Poll: Is Edward Snowden a Whistle-Blower or a Traitor?
Which term better describes Edward Snowden—whistle-blower or traitor?
DEMOCRATS (79 VOTES)
Whistle-blower: 46%
Traitor: 54%
Whistle-blower
"Too early to tell for sure, but I'm inclined to believe a guy who gives up a $220,000 job to warn Americans about the danger to their right of privacy."
"Traitor? Really? He didn't release the records to WikiLeaks or the Russians."
"It took a ton of courage to take the risks he took. He followed his conscience. He'll do well by history."
"It is not clear if he fully understood what was going on."
"Nothing was compromised, and a needed debate is taking place."
"Only because 'traitor' is way too strong a description."
Traitor
"Whistle-blowers reveal illegal conduct. Traitors reveal secret information. The stuff he revealed was both secret and legal."
"This isn't about lavish conferences. This is national security."
"He broke laws to tell the world that the U.S. government is doing what is legal. This is all about him and no one else."
"There are better ways to make a point without betraying your government. And he seems like a jerk, too."
"I assume he took an oath to keep information private."
Which term better describes Edward Snowden—whistle-blower or traitor?
REPUBLICANS (86 VOTES)
Whistle-blower: 29%
Traitor: 71%
Whistle-blower
"The government's secrecy about the extent of its operations goes well beyond demands of national security."
"It's good to remind the public that Big Brother really exists, and let them decide whether they mind."
"Snowden has no doubt committed crimes that he will have to account for. Hard to see him as a traitor when he acted to alert Americans to their government's deeds."
Traitor
"You don't need to give our enemies a playbook."
"The real description would be self-indulgent, self-important, egotistical creep."
"You don't get to decide which laws to follow."
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