This is remarkable to me in 2011, but in a recent poll of usual Republican Mississippi Primary voters, 46% said that interracial marriage should be illegal. 40% said it should be legal. The other 14% were undecided. (How does one not have an opinion about this? Are they not sure if they are racist or not?)
Mitt Romney, a Mormon, also did not fare very well in the poll (only 48% approval), although serial adulterer Newt Gingrich did OK (58% approval).
And we wonder why the GOP keeps nominating and electing idiots. Your candidates are only as good as your voters!
In Mississippi, it's better to be a professional politician and adulterer than a successful Mormon businessman who is faithful to his wife. Also, best not to date outside your race since the extreme-right-trending political climate in red states might mean your wooing efforts are in vain.
The one good sign? They apparently don't know who Michele Bachman is. That's a relief!
While I am not surprised at the results of this "poll" I find it a little bit suspicious that the breakdown for Democrats was not included for comparison. Or the breakdown for whites alone for that matter. I suspect that this has more to do with white Mississipeans than it does with Republican Missisipeans, and, that since the balance of white Mississipeans falls to the Republicans, the balance of the racist views also falls to the Republicans. However, in absence of a more scientific poll to provide for better comparison, I think this particular survey only serves to reinforce views already held and to influence public opinion. My guess, unsupported by any data and by only a cursory search for additional data, is that the views of white democrat Missisipeans are not significantly different from their Republican counterparts. If only there was more information...Why, in the name of all that is good and right in the world would someone not publish this extra tidbit? Why would they not want me to have all the information so that I may come to a better informed opinion? Why would those who posess and control the information choose only to share a part of it outside the full context? Please forward if you have.
ReplyDeletePolls are often worthless because they can be designed to say just about anything and they are dangerous because we grant them and unearned legitimacy based on a supposed impartiality. We often hail them when they support what we already believe and suspect them when they don't. They are not all wrong or misleading, but caveat emptor when it comes to polls.
Now that being said, I suspect that Mississipi holds, on average, more racist views than just about any other state in the union, and I think the state suffers for it.