The results of the new poll by Research 2000 (for Daily Kos) are, in Markos' words, "nothing short of startling." For instance:*Only 32% definitely feel that Barack Obama should be allowed to remain in office for the rest of his term. The rest either say he should be impeached (39%) or are not sure (29%). God knows what they want to impeach him for, but there it is.
*Apparently brainwashed by Beck, Limbaugh, etc., only 21% of Republicans believe that Barack Obama is not a "socialist." The rest either feel he is a "socialist" (63%) or aren't sure (16%). Correct answer: Barack Obama is a mainstream, non-ideological, even technocratic Democrat.
*With their tinfoil hats firmly affixed, two-thirds of Republicans aren't sure (22%) or believe Obama was not (36%) born in the United States. Correct answer: he was born in Hawaii, which is and was part of the United States when Barack Obama was born there in 1961.
*With tinfoil hats still firmly affixed, only 24% of Republicans believe that the all-powerful ACORN did not steal the 2008 presidential election. Correct answer: this is the lamest conspiracy ever; even if there was any evidence at all, which there is not, ACORN couldn't steal the election for High School president, let alone U.S. president. Cuckoo. Cuckoo.
*Now getting into racist psychological projection territory, only 36% of Republicans believe that Barack Obama is not a "racist who hates White people." Correct answer: paging Dr. Freud, paging Dr. Freud!
*Believe it or not, 42% of Republicans either think their state should secede from the United States (23%) or aren't sure (19%). As Markos writes, "42 percent of Republicans aren't really patriotic. They pretend to love America only when they approve of the president."
*On the issues, it's teh crazy and teh MORE crazy. Virulently anti-union, anti-immigrant, anti-gay (73% believe gays shouldn't be allowed to teach in public schools!), anti-science and anti-separation-of-church-and-state (77% say "public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world"), anti-contraception (56% say contraception should be outlawed!!), etc.
On and on we go, where teh crazy stops, sadly we know: President Sarah Palin and an American Theocracy. The sad thing is, I don't find these poll results surprising at all. Disturbing? Yes. Frightening? Yes. Surprising? No. Truly horrifying.
P.S. And, of course, here in Virginia we have a House of Delegates controlled by people just like the ones in the poll results. We also have a Pat Robertson disciple as governor and a the far-far-far-far-far (add a few more "far"s) right wing extremist Ken Kookinelli as our Attorney General. Fun times, huh?
