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EDITOR'S NOTE: The story below includes references to polling conducted by the firm Research 2000. The reliability and accuracy of Research 2000's polling has since been called into serious question by a report published in June 2010 by a group of statistical analysts.

A new poll of more than 2,000 self-identified Republican voters illustrates the incredible paranoia enveloping the party and the intense pressure drawing lawmakers further and further away from political moderation.

The numbers speak for themselves -- a large portion of GOP voters think that President Obama is racist, socialist or a non-US citizen -- though, when considering them, it is important to note that a disproportionate percentage of respondents are from GOP strongholds in the South (42 percent) as opposed to the Northeast (11 percent). Also note that this is a poll of self-identified Republicans, which means that independent Tea Party types are not included.

Nevertheless here are some of the standout figures as provided by Daily Kos/Research 2000:

• 39 percent of Republicans believe Obama should be impeached, 29 percent are not sure, 32 percent said he should not be voted out of office.
• 36 percent of Republicans believe Obama was not born in the United States, 22 percent are not sure, 42 percent think he is a natural citizen.
• 31 percent of Republicans believe Obama is a "Racist who hates White people" -- the description once adopted by Fox News's Glenn Beck. 33 percent were not sure, and 36 percent said he was not a racist.
• 63 percent of Republicans think Obama is a socialist, 16 percent are not sure, 21 percent say he is not
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• 24 percent of Republicans believe Obama wants "the terrorists to win," 33 percent aren't sure, 43 percent said he did not want the terrorist to win.
• 21 percent of Republicans believe ACORN stole the 2008 election, 55 percent are not sure, 24 percent said the community organizing group did not steal the election.
• 23 percent of Republicans believe that their state should secede from the United States, 19 percent aren't sure, 58 percent said no.
• 53 percent of Republicans said they believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than Obama.

During his appearance at the House Republican retreat last Friday, Obama explained that it was hard to forge bipartisan consensus when lawmakers were trashing his health care bill as a "Bolshevik plot". These poll numbers show that the gulf preventing bipartisan consensus extends well beyond health care. How does a Republican lawmaker explain to his or her die-hard base that it is important to work on legislation with a racist, socialist president who is illegally holding office only because of the help of ACORN?

"This is why it's becoming impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country," said Markos Moulitsas, founder and publisher of Daily Kos. "They are a party beholden to conspiracy theorists who don't even believe Obama was born in the United States, and already want to impeach him despite a glaring lack of scandal or wrongdoing. They think Obama is racist against white people and the second coming of Lenin. And if any of them stray and decide to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Given what their base demands -- and this poll illustrates them perfectly -- it's no wonder the GOP is the party of no."

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Comments

[eqactor2]

Sorry, Sam Stein, but I don't see how 2,000 Republicans predominantly from the South constitutes a "large portion" of Republicans. I love our President, and this is exaggerating things that will only be taken by the Repugs and the Tea-partiers and the Becks of this world to extremes. that headline is just fuel on the fire.

[eqactor2]

since when is a poll of 2000 people definitive or even statistically accurate? Puh-leeze! Were they all from the same area? How is this poll statistically relevant?

[eztempo]

In a midterm election which, by rights & history, should give a big gain to the Republicans, the fact that "if any of them stray and ... try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks" is the sorry state of affairs that will cause them to fall well short of expectations their leadership is cultivating right now.

The core Republican Party seems hell-bent on becoming a fringe, extremist regional rump of a political party.

[annieR]

If I were a Republican, which I'm not, I would be so angry at the lunatics who spend their energy and money spewing lie-filled swill fed them by their manipulative "leaders" that I would run away from anything associated with the Republican party as far and as fast as I could. All of their charges against this president mask one thing that's driving them absolutely nuts--he's black. Tom Tancredo nailed that one down in his speech to the tea-bagger convention on Feb. 5. They want their country back alright, back to segregation.

[lxt6016]

The problem with Democrats is that we loath to get down and dirty like the opposition. Remember the "Swift Boat" attacks on Kerry? He didnt want to dignify it with a response when he should have kicked their patooties back to whatever militia underground tunnel they crawled out of.

Obama also tries to take the high ground and I think he sometimes underestimates the real hatred that underlies the so called "patriotic" drivel that Beck, Palin, el Al are putting out. These are no patriots, they are opportunists getting rich on peddling hate and misinformation.

I am comforted that decent conservatives are holding their noses while trying to remain loyal to their party - it must be hard.
We need to step up and get out the vote in November just to clean up the airways and send Palin back to Alaska to truly be the suburban mom she claims to be.

[juana72]

Very well said

[Chip W]

How would these numbers change if:
+ You removed the influence of Fox Newx?
+ Obama were white?

[spiritpony1]

they do not think jack on this------the Repulsives are just doin' the manipulative buzz-word trick------hogwash from the piggies

[bonomore]

If you ask the questions just right, you get the answers you want.

[McFlipFlop]

Read the poll questions. They were very straight-forward.

I hope Democrats will share these results with their younger friends and associates, and help them to realize the importance of voting in the midterm elections. The Republicans are a dangerous threat to the future of our great nation.

[FaceReality2]

This is the latest wingnut spin on this poll: the questions must have been "framed" deceptively to make the Republicans only appear to be nutjobs.

Questions:

Should Barack Obama be impeached, or not?

Do you believe Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?

Do you think Barack Obama is a socialist?

Any trouble with how these questions are framed?

[santaninguna]

when you cannot call the President by the "N" word you say he is a socialist.

[juana72]

This is so true. This is what cowards generally do. They hide behind these bullet words because they themselves are socialist, racist and whatever.

[MrUniteUs]

Racists like alcoholics are often in denial.
Unable to admit their own mental disease, they attempt to transpose their own affliction
on to others.

[santaninguna]

That's what you call transference!!!

[suzc]

The fact that 53% of those polled think Palin is qualified to be president shows the slant of those polled (as well as the fact that it was apparently a poll of the right wing wacko Glenn Beck watchers). Of COURSE those people have irrational beliefs. Irrational beliefs basically identifies them!

[suzc]

A large portion of 2000 people is not a large portion of anything but 2000 people.

Stop tarring all Republicans with the brush of the right-wing ideologues and nut jobs.

Think Christopher Buckley et al, for instance. Stop insulting him. Any many others.

It isn't "Republicans" who are the problem any more than it is "Americans" who went to war in Iraq. It is a tiny majority who have managed to steal national elections and therefore feel emboldened to do anything they please without thought for consequences (since they themselves will never experience those consequences).

[McFlipFlop]

Study polling and statistics. I see you don't want to admit that Republicans believe as the poll shows they do.

[suzc]

I just don't want to lump ALL Republicans into the minority of wacko nut-jobs in their party. I'm not willing to write off everyone who is a fiscal conservative, for instance (as I am). Or to believe all Republicans hate the poor. Etc.

[spiritpony1]

trust me, I would LOVE to start giving some credit BACK to the Repubs. for REASONABLE fiscal conservativtism-------it is up to them to TAKE BACK their party from Limbaugh, Sanford, et a. I like Christopher Buckley also----not he has jumped ship out of dismay. Old William would be utterly appalled at what "conservatives " have become: Hannity, Fiorina, Bachmann, Coulter------on and on and on----a big mistake was throwing their brand of the Jesus stuff into the pol----(guess if J.C. absolves you of your sins, ya' can do as ya' like----)

[unami]

I think we may be living in an increasingly divergent, non-communicating parallel universe or quantum world. One for Republicans-and one for the rest of us

[marylandtravelinman]

Amen, in their universe, feelings overrides facts, faith overrides science.

[Chip W]

Well, yeah.
The way I put it is emotion overrides rational thinking.
It amazes me how so many have no interest in using their God-given brains.

[JerryAguy]

Well he has not done much to help his own case. Just look at his associates like Rev. Wright, Ayers and the list goes on, why would his closest friends seem to be anti-American? He should just be careful about how things appear to the average citizen.

[juana72]

Where have you been? History.