Are Democrats as likely to believe in conspiracy theories as Republicans?

[unrepentant progress]

That's the conventional wisdom. That both the left and right believe in conspiracy theories in roughly equal numbers. But a new study finds otherwise.

So what conspiracy theories do Democrats prefer over Republicans?

Democrats are more likely to believe the moon landing was faked, that President Bush misled the public about WMD in Iraq to promote the war, that the CIA was distributing crack cocaine in US inner cities in the 1980s, that Paul McCartney really is dead (seriously!?), and that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were allowed to happen.

Meanwhile, "Republicans are more likely to believe in aliens and in bigfoot, that aliens crashed at Roswell and shape-shifting reptiles rule our world, that Saddam Hussein played a role in 9/11 and a secretive power elite secret rules the world, that the government adds mind control messages to TV signals, sprays evil chemicals into the air, and fluoridates water for nefarious purposes, that bin Laden is alive and Oswald didn’t act alone, that pharmaceutical companies invent new diseases to make money and vaccines cause autism. They also are more likely to think President Obama is the anti-Christ and global warming is a hoax."

More info and analysis here: http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2013/04/04/vaccines-and-the-republican-war-on-science/

[bowens43]

1. well sometimes conspiracies actually exist........

[MineralMan]

2. You tell me. Just follow this link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1135

[unrepentant progress]

5. Isn't that a bit like pointing at Bedlam

And then saying, "See, what did I tell you? Londoners really are crazy!"?

[MineralMan]

14. Ah, but the denizens there are all putative Democrats, I think.

A lot of people believe things I think are silly. It's their privilege, though. I'd mention religion, but I won't.

[Marr]

3. Whoah, whoah-- Bush DID mislead the public about WMD to justify an invasion.

That's a fairly obvious, widely-accepted fact at this point.

Just because a certain group of people prefer not to recognize a provable fact does not make it a conspiracy theory. I can refuse to accept the existence of walruses if I like-- but no matter how many lunatics I convince to follow me, it doesn't change the fact that walruses are real.

[unrepentant progress]

7. The way that question was worded was about intentionality

In other words, was Bush just stupid, or was he being intentionally deceptive. I say both!

[Marr]

10. Well, again, it's as provable as can be that he was intentionally deceptive.

Counter evidence was hushed up, and claims that had been debunked were continuously repeated. Is it *possible* that Bush was so incredibly stupid and isolated that he didn't know that? I suppose anything is possible, but it certainly doesn't rise to the level of making the apparent fact a "conspiracy theory".

Might as well call the idea of Hitler being an anti-semite a conspiracy theory, because he was so stupid that he actually thought the concentration camps were fun water parks for his Jewish pals.

[gcomeau]

4. Umm...

"that President Bush misled the public about WMD in Iraq to promote the war,"

That's reached the level of established historical fact at this point. How the hell is that on the list of "conspiracy theories"?

[Comrade_McKenzie]

6. Unfortunately, yes. Some minds are just too weak to accept the official story. nt

[Politicalboi]

15. Some minds prefer to make sure

That they aren't lying to us. Are we to believe the Pentagon was just a target with no defense? No SAMS on the roof? No clear video of the attack? The Pentagon should have thousands of camera's, don't you think. But we only get ONE blurry video. But go ahead and call us weak minded.

I'm glad you would be able to convict men who have no control over defense methods at the Pentagon with a blurry video. The official story was written under the Bush administration. How can we trust ANYTHING from them. Bush and Cheney testify together. I guess that's good enough for you. Not for us weak minded though. We want ANSWERS, while you accept no answers.

[whatchamacallit]

17. Yes, accept the funnel to your mouth, swallow every drop

and crow about how strong minded you are.

[TygrBright]

23. ::rimshot:: n/t

[Politicalboi]

8. President Bush misled the public about WMD in Iraq to promote the war

That one IS true. WTF, there were no WMD's, and I knew that before we went in and I knew that from my couch. 9/11 is another story with me. Sorry I don't believe our Pentagon that spends billions of dollars on defense, but failed with 40 minutes notice to do ANYTHING.
And I think Big Foot is real. That film from 1969 was a female creature. Why would anyone make a costume with tits? And a human can't walk like that creature and keep their balance let alone walk over logs and rocks. And Paul McCartney is alive, it's too bad his music isn't anymore. LOL!

And I don't believe Oswald did anything, but that's me. I think Poppy Bush and LBJ played a big hand in JFK's demise. And space aliens could be true. I would prefer to believe in them than a mysterious "God".

[Autumn]

9. As a Democrat

Democrats are more likely to believe the moon landing was faked,
No. the moon landing was real. I watched it and it was awesome.

that President Bush misled the public about WMD in Iraq to promote the war,
Hell yes he did

that the CIA was distributing crack cocaine in US inner cities in the 1980s,
No don't buy that one

that Paul McCartney really is dead (seriously!?),
Get real. John Lennon is dead and I still mourn him

and that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were allowed to happen.
Yes, this I believe.

Oh yeah, I don't believe Oswald acted alone and I don't believe Sadam had a damn thing to do with 9/11

[Nye Bevan]

11. I've seen several DUers today claim that Ken Lay is still alive.

And let's not even get started on Paul Wellstone and JFK Junior.

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. "Ralph Nader cost Democrats the presidency in 2000."

[unrepentant progress]

16. That's just silly

Everybody knows Ralph Nader followers are too dumb to vote for Democrats.

[Autumn]

18. I thought it was a corrupt supreme court

when the votes were counted Al Gore won the election. Had the supreme court not stepped in and appointed Bush the votes would have been counted.

[graham4anything]

27. Ralph Nader did throw the election and he himself even admits it himself and got rich off of it.

Nov. 2000 came a month before 12/12/2000

and even if the court said recount could continue-remember, the republicans in Florida said they would not accept it

Remember, the court's 1st of 2 was 7 to 2 to go back to Florida Court for FINAL rule

the 5 to 4 was that time ran out.

So following that scenerio, the electors still would have voted for Bush and Bush would have been seated

HOWEVER, the 4 electoral votes in New Hampshire threw the election.
Gore had 267. There was no way he would end up with more
NH would have been 271.
There was a chance Florida would not have counted at all, sending it to the house

However, Gore would not have been accepted as Legit and it would have been one term and out.
(Same as Bush would have been one term and out if not for 9-11.)

Nader's manta "Both are the same" was an outright lie he spoke.

How many millions stayed home because the believed their vote didn't matter?


There should be a law against third party presidential runs.

It should be the top 2 only in the general.

[former9thward]

33. Where is your link that Nader got "rich" off of it?

Or is it another made up "fact"? BTW if you want to eliminate third parties you need to change the Constitution. Good luck with that.

[Marr]

36. You never fail to bring the authoritarian nut-rage.

A law against third party presidential runs. Because that would be a great response to the third party complaint that the two main parties are working for the same wealthy interests, and in cahoots with one another much more than they claim.

[graham4anything]

38. Let them run in the primary, top 2 in the general no matter what party, like in California

I would have voted for Ralph if he were a democratic candidate, it was not personal against him but his party spoiling things for America.

Anyone who voted for him or respected him after what he did deserves what they got.
Too bad the 99% of the country were forever ruined because of the 1% he is.

Did i hear someone say he speaks for free? When? When he is in the john?
Wish I could get 1/1000 of what he makes for bloviating for 28 minutes.

[HiPointDem]

13. "the CIA was distributing crack cocaine" = not a conspiracy theory.

[spanone]

19. that President Bush misled the public about WMD??? conspiracy theory? no FACT

[pampango]

20. There's a conspiracy to create a NWO: Very liberal: "NO - 69% to 12%", Very conservative: "YES -

45% to 26%."

Do you believe that a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world government, or New World Order, or not?
'Very Liberal' : Yes - 12%, No - 69%;
'Somewhat Liberal' : Yes - 20%, No - 51%;
'Moderate': Yes - 23%, No - 56%;
'Somewhat Conservative' : Yes - 33%, No - 38%;
'Very Conservative' : Yes - 45%, No - 26%.

Do you believe that global warming is a hoax or not?
'Very Liberal' : Yes - 14%, No - 79%;
'Somewhat Liberal' : Yes - 12%, No - 82%;
'Moderate': Yes - 22%, No - 67%;
'Somewhat Conservative' : Yes - 52%, No - 28%;
'Very Conservative' : Yes - 71%, No - 17%.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_National_ConspiracyTheories_040213.pdf

Very interesting differences in the poll results on questions about the NWO and global warming. No group believes in the existence of a NWO conspiracy other than those who are 'very conservative' and only 'conservatives' (particularly 'very conservatives') believe that global warming is a hoax.

[Octafish]

22. Yes, when Republicans are behind it.

Ever hear of Smedley Butler?

And when Democrats lead the plotters, the Gulf of Tonkin incident:

JFK Would NEVER Have Fallen for Phony INTEL!

[hack89]

25. We have our fair share of 911 Truthers. nt

[zipplewrath]

26. I think I can prove "no"

Remember, the question is "as likely".

Go to snopes and go look at their political pages. Look at the ratio of left/democratic leaning stories/legends/myths/theories. Now, count the number of RIGHT leaning ones. Not even CLOSE.


We aren't pure, but they're pure crazy.

[hughee99]

28. I don't think the likeliness of someone to believe a conspiracy theory,

can be determined by the number of theories one believes. The repukes believe more of them because others have built their businesses around propagating them (they have a lot more to pick from). Yes, this happens on both sides but it's the difference between "mom and pop" on our side and walmart on theirs.

[zipplewrath]

29. Interesting metaphor

I kinda work with the theory that there are more right leaning theories because there is a larger "market" for them.

[madrchsod]

30. yes.......

[UnrepentantLiberal]

31. Yes.

I believe you were PPR'd and came back with curious choice of user names.

[Saphire]

32. I've wondered if more men or women do.

[pampango]

34. In this poll the only questions with a more than 10% difference were about a NWO and aliens.

Do you believe there is a globalist elite out to establish a New World Order?

Men : Yes - 35%, No - 44%
Women: Yes - 21%, No - 49%

Do you believe that aliens exist?

Men : Yes - 35%, No - 43%
Women: Yes - 22%, No - 51%.

For all the other questions the difference between men and women was less than 10%, though women seemed to generally be less receptive to conspiracy theories.

[LeftishBrit]

35. I lean toward the WMD one myself...

As regards the rest, I've been arguing for ages that the anti-modern medicine, anti-vaccination theories are much more a province of the right than the left, though some left-wingers share them. Most of the main purveyors of these theories are right-libertarian or worse sites that oppose government-provided healthcare in general: Mercola and Natural News; the AAPS; Ron Paul sites; even far-right racist sites like whale.to. In the UK, Melanie Phillips and the Daily Mail were main spreaders of Andrew Wakefield's claims about the MMR.

[AverageJoe90]

37. Here's a couple more:

A few small fringe sections of the environmentalist movement are claiming that the IPCC and certain other organizations are purposefully and deliberately underestimating, or hiding, or otherwise lying about, the potential severity, and speed, of future climate change....most of these in this fringe movement are also, not surprisingly, New-Agey climate doomers(yes, you read this correctly).....represented by people such as David Wasdell, Guy McPherson, and others.

Quite a few on both the far right & far left believe that Zionists are controlling the U.S. government in the service of Israel.....or at least some parts of it.

And who could forget the classic far-right "The U.N. is a Commie plot", "Obama is a Kenyan Muslim terrorist", and "The Jews are going to destroy the white man!" conspiracies?

I could go on forever, really.....