A newly released poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) of Ohio Republican voters contains a rather surprising statistic: roughly one in seven Republicans in the state believe that Romney was responsible for killing Osama Bin Laden. It is not clear how the businessman accomplished this act (I was hoping for an article that Bain Capital simply transferred his job outside the country and downsized him out of existence). While I have been critical of the degree to which President Obama has virtually worn the corpse around his shoulders like a campaign shawl (and Biden’s equally ridiculous claims), the poll is the final showing that the EEG is flat on any brain activity in this election.
The results of the poll probably says more about the blind rage of some voters (who are unwilling to acknowledge a single positive thing about Obama) than it does a lack of actual knowledge. However, the credit given to Romney adds a truly otherworldly aspect to the mentality of these voters.
Here are the numbers: Of the “very” conservative voters polled, 15% credited Romney with the kill. (By the way, 4% of “very liberal” Ohioans also gave Romney the credit).
Overall, 1 in 3 Ohioans surveyed (31%) both liberal and conservative said they were not sure who was responsible for bin Laden’s death. Some 51 percent of conservatives expressed uncertainty.
Once again, I have serious qualms about presidents claiming heroic status on such operations as if they dropped into the compound with Seal Team Six. It is the same discomfort I felt with Bush prancing around on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln declaring victory in the war.
There is no question that Obama can be credited with authorizing the operation, though his suggestion that Romney would not have ordered the killing is equally absurd.
As noted earlier, I expect most candidates would have ordered the attack on the compound. However, the recent use of dead trophy terrorists as campaign props has only diminished the quality of our political discourse further. It often seems like politicians are playing tug-of-war with bodies like Bin Laden’s to “claim the kill.” The polled responses of these Republicans is obviously absurd, but only slightly more absurd than the fight to claim the kill in my view.
What do you think?
Source: Public Policy
SlingTrebuchet 1, September 11, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Blouise 🙂
“Psychologists call the phenomenon on display here ‘motivated reasoning’”
That’s more an irrational belief in something old.
Romney killing OBL would be something new. Irrational belief in that might be classified as ‘enhanced reasoning’.
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Please explain what “motivated reasoning” and “enhanced reasoning” means.
SlingTrebuchet,
‘enhanced reasoning’ … I like it!
There is another poll out today which reveals that conservatives in Virgina and North Carolina who are nominally RepubliCon, say they will not vote for The Willard because he is a Mormon and many say the reason is that Mormonism is a cult. Wait til they learn that The Willard is also a gypsie. Romney a/k/a Romani a/k/a Roma. Us dogs dont care a twit about the gypsie thing, we care about the dog in the crate on the roof of the car in the cross country trip when he was going to the Mormon convention in Michigan.
Then, too, we dont like a politician who wont go by his real name as in Willard. I guess he is embarassed that George and mom conceived him in the Willard Hotel and named him after the place. Its not on the Birth Certificate — well, the name is not the place of conception. Whereas,
Georgie was born in Mexico back when his daddy had eight wives. And the question that Mexican Americans have is: Whose your gramma?
If The Willard wins then this dog’s pal, who is blind but can see, is going to pull all of his stocks out of the market and put his money in the Cayman Islands in a gold trust account. BarkinDog is a guide dog for a blind guy who has some real sense. When we go grocery shopping, I pick out the dog biscuits.
Obama gets credit for making the decision. Carter’s attempt wasn’t properly planned.
Why did Pakistan keep insisting Bin Laden was dead from kidney disease?
nick spinelli1, September 11, 2012 at 11:31 am
“leejcarroll, You obviously haven’t heard Biden saying as part of his stump speech, “Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive.” He says it 3 times in a row. Mr. Turley is quite correct about the “shawl.””
I heard him say it, Bin Laden is dead, GM is alive, I do not hear him saying it was all ‘me’ or ‘us’ (the prez and he), he is stating a fact. Bin laden IS dead, GM IS alive. It is your choice to read into it that he is taking full credit. The president has repeatedly spoken of the SEALS and what they did. The prez also deserves credit for making the order. After all Bush said Bin Laden was not worth the effort, Mitt not worth the cost. It was Obama who took the risk for something that could have ended like Carter’s attempted hostage rescue.
Blouise 🙂
“Psychologists call the phenomenon on display here ‘motivated reasoning’”
That’s more an irrational belief in something old.
Romney killing OBL would be something new. Irrational belief in that might be classified as ‘enhanced reasoning’.
first he killed bin ladin then he saved sweet polly purebread. or was that underdog
I would give partial credit to many reasons of this poles outcome:
1) Yes, some people will never give Obama credit for anything;
2) Yes, some people in this country are just plain stupid (not a word I use lightly);
3) Some people speak the language of sarcasm very well;
4) Some people hate polls and gives contrary answers (I have a boss who does this);
5) and finally, some pollsters couldn’t enter the correct information into a computer to save their lives!
Bruce – do you have to work at being that dense or does it come naturally to you? McCain blasted Obama in 08 for suggesting he would go after OBL even if he were in Pakistan. Willard made the same statement. Boy Blunder claimed OBL was living in a cave & not a threat – in fact it was quite the opposite.
It is therefore demonstrated by these people very words that they would not have made the call. I can get that you hate the black Democrat that is President but how about trying reality on for a change?
bettykath,
How do you explain the Seal’s that took part of the raid? The majority of the team don’t like Obama and hope Romney will win. If they came out that there never was a raid, it would surely doom Obama’s re-election. What about the Pakistani doctor who has been imprisoned? What about the picture of the crashed helicoptor? What about the demolition of bin Laden’s home? Was Gates in on the sham raid?
I am no longer surprised by the idiocy of my fellow man. This is not even really a liberal or conservative issue. After all, 4% of “very liberal” Ohioans gave Romney (their political enemy) the credit.
We need to accept the fact that half of all Americans are below average intelligence. Further, according to distribution charts, about 16% of Americans are legally considered “deficient” to “moron” (IQ 59-80)
That’s about one in six people.
They live among us. Accept it, and learn to read data with that in mind.
eeyore, yes. Part of the evidence is Bush’s lack of interest. Well before the Iraq invasion bin Laden was in a hospital in Dubai for dialysis and kidney treatment. The cia station chief met with him. This while bin Laden, a cia asset for years, was on the most wanted list.
bettykath
Who is the “us”?
Do you believe that bin Laden died of kidney failure and the attack was a sham?
It is 9/11 once again.
I remember the Twin Tower attack. I remember that people died a horrendous death and their families were tortured in the aftermath waiting to discover if they were dead or somehow miraculously alive.
I still wonder who exactly was responsible.
The capitalizing on this event is truly repugnant.
And some of us believe that bin Laden died years before of kidney failure; that the whole bin Laden attack was a sham. Most of the SEAL team was killed in a helicopter crash. A coincidence I’m sure.
leejcarroll, You obviously haven’t heard Biden saying as part of his stump speech, “Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive.” He says it 3 times in a row. Mr. Turley is quite correct about the “shawl.”
I disagree with your contention that most candidates would have ordered the Bin Laden attack, and am missing how your link supports that. Unless you have some insight into the risks and certainty of success associated with the undertaking that were considered by the President, I don’t see how you can say that. Was it a “slam dunk” in your view? Although if you want to argue that the political risks associated with failure were lower for any republican candidate due to a mistaken perception that they are tougher and more capable in military matters and therefore any failure was unavoidable, I might agree.
Mike Appleton
1, September 11, 2012 at 10:17 am
I don’t care if Romney got Bid Laden. That still does not make up for his starting the war in Iraq.
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lol
“He had about as much to do with it as Obama, any president would have made the same call.”
Except that Bush failed at to give the order at Bora Bora and stated more than once that he wasn’t all that concerned about OBL. Therefore, not ANY President would make the call and this President didn’t shirk from it and went against conventional wisdom to say nothing of the no-better-than 50/50 odds of success. Nice try at revisionist history.