Secret is out, denial is in

Spencer Collins · #1 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Last week’s Tea Party convention featured all the usual conservative talking points. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) railed against the “socialist ideologue” president, while former Alabama Judge Roy Moore bemoaned Obama’s “socialist agenda.” A speaker received a standing ovation when he demanded to see President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. And of course, attendees drooled at the sight of Sarah Palin.

This is the mainstream of the modern-day Republican Party. We now know this not just from the weekend convention, but because I commissioned nonpartisan pollster Research 2000 to ask a battery of questions to slightly more than 2,000 self-identified Republicans (for a margin of error of 2 percent) to get a handle on exactly what they believed. Among the findings:

• 39 percent believed Barack Obama should be impeached, while 29 percent were not sure.

• 36 percent believed Obama was not born in the United States, while 22 percent were not sure. A minority — 42 percent — believed he was native-born.

• 63 percent believed Obama was a socialist; just 21 percent disagreed.

• 24 percent agreed that Obama wants the terrorists to win, while 33 percent were not sure. A 43 percent minority disagreed.

• 21 percent believed the community group ACORN stole the 2008 presidential election, while 55 percent were not sure. Just 24 percent thought the ludicrous notion was ludicrous.

• 53 percent believed that Palin was more qualified to be president than Obama. Just 14 percent disagreed.

• 31 percent believed Obama is “a racist who hates white people,” while 33 percent were not sure. Just 36 percent disagreed.

• 23 percent wanted their state to secede from the United States, while 58 percent did not. The secession numbers were particularly high in the South, where 33 percent wanted out, and a bare majority — 52 percent — disagreed.

Republicans reacted to the poll with surprising anger. “Now, if you believe that poll, you also believe Nancy Pelosi once dated Dick Cheney,” said Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly in an unfortunate stab at humor. Such sentiments were typical of Republicans.

This outrage is nothing short of bizarre. I chose these questions because they represented the core of the Fox News/Rush Limbaugh/Tea Party messaging the past year. Why would O’Reilly mock the notion that most Republicans thought Obama was a socialist, when O’Reilly himself has called Obama a socialist or worse — a communist? Why would Republicans pretend that a significant chunk of their base doesn’t believe that ACORN stole the election, when Glenn Beck himself has led the charge against the organization that focuses on low-income housing and registering the working poor to vote? And why wouldn’t they believe that Obama was racist against white people, when Beck and Limbaugh have made that very charge countless times?

Rather than be embarrassed by these results, Fox News and the rest of the conservative movement should be ecstatic. Their message is getting through! People believe all the crazy things they’ve been told to believe! And really, the reason conservatives are so engaged and desperate for November to arrive is because they’ve been led to believe that Obama is an illegitimate racist communist who wants the terrorists to win. That’s scary stuff, and yes, very, very motivating.

But it’s clear they want such beliefs to stay within their family. It’s hard to pretend to the outside world that you are a mainstream movement representing average Americans when your followers are actually conspiracy-mongers and strident ideologues.

Secret is out, denial is in - TheHill.com

Yup...they should be ecstatic...people are falling for it...

Mikeyy · #2 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 11:38 PM

morons

Gordon Shumway · #3 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 11:52 PM

Quote:

• 36 percent believed Obama was not born in the United States, while 22 percent were not sure. A minority — 42 percent — believed he was native-born.
• 24 percent agreed that Obama wants the terrorists to win, while 33 percent were not sure. A 43 percent minority disagreed.

42% - 43% --- That's about the same "minority" percentage that elected Bill Clinton POTUS in 1992.
Interesting that even less of a percentage took the most extreme view but the article points out the minority status of the largest group instead.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...-al-qaeda.html
really? serving the goals of al-qaeda?

Quote:

• 21 percent believed the community group ACORN stole the 2008 presidential election, while 55 percent were not sure. Just 24 percent thought the ludicrous notion was ludicrous.

Yeah --- those "stole the election" people are nuts (2000).

- - - - - - - - - -

Do we really want to throw jabs at which party has the dumbest voters & who also have mindless disdain for the opposition party candidates?

YouTube- How Obama Got Elected... Interviews With Obama Voters

saltwn · #4 (**permalink**) 02-09-2010, 11:56 PM

Oh yes I coulda told ya that.

I've had people engage me in conversation about the "communist Muslim" Obama since his candidacy.
Scary and true.

Spencer Collins · #5 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Shumway

42% - 43% --- That's about the same "minority" percentage that elected Bill Clinton POTUS in 1992.
Interesting that even less of a percentage took the most extreme view but the article points out the minority status of the largest group instead.

WH: Some Critics 'Serving the Goals of al Qaeda'* - Political Punch
really? serving the goals of al-qaeda?

Yeah --- those "stole the election" people are nuts (2000).

- - - - - - - - - -

Do we really want to throw jabs at which party has the dumbest voters & who also have mindless disdain for the opposition party candidates?

So...you do agree with this poll?

-0-

cnredd · #6 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spencer Collins

So...you do agree with this poll?

-0-

You're gotta be kidding us...

You do understand that you just showed a poll and commentary from the owner, founder, and publisher of the Daily Kos, right?...

Spencer Collins · #7 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

You're gotta be kidding us...

You do understand that you just showed a poll and commentary from the owner, founder, and publisher of the Daily Kos, right?...

Right...it's just a poll...keep telling yourself...it's just a poll...

foundit66 · #8 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

Oh yes I coulda told ya that.

I've had people engage me in conversation about the "communist Muslim" Obama since his candidacy.
Scary and true.

I have had conversations about "Muslim Obama"...
... and in the next breath they brought up his Christian preacher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spencer Collins

Right...it's just a poll...keep telling yourself...it's just a poll...

From the article: "Why would O’Reilly mock the notion that most Republicans thought Obama was a socialist, when O’Reilly himself has called Obama a socialist or worse — a communist?"

It's interesting to note how many of those EXACT SAME ISSUES in that poll have played out on this board...

Gordon Shumway · #9 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spencer Collins

So...you do agree with this poll?

-0-

I agree that there are extremely ignorant douche bags on both sides of the political aisle.

That's fine if you want to trade partisan punches; just quit claiming you're not partisan then.

Spencer Collins · #10 (**permalink**) 02-10-2010, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Shumway

I agree that there are extremely ignorant douche bags on both sides of the political aisle.

That's fine if you want to trade partisan punches; just quit claiming you're not partisan then.

I am a tad left of center not far enough to the left to identify with the D's on all issues. I don't like the BS from either side but I see more of it from the right and the tactics of FEAR are disturbing to me.I felt the same way with the way the far left attacked Bush. I am a registered Independent and I vote for R's and D's as well as Constitution Party candidates and they are not exactly leftest...

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Spencer Collins For This Useful Post:
DownSouth, Mikeyy, off the porch, Tumbleweed

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to foundit66 For This Useful Post:
DownSouth, off the porch, saltwn, Spencer Collins