Thursday, September 24, 2009

A Good Point From the Left

Like many on both left & right, Chris Bowers at Open Left took note of the recent Public Policy Polling survey that found only a minority of Republicans sure that President Obama was born in the U.S., and 25% of Democrats who think President Bush intentionally allowed the 9/11 attacks to take place. Eight percent overall actually think Bush is the antichrist, and ten percent think it's Obama. (I guess Bush retired from the job). 

Bowers points out that birtherism & trutherism aren't analogus and suggests that another question should have been asked of Democrats.

they missed a chance to poll the actual Democratic equivalent of the "birther" conspiracy theories: that Bush stole the 2004 election. Those two conspiracies are equivalent because they deny the legitimacy of the President. Thinking that Bush was involved in 9/11 is more like thinking that Obama has a secret plan to indoctrinate American children with Islamo-socialism.
According to Bowers, and I think he's correct,
belief in the stolen 2004 elections is more widespread among Democrats than Bush having foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks. It certainly seems extremely widespread within the comment sections of the progressive blogosphere.
I applaud Bowers' intellectual honesty in pointing out that there is even more conspiracy theory nuttery on his side than the PPP poll indicates. Unfortunately conspiracy theory thinking is quite prevalent on both sides of the aisle.

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