On Wingnuts and President Obama: An Astonishing Poll
Posted by Adam Butler on March 25, 2010
from Harris Interactive. I’m not sure which is more frightening–that 23% of of the 2,320 adults polled believe President Obama is the Antichrist–or that 23% of the adults polled actually believe there is, or will be, an AntiChrist.
Not suprisingly, the less educated people among those polled held the most radical views:
The less education people have had the more likely they are to believe all of these statements. Consider these differences between those with no college education and those with post-graduate education:
- He is a socialist (45% and 20%)
- He wants to take away Americans’ right to own guns (45% and 19%)
- He is a Muslim (43% and 9%)
- He was not born in the United States so is not eligible to be president (32% and 7%)
- He is a racist (28% and 9%)
- He is anti-American (27% and 9%)
- He is doing many of the things Hitler did (24% and 10%).
After reviewing these findings, John Avlon comments, “These new numbers are shocking but not surprising – they detail the extent to which Wingnuts are hijacking our politics. This poll should be a wake-up call to all Americans about the real costs of using fear and hate to pump up hyper-partisanship. We are playing with dynamite by demonizing our president and dividing our country in the process. Americans need to remember the perspective that Wingnuts always forget – patriotism is more important than partisanship.”
30 Responses to “On Wingnuts and President Obama: An Astonishing Poll”
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Jim Gooch said
Notice another unsurprising correlation: lack of education and being a Republican.
D said
Um lack of education is traditionally a term used for a democrat. Because most Democrats run on the premiss to help those who are uneducated. I am wondering what the demographics were on this poll. Statistics can and our manipulated to fit a particular view.
Adam Butler said
The Demographics are in the Table at the bottom of the article.
D said
are not our
Jim Gooch said
What kind of “premiss” do Democrats run on?
Jim Gooch said
Just kidding. I spell shit wrong all the time on here.
D said
Sorry premise. you will have to excuse my education from the great state of Arkansas. Plus my dyslexia, dysgraphia, and any other problem i have been diagnosed with. Thank you. Republican are viewed as those who support the wealthy and the Democrats support the poor. How Clinton got elected supposedly for how many years here. But this is just my opinion, i have no statistics to back this up. But I can produce some if you like. If you read at the end of the poll results they explained my point. They weighted all kinds of stuff. According to my limited statistical data gathering and understanding of it this poll hold little or no weight in true research.
Jim Gooch said
Actually there are legit questions about whether this particular poll was a little to leading in its survey approach. ABC Politics actually has an article calling the poll misleading. And the fact that it shows that 10% of Democrats believe he could be the antichrist seems suspect.
D said
Where is this article Gooch? I am curious to see what it says.
Jim Gooch said
I linked up to it at some point and can’t remember the exact address, but try googling ABC political page and then see if you can spot it.
D said
I did not take offense Gooch.
JUJU said
if u wanna experience a real Republican…
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/03/24/2010-03-24_dubya_appears_to_wipe_hands_on_bubbas_shirt_after_shaking_hands_with_haitians.html
D said
I find this really funny. Because it just shows how $#!)y one person can be and a huge group be considered this way. I love how we have to label ourseleves one way or another. Good to see that we don’t grow out of Clique ways from Jr. high.
AU Jed said
The fact that 45% w/ no college education believe he is socialist tells me the “uneducated” are not so uneducated.
Adam Butler said
Seriously? I thought you were better than that .
krismboydpa said
But… what if he really is a foreign-born, muslim socialist who is taking away Americans’ right to own guns because he is a racist and un-American? I mean, these are the same things that Hitler did.
Did you not get the e-mails? He refused to take the oath on the Bible, he removed the American flag from Air Force One and signed an Executive Order to remove God from the quarter!
D said
I do have a question about that. What if he really isn’t an american citizen (I am not saying he isn’t) Does that mean everything he has signed is void?
krismboydpa said
I don’t really know. Probably. Let’s be “birthers” and find out!!!
SHOW ME A BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
D said
Has no one really seen his birth certificate? LOL!
D said
Nevermind.
Papa J said
Most of the topics covered by the poll are clearly incorrect assumptions. He’s the duly elected President and his religion is a moot point.
The methodology of the poll, even in mainstream media circles, is highly questioned – Gooch, thanks for bringing that up. No one who knows anything about polling is taking the results seriously; however, it makes a great headline to disparage anyone who happens to lean to the right, and the nutroots are doing their part.
However, the socialism part is at least up for discussion.
Socialism: a political theory advocating state ownership of industry, an economic system based on state ownership of capital.
We are in the process of bringing banks, industry, and healthcare under the control of the federal government. Whether Obama is a capital “S” Socialist or not, the policies being pursued by his administration are CLEARLY in line with small “s” socialism.
The straw man argument that accuses anyone who dares to question the direction of this country (and the huge debt we are taking on) of being a birther wingnut is just disingenuous and childish, but that seems to be the trend we are seeing.
Jim Gooch said
Fair post. I consider myself a small “s” socialist, and have since college.
Adam Butler said
Papa,
Take a deep breath. Seriously. It’s a post about wingnuts. If you aren’t one–and your post is pretty fair, I think–then it isn’t about you. More than anything, it was posted in fun.
Having said that, let me applaud your analysis of Obama and socialism. While I don’t necessarily agree with it, I respect that, even though you come from the right, you can differentiate between a person who espouses some policies that have some characteristics of Socialism and someone who strives to turn America into a Socialist country. I know some smart people who can’t seem to even aknowledge the possibility of such a distinction.
That said, I didn’t make a strawman argument. That’s a lazy comment. I didn’t accuse anyone who questions the direction of the country as being a wingnut. I accused people who think our President is the Antichrist of being wingnuts.
Since you are waxing poetic for an honest, intellectual discourse, I trust that when many in your party labeled anyone who questioned GWB during his presidency as “unAmerican”, your were appropriately appalled.
D said
GEEZ First I learn that Obama is the anti-christ and now GW is unamerican. Where have I been.
Adam Butler said
No, GWB is ‘Merican. Questioning him is un’Merican. Get it right.
D said
You know this is how rumors get started.
Papa J said
ahh, I feel much better.
AB, nowhere did I say that YOU made a straw man argument. I am still somewhat lazy, however, so there…
Polls and articles and interviews in this vein make the strawman by taking a true grassroots movement and trying to make its supporters look like a bunch of “wingnuts.” If some “teabaggers” are racists and think Obama wants their guns and is the Antichrist, then THEY ARE ALL INSANE AND DON’T LISTEN TO ANY OF THEM BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL NUTCASES BWAHAHAHA.
We all know that any movement contains its share of crazies who use the movement to act out and push their radical points of view. 9/11 “Truthers” accused W and his administration of planning the plane crashes, but I do not equate all of the netroots/DailyKos activists to all be Truthers. There are communists and socialists in the extreme far left just as there are white supremacists and other kooks on the extreme far right. Thankfully the bell curve is thin on both sides!
There are those of us who are capital “C” Conservatives because we feel that America’s founding principles of limited government, personal liberty, and a free market are WORTH DEFENDING. We see that low debt and balanced budgets (credit to Clinton where it is due) are good for the country just as they are good for our own households. When we see a movement away from these principles, towards huge debts and involvement by the Federal gov’t in more and more of our daily lives, we are alarmed, with good reason.
And, for the record, I do not think that W was a great President overall; he was not true to the conservative ideals and let spending increase beyond any of our wildest nightmares; plus he started the whole stimulus package garbage that started a lot of this mess. I also did not agree with the charges of “unpatriotic” thrust upon people who disagreed with W’s policies.
Glad we can have some debate on these issues without name calling or throwing bricks or gunshots.
Jim Gooch said
But, and I’m not trying to make a joke here, are not all the people who identify themselves as teabaggers and attend tea-party protests kind of crazy? It may be grassroots, but it’s still crazy with a capital C, not all republicans, but, yes, I would venture to say all active teabaggers.
D said
“Teabaggin’” is never a good thing.
Adam Butler said
Good post.