What Republicans Believe

[bolson]

Maybe you've seen this other places by now, but here it is again, the short version, with my own special formatting.

Almost half of our governmental power is elected by people who disturbingly often hold idiotic views that should be obviously bad and wrong. How can we form a civilized society and govern ourselves under these conditions?

In January, 2010 about two thousand self identified Republicans answered thusly:

Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not?	Yes: 39%	Not sure: 29%	No: 32%
Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?	No: 36%	Not sure: 22%	Yes: 42%
Do you think Barack Obama is a socialist?	Yes: 63%	Not sure: 16%	No: 21%
Do you believe Barack Obama wants the terrorists to win?	Yes: 24%	Not sure: 33%	No: 43%
Do you believe ACORN stole the 2008 election?	Yes: 21%	Not sure: 55%	No: 24%
Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama?	Yes: 53%	Not sure: 33%	No: 14%
Do you believe Barack Obama is a racist who hates White people?	Yes: 31%	Not sure: 33%	No: 36%
Do you believe your state should secede from the United States?	Yes: 23%	Not sure: 19%	No: 58%
Should Congress make it easier for workers to form and join labor unions?	No: 68%	Not sure: 25%	Yes: 7%
Would you favor or oppose giving illegal immigrants now living in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and learn English?	Oppose: 59%	Not sure: 15%	Favor: 26%
Should openly gay men and women be allowed to serve in the military?	No: 55%	Not sure: 19%	Yes: 26%
Should same sex couples be allowed to marry?	No: 77%	Not sure: 16%	Yes: 7%
Should gay couples receive any state or federal benefits?	No: 68%	Not sure: 21%	Yes: 11%
Should openly gay men and women be allowed to teach in public schools?	No: 73%	Not sure: 19%	Yes: 8%
Should sex education be taught in the public schools?	No: 51%	Not sure: 7%	Yes: 42%
Should public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world?	Yes: 77%	Not sure: 8%	No: 15%
Are marriages equal partnerships, or are men the leaders of their households?	Men: 13%	Not sure: 11%	Equal: 76%
Should contraceptive use be outlawed?	Yes: 31%	Not sure: 13%	No: 56%
Do you believe the birth control pill is abortion?	Yes: 34%	Not sure: 18%	No: 48%
Do you consider abortion to be murder?	Yes: 76%	Not sure: 16%	No: 8%
Do you support the death penalty?	Yes: 91%	Not sure: 5%	No: 4%
Should women work outside the home?	No: 4%	Not sure: 10%	Yes: 86%
Do you believe that the only way for an individual to go to heaven is though Jesus Christ, or can one make it to heaven through another faith?	Christ: 67%	Not sure: 18%	Other: 15%

I'll admit that there is some room for debate in some of these topics, particularly I support a pretty wide leeway in marriage dynamics, but most of these issues really just make Republicans look stupid.

If you are my friend and identify as Republican, please, either fix your party or leave it. Isn't this embarrassing?

DailyKos/Research 2000 poll, Jan 2010

Comments

[kdavoli.livejournal.com]

Can you talk a bit more about the formatting? What does bold mean?

[kdavoli.livejournal.com]

One thing that's interesting to me about these data is the high values in the "not sure" column.

For one question it's actually the majority response (the ACORN question), and for some others it's large enough to tip the scales away from the majority (should the respondents make up their minds).

I wonder what it would take to get them to be "sure"?

[nurrynur.livejournal.com]

Should openly gay men and women be allowed to teach in public schools? No: 73% Not sure: 19% Yes: 8%


*boggle*
*boggle*
what.the.fuck

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

They're interesting numbers but I'd like to see a similar poll done against Democratic voters, for comparison. I think the figures for sex education, same-sex marriage, immigration, the death penalty, Barack Obama and socialism, and abortion would also be pretty alarming.

A lot of this stuff is depressing not because it's what Republicans believe, but because it's what the American public believes, and while there may be more Republicans in that sample they're definitely not alone.

[fenicedautun.livejournal.com]

I object to the wording about the Book of Genesis question. I'd actually answer yes to that, as I think a part of understanding western culture and literature means a basic understanding of what Christianity and the bible consist of, including that the book of Genesis explains how God created the world. I also was somewhat disturbed by the demographic data at the bottom.

Although, striking how views of women have changed. Can you imaging the difference if this poll had been done 50 years ago?

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Should public school students be taught that the book of Genesis in the Bible explains how God created the world 77%? For real?

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

Do you believe any of those questions might be leading?

[cos]

> If you are my friend and identify as Republican, please, either fix your party or leave it. Isn't this embarrassing?

That is actually the reason these percentages are so high: So many people have stopped identifying as Republicans over the past half-decade. Because this stuff *is* embarassing. We've gone from nearly 40% Republican self-ID in the US around 2003-ish, to mid-20s. The craziest ones are the least likely to have left, so they now make up a majority of self-identified Republicans. They are not, however, necessarily a larger set of people; they may even be a smaller set than they were.

[klari.livejournal.com]

Hehehe I wonder if "Not sure" is the bin that people who replied with "I object to this question/wording" or "In this context yes and in that context no." Wouldn't that make you smile?

[klari.livejournal.com]

PS. If Obama was born in the US, why doesn't he just prove it already? Certainly there are hospital records if he lost his birth certificate. Why run up legal bills to be coy?