May 10, 2016

"Among voters with a favorable opinion of Trump... 65% think President Obama is a Muslim, only 13% think he's a Christian."

"59% think President Obama was not born in the United States, only 23% think that he was. 7% think vaccines cause autism, 45% don't think they do, another 29% are not sure. 24% think Antonin Scalia was murdered, just 42% think he died naturally, another 34% are unsure. 7% think Ted Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of JFK, 55% think he was not involved, another 38% are unsure. And closing the loop on the greatest conspiracy theory of this election- a rare one that Trump didn't embrace- 5% of voters nationally think Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer, 18% are unsure, and 77% find Cruz not guilty...."

That's from the latest PPP poll, which also asked people if they had a higher opinion of Trump or hemorrhoids/cockroaches/Nickelback/used car salesmen/traffic jams/hipsters/DMV/root canals/jury duty/lice.

I guess there are people in the mood for campaign-related humor, but PPP is supposed to be a serious operation, and you'd think they wouldn't want to associate their brand with that kind of junk. Maybe the idea is to make light of the part of the poll that is actual news:
Clinton leads Trump 78-9 among Democrats in the full field at this point, while Trump leads Clinton 78-7 among Republicans. Although much has been made of disunity in the GOP, it is actually just as unified behind Trump as the Democrats are behind Clinton. 72% of Republicans now say they're comfortable with Trump as their nominee to only 21% who they aren't. Those numbers are little different from the ones among Democrats that find 75% of them would be comfortable with Clinton as their nominee to 21% who say they would not be....
I had to go to the full results page to find out how Hillary does against Trump. It's 42 to 38% (with Jill Stein and Gary Johnson included) and 47 to 41% (with just Hillary and Trump).

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

Muslim isn't just a religion, it's a culture. Obama spent much of his early years in a Muslim country, going to Muslim schools. He said one of the sweetest sounds on earth is the call to prayer. It's also not very arguable that he is a Muslim apologist.

He certainly seems to have cultural Muslim ties.

David Begley said...

The only God Obama worships is himself.

Dan Hossley said...

Buyer beware. This purpose of this poll was to disparage Trump supporters. PPP has a long history on engaging in this sort of thing.

eric said...

PPP is supposed to be a serious operation,

I don't know where you're getting this. PPP has been trolling conservatives for years now. This is the outfit that comes up with questions like, Do you support bombing Agrabah (which is a fictional place) and 30% of Republicans say yes.

They haven't been a serious polling outfitt for years now. They are an arm of the Democrat party whose purpose is to help Once Written call Republicans Hillbillies.

holdfast said...

When's the last time the Obamas attended church (other than a funeral)? Can't he just admit he's an godless progressive and move on? He only attended "church" in Chicago for the political street cred - he as much as admitted it in his book - and since even that blew up in his face thanks to Rev. Wright he's had no use for the pretense of organized religion.

Will Cate said...

Correct, eric ...

Every PPP poll I've ever seen has been in-the-tank for Democrats.

Gusty Winds said...

What is the percentage of idiot Clinton and Sanders supporters who swallow the Global Warming crap?

Nonapod said...

Some percentage of believe in all sorts of wacky stuff. I'd be curious to see some of the beliefs espoused by Bernie Sanders supporters.

I'm always a little confused by what these polls are trying to demonstrate. I assume they're supposed to sway fence sitters? I mean... if you already don't like Trump, I suppose it reinforces your contempt for his supporters (See! I was right! What a bunch of ignorant wackos!). And if you're a Trump supporter, I doubt this will change that one iota, up 'till now nothing else has.

Birkel said...

What evidence is there, beside the word of Obama (worthless) and his attendance of God Damn America Church, that Obama does not identify as Muslim?

After all, he can identify as a white, lesbian with a penchant for urinating in whatever bathroom he likes according to his DOJ. Why should my opinion limit his choice of religion?

bagoh20 said...

Obama is a Christian the way Trump is a conservative.

Rae said...

It is my understanding that from a Muslim point of view, the son of a Muslim is a Muslim. Forevermore. He may not be a *practicing* Muslim, or he may be an apostate, but to Muslims, he is a Muslim.

traditionalguy said...

Zero is a god. He embodies all religion. In that status he uses Muslims to destroy uppity Jews and Christians and uses Christians to destroy uppity Muslims. All the while he works to establish a secular World government on the ruins. It will welcome all who bow to a new "Scientific Thought Control"

Gusty Winds said...

Hillary's 2008 campaign started the birther movement, and the questions surrounding Obama's faith.

But let's pretend she didn't.

n.n said...

Obama is not Christian. He may be Muslim. He is probably atheist.

Dan Hossley:

The PPP poll indicates that Democrats are desperate to leverage their narrative.

Gusty Winds said...

Here's the video of Obama's slip declaring his Muslim faith, with a quick correction from clintonfluffer George Stephanopoulos.

Static Ping said...

There's nothing that really indicates that Obama is a Christian. If you knew nothing about him at all and simply judged him by his actions, the most likely conclusion is he is hostile to Christianity or at least broad swaths of it. He is not hostile to Islam. These are not unreasonable positions to take, sadly.

It seems to be a standard practice these days to point out "absurd" positions held by political opponents. Too bad the people who do this do not realize we live in absurd times.

MikeR said...

Very clear example of a poll where respondents use their answers as ways to signal their allegiance. Jonathan Haidt has done studies on this effect. PPP could have asked the same questions about Clinton and gotten similar responses - that is, from members of the opposite party. It's not about what they actually believe, it's about choosing sides.

Humperdink said...

Obama a Muslim? Obama a Christian?

"You will know them by their fruits."

steve uhr said...


Obama is visiting Hiroshima today. I understand he is providing a medal to the family of Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. Rumor has it Obama's Hawaiian mother used a searchlight to guide him to the target.

TRISTRAM said...

To be fair, a lot of them don't think Romney or Pelosi are Christians either.

Achilles said...

The funny part is the "down ballot bloodbath" is going to be on the other side. They are just now figuring this out.

Bob Ellison said...

Of course he's an atheist. Don't let's be silly.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Asking the question, biases the answer. The fact that it is offered as a choice, raises the probability, in many people's minds, that that is the correct answer. You can probably find the same thing in multiple choice questions in schools.

Also, we don't know what definition of Moslem, the person surveyed is using, or thinks the poll is using.

Birkel said...

Kristian Holvoet:

What evidence is there that Pelosi is a Christian?

Mike Sylwester said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

To be fair, Mike Sylwester, Trump is a vaxxer.

dreams said...

I'm with those who think he is a Muslim.

CJinPA said...

The Left is smart to do these silly polls. The Right does not. They do "man on the street" surveys and solicit dumb thoughts, but you can't quote them as readily as this stuff.

Questions to Make Hillary's Supporters Look Extreme:

Did George Bush know about 9/11 ahead of time?
Did Bush blow up the levees during Hurricane Katrina?
Did the U.S. government develop the HIV virus to kill black people?
Do U.S. politicians make laws to send more people to prison because they've been paid by private prison lobbyists?

Just a few...and most have traction among Democrats.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Rae said...5/10/16, 10:22 AM

It is my understanding that from a Muslim point of view, the son of a Muslim is a Muslim. Forevermore. He may not be a *practicing* Muslim, or he may be an apostate, but to Muslims, he is a Muslim.

Except that's not realy so, and he's not been accused anywhere, it seems, even by al Qaeda or ISIS, or being an apostate, although maybe taht's abridge too far for them.

The rule is, the son of a Moslem is supposed to be brought up as a Moslem, but if he wasn't, he isn't, and if he didn't practice Islam after attaining the age of 14, he never was a Moslem. Otherwise, in centuries past, they'd have to have been out killing many Christians in places that went back and forth from Christian to Moslem rulers.

They also don't conduct inquisitions - all these cases where Christians are sentenced to death in Moslem countries because they are really Moslems arise by special circumstances, and so far, it seems they are invariably resolved (in most countries with such laws) either by the person accused recanting or emigrating.

In Iran, a famous case involved actually false findings of fact in that the pastor had not been a Moslem after age 14. Theer are no conversions in such places. It doesn't happen, precisely because of the severe penalty.


Franklin said...

Every time PPP wants to disparage some group or other, they trot out the "thinks Obama is a Muslim" polling data.

I don't like Trump, but he certainly is hated by the right people - I may vote for him just to piss off scum like PPP.

Mike Sylwester said...

Respondents who said that vaccines might case autism:

18% of all polled

18% of those who voted for Obama in 2012

21% of women

26% of African-Americans

27% of Trump supporters

28% of those who called themselves "very liberal"

28% of Hispanics

33% of those aged 18 to 29

James Pawlak said...

Obama worships only himself.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I believe Obama is a Muslim, even though he isn't.

Farmer said...

" Franklin said...
I don't like Trump, but he certainly is hated by the right people - I may vote for him just to piss off scum like PPP.


I promised myself I wouldn't do that, but I'm probably gonna end up doing it anyway.

TRISTRAM said...

"What evidence is there that Pelosi is a Christian?"

She professes to being Catholic.

Owen said...

Mike Sylwester: "Respondents who said that vaccines might ca[u]se autism:

18% of all polled

18% of those who voted for Obama in 2012

21% of women

26% of African-Americans

27% of Trump supporters

28% of those who called themselves "very liberal"

28% of Hispanics

33% of those aged 18 to 29."

Cause for universal despair.

Brando said...

I'd want to delve deeper into the "Obama is a Muslim" or "Obama is not a Christian" POV--there's a difference between someone thinking the man is secretly practicing Islam and thinking "hey I don't know what another person's religion is, it's their personal beliefs". This has a lot to do with how the question is asked.

Birkel said...

Kristian Holvoet:

I say I am a girl today and a boy tomorrow. Does that make me right 100%, 50% or 0% of the time.

Pelosi says she is Catholic but follows little of the teachings.

Please don't ask me to pretend.

Writ Small said...

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/heres-proof-some-pollsters-are-putting-a-thumb-on-the-scale/

"PPP is supposed to be a serious operation" is like saying "the National Enquirer is supposed to be a serious newspaper." That they occasionally say some true things does not make them credible.

BrianE said...

I read somewhere that if Hillary is elected she's going to find out the truth about the aliens in Area 51.

Bob Ellison said...

Brando said, I'd want to delve deeper into the "Obama is a Muslim" or "Obama is not a Christian" POV--there's a difference between someone thinking the man is secretly practicing Islam and thinking "hey I don't know what another person's religion is, it's their personal beliefs". This has a lot to do with how the question is asked.

Correct. But c'mon. The man's an atheist. Don't be silly and say he's bowing down five times a day, or goes to church on Sundays and believes what they say. Please.

Is Donald Trump a Christian?

damikesc said...

I don't know where you're getting this. PPP has been trolling conservatives for years now. This is the outfit that comes up with questions like, Do you support bombing Agrabah (which is a fictional place) and 30% of Republicans say yes.

19% of Democrats also supported bombing Agrabah, it should also be noted.

I wonder how many Dems think racial and sexual preferences are OK, but ALSO think race and sex are social constructs. And how many can tell the conflict with the positions.

Hillary's 2008 campaign started the birther movement, and the questions surrounding Obama's faith.

But let's pretend she didn't.


Trump should bring that up. I doubt he will, though.

Brando said...

"Hillary's 2008 campaign started the birther movement, and the questions surrounding Obama's faith."

So no matter what, our next president is associated with the movement that believes our current president was born overseas and ineligible to serve.

Chuck said...

I'd be happy to presume, for the sake of argument, that the Hiilary '08 Campaign started the Obama-is-a-Muslim thing. Along the usual line of nasty malicious political tricks. But they certainly knew better than to involve Mrs. Clinton in it, and by all accounts she had no personal role. She never uttered a word about it herself.

Compare, Donald Trump, and the birther craze. There is no gray area, no gradation of truth in that story. Only the truly crazed ever believed that Obama was not born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, to an American mom from Kansas. And yet Donald Trump identified himself personally, repeatedly, and with more insane quotes than can be recalled and linked without a couple hours' effort to compile all of them.

That's weird. That's a qualitative difference from the Clinton story. That's a blot on Trump that can't be erased.

Brando said...

"Compare, Donald Trump, and the birther craze. There is no gray area, no gradation of truth in that story. Only the truly crazed ever believed that Obama was not born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, to an American mom from Kansas. And yet Donald Trump identified himself personally, repeatedly, and with more insane quotes than can be recalled and linked without a couple hours' effort to compile all of them."

They're both tainted by it--Clinton may have been clever enough to maintain personal distance, but she certainly let her surrogates do the dirty work and never came out publicly during that campaign to say the birther stuff was nonsense and disassociate herself from the people pushing it.

Trump went and ran with it, but both pushed an idiotic theory that ranks up there with the CIA taking out JFK. It just helped Obama's fans lump his critics in with the crazies.

MikeR said...

"vaccines might cause autism" I imagine that they don't, sounds like a dumb idea, but I really know nothing about it. Any of you do? Read actual studies, gone through the data, looked at both sides of the evidence?
How about climate change? Read blogs on both sides? Read actual studies and go through the math?
Most of what passes for ignorance in American discourse is really almost total ignorance on both sides. The only difference between the sides is which blogs they prefer to tell them what to think.

damikesc said...

At this point, looking at recent news (Earnest admitted Obama lied to the American public about the Iran deal and the State Dept attempted to alter video footage of Psaki admitting the same from a while back)...we won't survive a Hillary Presidency.

"vaccines might cause autism" I imagine that they don't, sounds like a dumb idea, but I really know nothing about it. Any of you do? Read actual studies, gone through the data, looked at both sides of the evidence?

When the only study claiming a link was done by a "scientist" with a vested interest financially in an alternative method of MMR vaccines he was championing and was pulled for being erroneous, then yes, I think vaccines do not cause autism.

How about climate change? Read blogs on both sides? Read actual studies and go through the math?
Most of what passes for ignorance in American discourse is really almost total ignorance on both sides. The only difference between the sides is which blogs they prefer to tell them what to think


Folks like me don't claim to know all of the info. We know the proponents don't know and are demanding massive changes based on their poor information. We propose not disrupting the world for a theory with shaky evidence.

My position seems infinitely more moderate.

machine said...

59% of Trump voters don't believe Hawaii is one of the United States...


there we go...fify.

MikeR said...

'When the only study claiming a link was done by a "scientist" with a vested interest financially in an alternative method of MMR vaccines he was championing and was pulled for being erroneous, then yes, I think vaccines do not cause autism.'
Could be... do you know that? How? Some blog? Wikipedia?

Climate change: 'We know the proponents don't know and are demanding massive changes based on their poor information.' Sorry to belabor the point, but how do you know what they do and don't know? Some blog? Wikipedia?

There are experts in the field, there are people in the middle who have invested considerable time and effort working through the actual studies, and there are the rest of us. The rest of us have no clue.
[Note that I don't know which category you are in personally. I am only sure about the vast majority of the people who answer any poll, whichever side they're on.]

AllenS said...

Only one person in the US believes we have 57 states, or maybe more.

Curious George said...

"steve uhr said...

Obama is visiting Hiroshima today. I understand he is providing a medal to the family of Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. Rumor has it Obama's Hawaiian mother used a searchlight to guide him to the target."

She wasn't born until 1942 but still funny.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump is in this thing to hand it to Hillary.

Nothing else makes any sense.

shiloh said...

Althouse, it's gonna be a longgg (6) mos. for your 95/5 Conservative majority!

Big Mike said...

Compare, Donald Trump, and the birther craze. There is no gray area, no gradation of truth in that story. Only the truly crazed ever believed that Obama was not born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, to an American mom from Kansas.

Except that Obama himself, back in his salad days, pretended to be a Kenyan to promote interest in him as a potential author.

Irrespective of where Barack Obama was born, we also know that both he and his top advisor Valerie Jarrett spent their early years in Muslim countries, he in Indonesia and she in Iran. The Islam they lived in as children is clearly different from the Islam of today, but fools like Chuck push the notion that only the craziest of folks think that Obama and Jarrett are living in an unreal world.

At any rate, as I've commented on other thread, I think that if the Democrats nominated a truly moderate candidate they would win the presidency in a walkover. But they chose to nominate Hillary Clinton, pretending that she is a centrist (on what planet, one wonders). Consequently the Republican Party is as unified behind Trump as the Democrats are unified behind Clinton. Who will win the Independents? I could be wrong, but I think Trump will.

Gusty Winds said...

Is the debate really about whether or not a person thinks Obama is or is not a Muslim, or if he was actually born in Kenya?

I think it's about whether or not you actually care about either of those things.

traditionalguy said...

Trump is in it to win it. And he has already won it in men's minds.

The media fire storm arising is to discredit his Administration for allowing such bad things to happen to us because President Trump is acting weak after being the first one on our side. We want it now.

Gusty Winds said...

Chuck said...

That's a blot on Trump that can't be erased.

If you remember that episode, Trump forced Obama to produce and release a birth certificate that could otherwise not be found anywhere in Hawaii.

Levi Starks said...

So I guess this is an argument that Trump voters just aren't smart enough to be allowed to vote.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
Trump is in this thing to hand it to Hillary.
Nothing else makes any sense.


Then, suddenly, the scales fell from his eyes.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Obama himself repeats the untrue story that his father left his mother when he was two years old.
In fact his father and mother never lived together as man and wife. Within a few weeks of Obama's birth, his mother was enrolled at the University of Washington, while his father remained at the University of Manoa.
"Even though my father left us when I was 2 years old, and I only knew him from the letters he wrote and the stories that my family told, I was luckier than most."
http://www.politico.com/story/2008/06/text-of-obamas-fatherhood-speech-011094?o=1

Humperdink said...

"Althouse, it's gonna be a longgg (6) mos. for your 95/5 Conservative majority!"

Polling in contested states say otherwise. Trending is not favoring Clintstone. Unless you are looking at trending on ZuckerWhatHisName's Fakebook. In which case Hillary wins in a mudslide.

Kathryn51 said...

Until PPP asks voters how they rate the Hildebeast against cockroaches, lice, etc. I discount everything in this particular survey.

jr565 said...

what if we dont think hes a muslim OR a christian?

Real American said...

Obama might be a Muslim or a Christian or an Atheist. There is simply no reason to take his word for it. He's a proven liar.

Real American said...

some people believed Obamacare would reduce the deficit and allow you to keep your own health care plan and doctor. Some people think 20% of college women are rape victims. Some people think 10% of our population is gay. some people think increased government spending ends recessions. Some people think hate speech isn't constitutionally protected free speech. some people think riding a bike will decrease the earth's temperature 100 years from now.

Where do people get these crazy ideas?

n.n said...

Your Honor, I object. The pollster is leading the subject.

or in the absence of a competent defense counsel or in the presence of a liberal judge:

I refuse to answer on the grounds that the pollster is weaving a [mischaracterized] narrative designed to defame character and create partisan leverage.

If either is pro-choice... Well, spin the cylinder.

hombre said...

Obama is a Christian like Bruce Jenner is a woman.

The other question is not whether he is a Muslim. He is not. He is a self-worshipper. The question is, what would he have done differently to further Islamism if he were a Muslim?

hombre said...

"Only the truly crazed ever believed that Obama was not born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, to an American mom from Kansas."

The truly crazed and his paternal grandmother.

Jupiter said...

Terry said...
"Obama himself repeats the untrue story that his father left his mother when he was two years old.
In fact his father and mother never lived together as man and wife. Within a few weeks of Obama's birth, his mother was enrolled at the University of Washington, while his father remained at the University of Manoa."

Actually, Obama's father was probably Frank Marshall Davis. His mother wanted a foreigner with a dark skin to pretend to be the father, and the Obama guy wanted an American wife so he wouldn't get deported. So, they did a deal. I expect some money changed hands. But Obama Sr. never showed any interest in the jug-eared little monster.