Poll: Most Republicans think Obama ‘sympathizes’ with Islamist goals

[Jetboogieman]

No matter what President Obama says about his religion, the debate over whether he is secretly Muslim continues to rage within the GOP. And a new poll finds that Republicans are now taking that rumor one step further. A Newsweek survey released Monday found that a majority of Republicans believe that Obama "sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world."
According to the poll, 14 percent of Republicans said that from what they knew of Obama, they thought such allegations were "definitely true"; 38 percent thought the allegations were "probably true." Meanwhile, 33 percent of Republicans thought they were "probably not true" and 7 percent thought they were "definitely not true." Asked whether Obama favors the interests of Muslim Americans over other groups of Americans, 59 percent Republicans said yes, whereas 34 percent said he has "generally been evenhanded."

The poll poses some dilemmas for the GOP as the party prepares for the thick of the general-election season. For months, the GOP has maintained a significant edge over Democrats in generic congressional ballot polling — with the most recent Gallup survey finding Republicans with an unprecedented 10-point lead. The GOP also leads Dems when it comes to voter enthusiasm ahead the November election — a number that typically serves as a reliable indicator of who will turn out to the polls and who won't.

Most Americans polled have made clear that their poor opinion of Obama will determine how they vote this fall. But are rumors about Obama's religion playing into GOP enthusiasm? There are hints that Republicans might think so.

Poll: Most Republicans think Obama ‘sympathizes’ with Islamist goals | The Upshot Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News

:roll:

Ignorance is bliss I suppose...

 

[liblady]

Poll: Most Republicans think Obama ‘sympathizes’ with Islamist goals | The Upshot Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News

:roll:

Ignorance is bliss I suppose...

it's sad the we are so shallow and uninformed. we get what we deserve.

 

[Your Star]

Sad, but I'm not surprised.

 

[PeteEU]

Poll: Most Republicans think Obama ‘sympathizes’ with Islamist goals | The Upshot Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News

:roll:

Ignorance is bliss I suppose...

Considering most Republican's get their news from Fox News, then it is no wonder that they believe this.

 

[RightinNYC]

And 17% of Democrats and 27% of Independents said the same thing.

You can't just look at poll numbers, you have to look at the questions being asked:

Some people have alleged that Barack Obama sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world. From what you know about Obama, what is your opinion of these allegations? Do you think they are…

In polling, when you start a question with "some people have alleged..." you automatically give that statement credibility in the eyes of the largely uninformed public. Moreover, when you ask whether people agree with a statement with negative connotations about a political figure, you find that people opposed to that person will answer in the affirmative at a far higher rate than they would otherwise say. Essentially, a large portion of these people don't like Obama and would answer in whatever way made him look bad, regardless of what the statement was.

If you went back to 2006 and said this:

"Some people have alleged that George Bush was part of a conspiracy to blow up the levies in New Orleans. From what you know about Bush, what is your opinion of these allegations?"

You'd find that democrats would agree with that statement at a surprisingly high rate, while republicans would almost completely reject it. That's just the way people work.