In a brief but staggering piece over at The Daily Beast, John Avlon provides an early report on the results of a new Harris Poll. (The complete results will be released tomorrow.) The poll looked at what Republicans believe about President Barack Obama. Some examples:
- 24% believe Obama “may be the Antichrist”
- 67% believe Obama is a Socialist
- 45% believe Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president"
- A “high percentage” believe Obama is a “racist” and “anti-American”
I shouldn’t have been shocked. But I was.
The 2008 campaign became ugly. The 2009 summer of the angry town hall meetings was far uglier. It was not just citizens, but elected officials; political leaders who were in the thick of the hate speech. But we are absolutely down the rabbit hole now (replete with Mad Tea Parties). We’re witnessing huge numbers of distortions, flat out lies, fear mongering, bigotry and calumny. What induces the feelings of disorientation and nausea, akin to that of funhouse mirrors, is that these outrageous falsehoods are being wrapped in the flag and declared patriotic.
We have to learn the truth and speak the truth, not “to power” as the Quakers advised, but to the power of the lies. Because, unfortunately, this is not Alice’s dream, but our new, strange reality.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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2 comments:
UGH. I happened to see the same statistics. For a moment, I laughed just because it is SO utterly ridiculous. Surely people can't believe these snake oil salesmen?
But then the reality hit me that there truly are people that believe EVERYTHING they hear on Faux News. I truly have never seen anything like the misinformation and LIES they spew. It's downright shameful.
And did you happen to see the latest Sarah Palin map of democratic "targets"? They are conveniently marked with cross-hairs and she's asking her supporters to "reload". WTH?
I hope for the safety of our President and his family each and every day.
Hi Stephanie -
It's surreal and so very disturbing.
I did see the Sarah Palin "target" map where she wants her supporters to "take aim". She is either tone deaf or made a conscious decision to use the NRA lingo - consequences be damned. Guess which way I'm leaning!
We share the same wish for President Obama, his family and staff - and for all of us...
- Lee
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