Have third of Americans become too extreme?


by Newswire    
6:08 am - September 24th 2009

Tweet       Share on Tumblr

Is extremism becoming mainstream in 21st century American politics?

Our latest national poll would seem to say yes- 35% voters in the country either think that Barack Obama was not born in the United States or that George W. Bush intentionally allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur so that we could go to war in the Middle East. A very troubled 2% of the population buys into both of those conspiracy theories.

It’s hard to call a third of the country a fringe.

Only 59% of Americans say confidently that they think Barack Obama was born in the country while 23% think he was not, and 18% are unsure. Among Republicans there are more voters- 42%- who think he was born somewhere else than there are- 37%- who will say for sure that he was born here.

…. more at Public Policy Polling

   Tweet   Share on Tumblr   submit to reddit  


About the author

· Other posts by


Story Filed Under: News


Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


Reader comments


1. Richard

So that’s two thirds? One third birthers, the other third truthers? The 2% who believe both are probably the far right.

2. Ian

Yes, but a good chunk of that 1/3rd don’t think that Hawaii is in the United States, so the confusion is forgiveable.

3. Daniel Hoffmann-Gill

Or know where Europe is…

4. Bob B

Why did we ever want to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the likes of George W Bush and his friends in the Project for the New American Century?
http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm

Proper sympathy for the victims of 9/11 is one natural dimension, especially by Londoners who experienced the bombing of London in WW2, but consider the other perspectives:

The mainstream view of much of America in September 1941 was reflected in the speech of Charles Linbergh, the pioneering aviator, at Des Moines, Iowa, on 11 September 1941.

“The three most important groups who have been pressing this country [America] toward war [WW2] are the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration.”
http://www.charleslindbergh.com/americanfirst/speech.asp

The distinguished American journalist and historian, William Shirer, wrote this about the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941:

“My own impression in Washington at that moment was that it might be difficult for President Roosevelt to get Congress to declare war on Germany. There seemed to be a strong feeling in both Houses as well as in the Army and Navy that the country ought to concentrate its efforts on defeating Japan and not take on the additional burden of fighting Germany at the same time.” [The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, chp. 25]

On the Iraq war:

“WASHINGTON (CNN) — Nearly $9 billion of money spent on Iraqi reconstruction is unaccounted for because of inefficiencies and bad management, according to a watchdog report”
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.audit/

Try this Secret memo of 23 July 2002, which circulated among senior ministers and civil servants in Britain about the forthcoming war with Iraq which somehow got leaked:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article387374.ece

Quote:

“C [that's the head of MI6, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service] reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.”

The final sentence is absolutely damning: “the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy”

And the last straw:

“A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6173399/Charles-Darwin-film-too-controversial-for-religious-America.html

5. Neil

“too extreme” for what?

6. Daniel Hoffmann-Gill

Extreme Sports?

7. bernard

Extreme Dreams

8. Neil

Extreme fis[censored]

9. Shatterface

Extreme ways are back again
Extreme places I didn’t know
I broke everything new again
Everything that I’d owned
I threw it out the window; came along
Extreme ways I know will part the colors of my sea
perfect colored me

Extreme ways they help me
They help me out late at night
Extreme places I had gone
That never seen any light
Dirty basements, dirty noise
Dirty places coming through
Extreme worlds alone
Did you ever like it planned?

10. the a&e charge nurse

[9] And if you would like to tap your toes to the text
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkc6PsrSbs0


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Article:: Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/3wFaCd

  2. Allan Siegel

    Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? – http://shar.es/1qFg8

  3. Liberal Conspiracy

    Article:: Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/3wFaCd

    [Original tweet]

  4. Allan Siegel

    Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? – http://shar.es/1qFg8

    [Original tweet]

  5. Stephen Lambert

    Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/dCsTv

    [Original tweet]

  6. irene rukerebuka

    RT @libcon Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/2cOErT

    [Original tweet]

  7. Stephen Lambert

    Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/dCsTv

    [Original tweet]

  8. Tweets that mention Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? -- Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Stephen Lambert and irene rukerebuka . irene rukerebuka said: RT @libcon Liberal Conspiracy » Have third of Americans become too extreme? http://bit.ly/2cOErT [...]

  9. Marr on Brown Fallout: Something to be Thankful For « Bad Conscience

    [...] Astonishingly, 23% of Americans now think Obama was not born a US citizen, and 18% say they are unsure. In large measure, this is because the “birther” claims have been recycled and repeated by the US 24hour television networks. Some – like Fox News – have undertaken only the barest of attempts to pretend they are doing anything other than deliberately spreading the birther conspiracy. Others have gladly fallen into the lazy trap of reporting the birther story under the guise of “lots of people are saying Obama is Kenyan, we are covering the fact lots of people are saying this”, or, in even more Kafkaesque style, reporting the birther story under the guise that “lots of other TV stations are reporting the birther movement, so we are doing a media story about other media covering the birthers”. [...]





Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.