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News & ArtsMonday, March 12, 2012
2012 Mississippi Republicans Are Human Caricatures
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Public Policy Polling's report on Mississippi and Alabama Republicans is all over the internet. Let's investigate:
In Mississippi only 12% of voters think Obama's a Christian to 52% who think he's a Muslim and 36% who are not sure. In Alabama just 14% think Obama's a Christian to 45% who think he's a Muslim and 41% who aren't sure...Alabama's pretty much on board with interracial marriage, with 67% of voters thinking it should be legal to 21% who think it should not be. There's still some skepticism in Mississippi though- only 54% of voters think it should be legal, while 29% believe it should be illegal...Finally there's considerable skepticism about evolution among GOP voters in both Alabama and Mississippi. In Alabama only 26% of voters believe in it, while 60% do not. In Mississippi just 22% believe in it, while 66% do not.
It looks like Gingrich is polling well among the interracial marriage haters and the Obama's-a-Muslim crowd, proving yet again that Newt Gingrich is a dumb person's idea of what a smart person should be. Romney dominates among voters who believe in evolution and voters who believe Barack Obama is a Christian. It's not all terrible news: PPP says that Rush Limbaugh's approval rating has taken a 30% dive since their last poll.
2
As we like to say down in Georgia, the only good thing about Alabama is that it keeps Mississippi from touching us.
3
It will be interesting when Romney wins, because with the other 3 candidates in the race, he will not be beholden to the Social Conservatives at all and can develop his easy listening M.O.R. moderate voice.
4
I can't believe we share a country with these people. And they can't believe they share a country with people like me. How is it even possible the United States exists? Or are we united by our allegiance to fried food and cheap plastic crap from China?
7
@4. Yes, this. We're "united" because very large corporate interests need all of our wealth in one big pool to finance their military empire. It's way past time to break this country up.
8
As we say in Alabama, 'Thank God for Mississippi'.
@4 One thing to keep in mind is that in much of Alabama and especially Mississippi there is an enormous brain drain. In the rural areas most people that go on to get an education move out. Most to Atlanta, with Birmingham, Mobile, Pensacola, and Montgomery following , but others to the nation and world at large (one even to Seattle :D). There is only one person in my age cohort that went to college and moved back home. Less than half are still in the State.
@4 One thing to keep in mind is that in much of Alabama and especially Mississippi there is an enormous brain drain. In the rural areas most people that go on to get an education move out. Most to Atlanta, with Birmingham, Mobile, Pensacola, and Montgomery following , but others to the nation and world at large (one even to Seattle :D). There is only one person in my age cohort that went to college and moved back home. Less than half are still in the State.
9
@jzimbert ... When I was growing up in Georgia, we used to say that Mississippi's key Southern role was to make Alabama look good ...
11
@8, what county are you from? In general, Mississippi and Alabama have unusually low rates of out-migration compared to other states. If you look at this map, you'll see what I mean -- most counties in AL and MS send migrants only to their immediately neighboring counties; if out-out-of-state, it's to the nearest county in LA or TN. Same goes for in-migration. I think that's one of the big problems with the Deep South -- the isolation.As you point out, virtually no one is moving to Mississippi except white retirees to all-white "whitopias".
There are exceptions, however; Harrison County (Gulfport, MS) has sent people all over; so does Lauderdale, including at least ten to Seattle.
There are exceptions, however; Harrison County (Gulfport, MS) has sent people all over; so does Lauderdale, including at least ten to Seattle.
12
If the question in the poll were phrased the way they are in the report, there are some serious problems with that data. A lot of those questions are - presumably? - at best creating false equivalencies and at worst outright leading.
I mean, I'm an evolutionary biologist, for fuck's sake, and I'D be tempted to say no if you asked me if I "believe in evolution." It's not a belief structure. It's a collection of facts. I'd similarly look at you funny if you asked me if I believe in semiconductors.
I mean, I'm an evolutionary biologist, for fuck's sake, and I'D be tempted to say no if you asked me if I "believe in evolution." It's not a belief structure. It's a collection of facts. I'd similarly look at you funny if you asked me if I believe in semiconductors.
13
@12 Yes, yes, "accept as correct" would be better wording than "believe," but virtually anyone answering the survey would assume these were being used as rough equivalents, unless there's a database available containing only the phone numbers of stubborn pedants like ourselves.
14
@13, unfortunately there is a great deal of evidence that the wording of questions can strongly influence survey results. It's one of the reasons sociologists have to work so hard to get good data and part of why so many surveys are complete junk.
I'd google up some sources, but you're just as capable of that as I am. Suffice it to say that it's not a controversial fact at all.
I'd google up some sources, but you're just as capable of that as I am. Suffice it to say that it's not a controversial fact at all.
15
Why would anyone poll on evolution as a belief? People who claim it to be "unreal" should be openly mocked. I'm willing to give a little leeway for those who think the process nudged into commencing by a cloud being but really...
Here's a few more things we could poll:
Do you believe that water is made of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen?
Do you believe that plants can use the energy from sunlight to create food using trace elements in soil?
Do you believe that such things as trees exist?
Here's a few more things we could poll:
Do you believe that water is made of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen?
Do you believe that plants can use the energy from sunlight to create food using trace elements in soil?
Do you believe that such things as trees exist?
16
@11- That map isn't broken down by educational achievement, so it really doesn't have anything to do with @8's point. If very few people get a college degree and none of them move back, it might not even show up because the map only includes movements of more than 10 people from one place to another.
17
@8 Escambia County AL originally. And notice I said brain drain not population drain. My point was that those most likely to counter the stupid end up just leaving.
19
Hicks 1
Middlebrows 0
https://kindle.amazon.com/post/2VR0S9EDJ…
from "Evolution: A View from the 21st Century"
A suggested reading from Charles Mudede
Middlebrows 0
General discussions of evolution, especially in the context of the "Intelligent Design" controversy, suffer from an unfortunate conflation in the minds of the lay public (and also scientists) of three distinct questions:
The origin of life
The evidentiary basis for an evolutionary process
The nature of evolutionary change
Almost universally, the term Darwinism is assumed to be synonymous with a scientific approach that has provided satisfactory answers to all three questions. It is to be hoped that, by now, you realize that these three questions are individually complex and that two of them are quite far from having coherent explanations.
https://kindle.amazon.com/post/2VR0S9EDJ…
from "Evolution: A View from the 21st Century"
A suggested reading from Charles Mudede
20
@17 is right. We see the same thing in Louisiana. In Baton Rouge, it is a real struggle keeping LSU and Southern graduates in town or at least in the state. But we have no problem retaining the 40% the products of our public school system who drop out before graduating.
22
I would have considered visiting Alabama as a tourist, along with Mississippi, just to check out the marshlands and the cypress swamps. But ever since they made being a Latino a crime? Being presumed a criminal just because of your name and your accent? Forget it. Enjoy your brain and labor drain.
23
@#1
These are Mississippi and Alabama Republicans. They're so White it hurts. Also, so Christian.
These are Mississippi and Alabama Republicans. They're so White it hurts. Also, so Christian.
26
Seattle politics rule #1: if you want to be right, believe exactly the opposite of Dave Meinert. Examples: smoking ban, panhandling law, sick time law, income tax for the rich, etc.
If you "look at the evidence" for longer bar hours, it is extremely clear that removing set bar closing times leads to more drinking, drunk driving, violent crime, public health costs, injuries, and deaths. Good for Meinert's investment accounts, bad for society.
http://www.ijdp.org/article/S0955-3959(0…
If you "look at the evidence" for longer bar hours, it is extremely clear that removing set bar closing times leads to more drinking, drunk driving, violent crime, public health costs, injuries, and deaths. Good for Meinert's investment accounts, bad for society.
http://www.ijdp.org/article/S0955-3959(0…
28
Of course, what we should be debating is why the fuck anybody cares what his religion is! As long as the debate is "is he an X or Y religious person" we're failing at the first amendment.
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