Are Republicans Really This Nutty?
It’s not easy being a black, gay Republican and when news stories like this come out, it’s even harder. According to a poll done by the liberal website Daily Kos, they interviewed 2000 “self-identified” Republicans and found the following:
• 39% of Republicans want President Obama to be impeached.
• 63% think Obama is a socialist.
• Only 42% believe Obama was born in the United States.
• 21% think ACORN stole the 2008 election — that is, that Obama didn’t actually win it, and isn’t legitimately the president, with 55% saying they are “not sure.” This number is actually significantly lower than it was in a similar question from Public Policy Polling (D) back in November, which said that 52% of Republicans thought ACORN stole it. So does this mean Obama is gaining ground among Republicans? As it is, only just over 20% of Republicans will say that Obama actually won the election.
• 53% think Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama to be president.
• 23% want to secede from the United States.
• 73% think gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools. This position puts the GOP base well to the right of none other than Ronald Reagan, who helped defeat the Briggs Initiative, a 1978 referendum in California that would have forbidden gays or people who advocated gay rights from teaching in public schools.
• 31% want contraception to be outlawed.
Now at first blush, a moderate Republican like myself might think: “Wow, this party is filled with nothing but loonies. Why in the world do I want to be a part of that?” And so, said moderate gets discouraged and leaves the party to become an independent.
But before we moderates start heading for the hills, we have to ask a few questions. Ann Althouse, looked at the same story and came up with a few questions of her own:
…we have to stop first and wonder how good are the Daily Kos/Research 2000 pollsters. I picked up this story at Talking Points Memo, where there’s no information about why I should trust this poll. How did they locate their 2,000 “self-identified” Republicans, who, TPM tells us represent “the psyche of the minority party’s base”?
Also, I wonder if some people who aren’t conservative at all lie to pollsters — especially a poll with a lefty name like “Daily Kos” — so they can skew the results and give those folks the results they imagine the poll is designed to produce: that non-liberals are evil/stupid.
I guess I have some reservations about a poll that was conducted by a partisan website. Of course they want to produce a poll that makes Republicans look like small-minded bigots. As Althouse notes, these are “wonderful anti-Republican PR results.” We now have “proof” that the GOP is full of crazy people.
Now, there are crazy people who call themselves Republicans. I do think there is a problem in the GOP related to anti-intellectualism and outright bigotry. I’m not saying this poll has no bearing, but I do think it tends to skew the results to make people on the Left feel good about themselves and discount those on the right, the ones that aren’t crazy or think Sarah Palin is a genius. It feed into the popular myth on the Left that middle class voters should vote their economic interests, meaning they should vote Democrat and that anyone who votes GOP is stupid, evil or racist.
There is also a message here for moderate Republicans who might be tempted to take this result as gospel. Instead of looking at this report and giving up on the GOP, moderates need to focus on what is good: the Scott Brown win, groups like Log Cabin Republicans and Republicans for Environmental Protection who work for change, and many other good things. The fact is, I know a lot of good and reasonable Republicans who don’t wear tin foil hats.
The GOP isn’t all paradise. But it isn’t all psycho ward either.
Crossposted at Republicans United
83 Responses to “Are Republicans Really This Nutty?”
I feel the same way, I'd much rather think this was a rare or inaccurate sample, but when you factor in the size of the audiences for Beck, Limbaugh, Fox “news”, etc. one has to wonder.
Axel, I don't think many people can be called “evil.” Misguided and hateful and advocating things with evil results, sure. Not that I don't understand and agree with what you're saying.
Also….is your cool looking chiaroscuroed avatar from some painting? Just wondering.
I knew it! I knew it. Republican are really loony!
You know, I think they really are this devoid of a sense of reality.
The Becks and Limbaughs of the world have played a certain segment of the population–white, male and disgruntled–like a fiddle, for years. And here are the results they reap.
It's disheartening and frightening how easily people are manipulated by their fears, even today.
There is one more explanation: the self-identified part. Maybe the reasonable element no longer dares to call themselves Republicans (sorry dduck), so this is what's left to poll. I'd be curious to see how they discovered “self-identified” Republicans.
You haven't given any evidence or technical reason to doubt those poll results. Any good pollster has raw data audited to ensure that percentages reflect how many people answered yes or no etc. and this is likely no different. Sorry, too many Repubs are likely actually that crazy or dumb as former associate Bruce Bartlett says. Whining that we should impose a PC style false equivalence on comparing the parties is flight from reality. One is really worse than the other, get over it and then ask what to do about it.
You have the right to consider me a troll, but with the exception of my one 'moron' comment in reply to Axel, I have stated my points clearly and without histrionics.
Of course things have changed in the last decade. I'm amazed that you don't realize that.
Shady,
Snide comments always count…thank god. And, you are not a troll, though I had my doubts at first.
bits
Well, there goes my image of you just sharpening and shining them for appearance's sake.
I noted a change right around 2002-3, before that the ones I was around were much more of the dduck or at an extreme damav or casualobserver variety but I do not recognize the new era of the GOP especially post 2005. I spend a good deal of time offering olive branches and trying to find good points but to be honest they upset me on a core level unlike anything from the Reagan or Bush I era, who I actually liked and trusted. I see more Rush children or worse yet Savage children than I can think about without wanting to walk across a border after hearing the warnings much like many previous nations before a military dictatorship takes over. Luckily they are a small percentage of the nation but the fact that they exist above 20% should give us all, libertarian/dem/green/indy/intelligent GOP, pause. Having said that I do not believe in painting anyone in that camp as one of those people though, in the end it just swells their numbers and sets us further down the path of the end of the republic.
You're actually suggesting exactly what occurred to me. I think the more reasonable Republicans now consider themselves Republican leaning independents. Look at the drop in self-identified Republicans that has been happening recently and not according to the Daily Kos. Also, the numbers of Republicans who buy into the birther nonsense has been reflected in other polls. Why is it so hard to believe that after even more hatred of Obama has been stirred up that even more would believe it?The poll reflects what's left. It could be worse. Some of the real flakes even further to the right also don't identify as Republicans.
<blockquote.you are not a troll, though I had my doubts at first.
Thank you. Coming from one the the truly moderate and considerate voices here, even with those you disagree, it means a lot actually.
And I can see between the name and avatar, plus my twisted sense of humor that I try to bring here, why you might think that at first.
I don't know tidbits, Axel just sounds like a '180°off' of DLS to me. DLS has been doing just what seems to be bothering you about Alex for with over 10,000 comments and nobody on his (DLS's) side of the fence says a thing… he's 'grandfathered' in.
Maybe if we'd call to task those who espouse what we believe as well (and as often) as we do those on the 'other side' actual communication and discussion of issues might break out.
Let's see if it works:
Things only change to those who don't, that's why we get old and die.
In our youth “change” was called “today”… It still is in the world of the young and fortunately in the world of some of us old folks, too.
SteveK – a valid point, and one everyone should try to adhere to.
But Father_Time seems to be the more deranged, ranting true anti-Alex. IMHO.
SteveK,
Disagreeing with great respect. DLS has an unfortunate tendancy to refer to those those who disagree with him as being of “low IQ”, and referencing “demmies and libs”, etc. He does not espouse hatred as a virtue, pronouce those who disagree with him as “evil” or suggest that those who call him out should engage in acts of self inflicted violence. I have personally called out DLS on several occasions, including one that resulted in an acceptance of responsibilty on his part. I do not see that kind of self reflection from this individual.
Presenting hatred as a virtue and suggesting acts of violence is profoundly offensive to me, as I hope it is to you. DLS is arrogant (so am I), and sometimes insightful. Axel is destructive and abusive. There is a difference. Speaking for myself, I can communicate with DLS. I cannot, and do not wish to, communicate with this individual even though he shares many of my views. Promoting violence and hatred are not why I am here.
If you believe he can be rehabilitated, god bless you and best of luck. Not me. I hope he gets blocked.
I'll have to say, that I've noticed a lot more ..consistency.. among groups than I ever remember. Maybe the internet just allows it to be seen better. I just find it hard to believe that large groups of thinking people would settle into two basic camps that could agree on so many issues at the same time.
Libs: Single payer. Pro-choice. Accept illegals. Pro gay marriage. Raise taxes. Increase regulation (it's all good). Anti-war. Anti-religion. increase welfare spending, no torture. legalize drugs
Cons: Tort reform. Pro-life. Protect borders. Straight marriage only. Lower taxes. Decrease regulation (it's all bad). Pro-war. Pro-religion. decrease welfare spending, go torture. crack down on drugs
You would expect that most people couldn't be put into any groups that were so rigid. Yet, some Republicans suggested making it an official part of the party. Heck, libertarians are considered a pretty purist group, yet there's no way anyone could make such a diverse list and get so many to agree with the whole thing.
I'm glad to find a place where's the lines aren't so rigid, but there are an uncomfortable number of sites where the armies seem to march in lock-step, and non-conformists are quickly ejected.
The poll might be skewed, but I'm willing to bet that 23% of my Facebook friends, never mind the folks living in my town, would favor secession. Living in the South, you get a daily dose of nuttiness like this.
chiaroscuroed
Wow. That certainly sent me scurrying off to my online Mirriam-Webster. Thanks!
Interesting and personally humiliating tidbit gleaned from my search:
On May 28, 1998, Jody-Anne Maxwell (Jamaican, 1986-) won the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “chiaroscurist” — an artist who uses chiaroscuro.
A hat tip to those who teach and perform well.
1. republican identification dropped out precipitously over the last few months and many shifted to independent identification because of the reasons this poll is demonstrating. the republican brand is toxic. the remaining republicans are dyed in the wool and subscribe to the social conservative dogma, and by golly they're proud of it! is it surprisingly that they would be willing to share their opinions over the phone, and that the % would increase over this time period?
2. you can't read poll results. 4% of poll takers said that women should NOT work outside the home. even the biased kos concedes that he was expecting poll results far more backwards, which if anything vindicates this poll.
but but no TRUE republican would think this way! /s
They did not get the names from any list. The survey states “random” like randomly dialed, with just the area codes a known factor because the poll also breaks down regionally. The first question asked was probably “do you identify your self as a Democrat, Republican, or Independent?” Those that were not Republican were likely told “have a nice day”.
Yes, I misread that item. My bad.
But Father_Time seems to be the more deranged, ranting true anti-Alex. IMHO.”
Axel, you trannie, you. FT is what Axel will grow into if he lives a long and perverted life.
They are both probably distantly related to the Marquis.
for appearance's sake.”
The cloven hooves are also a problem in the summer when I want to wear flip-flops.
A lot of you don't seem to understand much about polling. DailyKos did not conduct this poll. They commissioned it from Research 2000. R2K is a respected polling firm and was among the most accurate polling firms throughout the 2008 elections, beating the “big boys” (Gallup, Pew, etc). R2K is an above the board pollster, unlike say Zogby, and they post the questions asked, crosstabs, raw data, etc.
Jim_Satterfield brings up a good reminder, the results from a number of polls a few months ago showing the alarmingly high number of republicans, especially southern republicans, who believe that Obama is not an American citizen. The results of the R2K poll are not surprising to me, I live in the reddest part of Tennessee and hear this kind of nonsense spoken daily, but it remains scary as hell. Serious Republicans need to put in the work to wrest their party from the hands of these lunatics. Let them teabag and have their third parties, but as long as these remain the views of a significant percentage of the only other major American political party, that party will have a hard time, and deservedly hard, winning elections.
deservedly hard, winning elections.”
Now that you have scared the bejesus out of me, are there equivalent polls of the other party? (Left nuts.)
That is Sweet Transvestite, if you please.
I'm a Democrat in East Tennessee so I know the feeling…
Since there are, in essence, only two parties in America it's perfectly legitimate for Democrats to trumpet these kinds of numbers. If there are two choices in 2010 voters should know which base is going to feel empowered by a victory (and demand a policy response). In fairness then, FoxNews should conduct a similar poll of self-identified Democrats.
Are there transaffiliates?
Wouldn't those need to be clop-clops?
The tl;dr version of the article would be…
“I know the GOP has a lot of tinfoil-hat-nutters, but I don't think we're _that_ bad.”
If that's the best spin a self-described Republican can put on the story, the GOP is in a very sorry state.