden’s Israel Threat ‘Took Pressure off of Hamas’ and Decreased Odds of Ceasefire appeared first on Breitbart.
On Thursday a three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided that Steven Duarte, a felon, has a "right to possess a firearm for self-defense."
The post Ninth Circuit: Felon Has ‘Right to Possess Firearm for Self-Defense’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Hunter Biden failed to successfully appeal his gun charges on Thursday before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
The post Hunter Biden’s Gun Charge Appeal Fails appeared first on Breitbart.
A huge fire erupted overnight at an RV dealership in Santa Fe Springs, California, after a suspicious person was seen at the lot around 12:30 a.m.
The post VIDEO: Fire Erupts at California RV Dealership After Suspect Walks Between Trailers appeared first on Breitbart.
Minneapolis, Minnesota first responders, motorcyclists, and other community members are mourning the loss of a beloved local firefighter and biker who was killed in a shootout over the weekend.
The post First Responders and Motorcyclists Mourn Minneapolis Firefighter Shot Dead While Off Duty appeared first on Breitbart.
Vice President Kamala Harris ignored questions from reporters about Hamas suddenly begging Israel for a ceasefire.
The post Kamala Harris Reacts to Hamas Calling for Ceasefire: ‘Shrimp and Grits’ appeared first on Breitbart.
The Israeli war cabinet voted unanimously on Monday to continue the attack on Hamas's last stronghold in Rafah -- while also sending diplomats to Cairo, Egypt in an effort to explore whether Hamas is really interested in ceasefire.
The post Israeli War Cabinet Votes Unanimously to Continue War in Rafah, Reopen Talks appeared first on Breitbart.
The Biden administration welcomed Hamas's sudden declaration Monday that it accepted a ceasefire in Gaza -- though the White House would not say what terms, exactly, Hamas had accepted.
The post White House Refuses to Say or Speculate What Is in Hamas Ceasefire ‘Deal’ appeared first on Breitbart.
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