Broad Global Sentiment vs. "Damn the Torpedoes" Republicans

Even Matt Drudge is promoting a University of Maryland survey that shows broad and uniform global support for a Kerry Presidency. 34,330 people were polled in 35 countries, including China, Indonesia, Japan, India, Thailand, France, Germany, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, the Czech Republic, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico.

Respondents in 32 of the 35 countries prefer Kerry to Bush. The only countries that preferred Bush to Kerry were Nigeria, Poland, and the Philippines.

So, what does this poll mean for November? For that matter, what does broad international discontent with US foreign policy mean for November?

Not much, I suspect.

In response to the global survey, I doubt that the Bush campaign will deny these numbers. They will say that the interests of the world do not necessarily line up with the interests of the United States. Ponder this answer, for it's an important one. Who gains when the world's most powerful country goes it alone? No one.

A handful of Americans don't agree with me on this last point. I'll call this group the "Damn the Torpedoes" Republicans. These are the 5% of the respondents to a CNN.com poll said that Bush's top priority should be Values. The other choices were The War in Iraq, National security, and The economy -- and these people chose Values.

The din of NO BUSH will increase in the next 60 days, and I think Kerry will win in November -- but I don't think he'll win by convincing a single one of these hardened Bush supporters. They're in too deep.

Though each passing day brings more and more information to bear that suggests this Bush World is a dystopian fantasy, I doubt there's a shred of evidence indicting the Bush presidency that could sway Bush's torpedo core from its position.

For you budding social psychologists out there, torpedo support for the Bush campaign is approaching a study in intransigence.