Harris Poll: Republicans Believe the Nuttiest Things

Every time there is a poll about what Republicans and/or conservatives beliefs, there seem to be new surprises -- as if we should be surprised anymore at how crazy some Republican beliefs can be. Granted, you can probably find at least some minority in any group that believes nutty things, but the percentages of Republicans who believe absurdities are growing and are significant majorities in some cases. You'd think that would bother Republicans first and foremost.

He is a socialist: 40% (Republicans: 67%)

He wants to take away Americans' right to own guns: 38% (Republicans: 61%)

He is a Muslim: 32% (Republicans: 57%)

He wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one world government: 29% (Republicans: 51%)

He has done many things that are unconstitutional: 29% (Republicans: 55%)

He resents America's heritage: 27% (Republicans: 47%)

He does what Wall Street and the bankers tell him to do: 27% (Republicans: 40%)

He was not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president: 25% (Republicans: 45%)

He is a domestic enemy that the U.S. Constitutions speaks of: 25% (Republicans: 45%)

He is a racist: 23% (Republicans: 42%)

He is anti-American: 23% (Republicans: %)

He wants to use an economic collapse or terrorist attack as an excuse to take dictatorial powers: 23% (Republicans: 41%)

He is doing many of the things that Hitler did: 20% (Republicans: 38%)

He may be the Anti-Christ: 14% (Republicans: 24%)

He wants the terrorists to win: 13% (Republicans: 22%)

Source: Harris Interactive

Let's just look again at some of the most significant and scary figures:

He is a socialist: 40% (Republicans: 67%)

He is a Muslim: 32% (Republicans: 57%)

He was not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president: 25% (Republicans: 45%)

He is doing many of the things that Hitler did: 20% (Republicans: 38%)

He may be the Anti-Christ: 14% (Republicans: 24%)

So nearly half of all Republicans are birthers, more than half think Obama is a Muslim, and two-thirds think he's a socialist. What's interesting is how many of these numbers are basically a way of saying "Obama isn't one of us and doesn't share our values," the basic reason why so many Christians are also bigoted against atheists:

He is a socialist: 40% (Republicans: 67%)

He is a Muslim: 32% (Republicans: 57%)

He wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one world government: 29% (Republicans: 51%)

He has done many things that are unconstitutional: 29% (Republicans: 55%)

He resents America's heritage: 27% (Republicans: 47%)

He was not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president: 25% (Republicans: 45%)

He is a domestic enemy that the U.S. Constitutions speaks of: 25% (Republicans: 45%)

He is anti-American: 23% (Republicans: 41%)

The winner for "most ironic belief" probably has to go to "He does what Wall Street and the bankers tell him to do." That sort of complaint could only come from conservatives who haven't the foggiest notion of what the Republican Party has been doing for years. Even if this position is true, it's hardly a basis of complaint from anyone who votes Republican.

Speaking of gross ignorance, the poll reveals a significant difference in beliefs between people with little education and people with advanced education. Basically, the more education you have the more in touch with reality you are; the less education you have, the more likely you are to have adopted the absurd falsehoods promoted by conservative leaders over the past couple of years. If I remember correctly, this is basically how things break down with theism in America as well: people without a college education are the most likely to believe in some sort of god while people with greater education are the least likely to believe.

Here's the break down on some of the statements between people with only a high school education or less and people with a post-graduate education:

He is a socialist: 40% vs. 20%

He is a Muslim: 32% vs. 57%

He wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one world government: 29% vs. 9%

He resents America's heritage: 27% vs. 13%

He was not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president: 25% vs. 11%

He is a racist: 23% vs. 10%

He is anti-American: 23% vs. 9%

He wants to use an economic collapse or terrorist attack as an excuse to take dictatorial powers: 23% vs. 11%

He is doing many of the things that Hitler did: 20% vs. 10%

He may be the Anti-Christ: 14% vs. 4%

He wants the terrorists to win: 13% vs. 6%

So many of the positions listed here represent constant fears which the Christian Right harps on: socialism, one-world government, non-whites, Islam, the anti-Christ, etc. The overlap between the fears being exploited by conservative Tea Baggers today and the fears which Christian Right preachers have been shouting from the pulpit are too significant to dismiss. Even though the Tea Baggers and the fundamentalists don't agree on everything, their resentments and fears overlap or are consistent with each other in many, many ways.

Amanda Marcotte makes a case for why we should conclude that people giving these answers don't really believe at least some of what they claim to believe:

I don't think people who believe Obama is the Antichrist really believe that. They just say it because they hate him, and it sounds dramatic and makes them feel important. I believe this, because they respond basically the way you do when you're making shit up to feel important but don't actually believe it.

For instance, I bet the people who claim that Obama is the Antichrist are a group that neatly overlaps with the people who believe in the Rapture. And most of the people who believe in the Rapture believe they and the people they know will totally be raptured. And yet they know that hasn't happened yet, and it's supposed to happen before the Antichrist ascends to power, right?

She's got a good point, but there is just one problem: her argument rests on the assumption that people's beliefs -- including their religious beliefs -- all be fairly consistent. If people can't reasonably hold two contradictory, mutually exclusive beliefs, then this argument is right and one of the two beliefs in question not only isn't a real belief, but those professing it know that they don't really believe it.

While this is plausibly true about at least some of those in the poll, I don't think we can conclude it of most. It's a fact that people hold contradictory beliefs. Indeed, people can hold beliefs which are obviously and directly contradictory; here, though, we have a case where one belief only has an implication which contradicts the second belief and that's subtle enough to be easily missed by anyone not accustomed to much self-reflection and critical thinking.

I'm not just saying all this because we know people aren't good critical thinkers. I'm saying that because we know, for a fact, that religious believers have all sorts of beliefs which contradict basic religious doctrine which they profess. There's so much of it that Jason Slone wrote an entire book about it: Theological Incorrectness: Why Religious People Believe What They Shouldn't.

Significant numbers of Christians have been able to accept astrology despite repeated and unambiguous condemnations of the practice throughout the Bible. Significant numbers of Christians have been able to believe in "luck," good and bad, despite also professing a belief in a god which controls all the universe. So it's hardly a surprise if a quarter of Republicans can believe that Barack Obama is the Antichrist despite the fact that it's inconsistent with other aspects of their End Times theology.