Gallup: For the first time, a majority of Americans say they’d vote for an atheist for president
posted at 7:51 pm on June 21, 2012 by Allahpundit
Alternate headline: “Blogger’s plan to be president by 2040 still on track.”
Note to The One: You can admit it now.
I’ve blogged a bunch of these Gallup polls over the years and my demographic has always been at the bottom of the barrel preference-wise. But things are improving: In 2007, just 45 percent said they’d vote for an atheist, then last year it crept up to 49 percent. Now we’re over the hump at 54. I wonder why. It’s not like the “new atheism” suddenly exploded onto the national scene over the past six months, and to hear believers tell it, the new atheism is more likely to alienate people than persuade them. Maybe, maybe not. What you’re seeing here, I think, is the fruit of normalization: It’s not so much that people are becoming more sympathetic to atheism (although that might be true) than that, as atheists become more visible culturally, people see for themselves that we’re not that weird or threatening. Acceptance of gays works along the same lines, of course, except that they’re further along than we are. For a vivid illustration of that, follow the Gallup link up top and check out the breakdown among different age groups. Young adults react to gays and atheists similarly; older adults, not so much. Note the trendlines in the table I posted above, too. Thirty-five years ago, atheists held a double-digit lead on this question over gays. Today, the opposite is true.
This isn’t much of a partisan issue, either:
I’d love to see the demographic split on Democrats who would and wouldn’t vote for a nonbeliever. If, say, 90 percent of limousine liberals are willing to vote for an atheist, how low must the percentage be among blue-collar Dems? Ah well. Suffice it to say, it’s still risky even for a secretly atheist liberal pol to admit his lack of faith publicly.
Oh, and as for the elephant in the room, 24 percent of Democrats admit that they won’t vote for a Mormon versus just 10 percent of Republicans who say so. Overall, 18 percent of adults say they wouldn’t; a year ago, it was 22 percent. The reason that number has shrunk is almost entirely due to GOPers becoming more comfortable with a Mormon nominee as Romney advanced through the primaries. Last year, 80 percent of Republicans said they’d be willing to vote for a Mormon. This year, 90 percent say so. Mitt’s made a difference to future elections even if he doesn’t win this one.
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I admire identity politics like this.
tom daschle concerned on June 21, 2012 at 7:52 PM
Don’t blame me,, I voted for Sarah Palin…
OmahaConservative on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
Are we taking bets as to whether Obama makes a statement about how he has ‘evolved’ into an atheist?
EnglishRogue on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
So what? Last time they voted a horse’s azz into office.
AllahsNippleHair on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
They already did…
Bishop!
catquilt on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
They’re a fact of life.
Allahpundit on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
I submit that 53% of voters already have.
Count to 10 on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
Allah! You running?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?! I kid….I kid….although, you would probably be a better preezy than teh won! ;)
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM
Whenever I am looking to see whether or not I should vote for/support a politician, I could care less what their religion is, or even if they have a religion. All I care about are what their political policies are, and what their platform is.
theoddmanout on June 21, 2012 at 7:54 PM
LOL!
Watch for the next buzzword: Agnostic
Key West Reader on June 21, 2012 at 7:54 PM
Not surprising since Americans already voted for a Muslim.
The Notorious G.O.P on June 21, 2012 at 7:54 PM
*snicker*
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 7:55 PM
Miss Cupp ’16!
Seth Halpern on June 21, 2012 at 7:55 PM
Another one for the don’t believe in jack crowd.
NullUnit60 on June 21, 2012 at 7:55 PM
Well, it’s better than a Palin thread. Less namecalling.
a capella on June 21, 2012 at 7:55 PM
I think we did that already. Who seriously thinks the “the One” could possibly worship a lesser deity than himself?
HotAirian on June 21, 2012 at 7:56 PM
BOOOOOMMMMMM! Exactly! I would like them to at least believe in God, but then, teh won is trying sooooooo very hard to make sure that no one does. Not me though! :)
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 7:57 PM
And yet watch the media find these massive numbers of voters suddenly nervous about voting for a Mormon.
Meanwhile, don’t get too excited AP. I doubt that, at least among Republicans and Indies, this is less of a newfound tolerance toward Atheism, and more of a “yeah, I’ll vote for that if it’s not named Barack Obama.” The bar has been lowered greatly these past four years. I expect majorities would be willing to vote not just for Atheist and Muslim, but also Tabby Cat, Pimp, Potato Bug, Cartoon Sponge, and Inanimate Object, as long as any of the above came with a sound fiscal policy attached to it on a Post-It.
Gingotts on June 21, 2012 at 7:57 PM
I think right now, even devout Christians don’t care if the President was an atheist, as long as he was competent.
TheLastBrainLeft on June 21, 2012 at 7:58 PM
Depends… which atheist?
malclave on June 21, 2012 at 7:58 PM
I can’t say I’m surprised. Let’s face the hard facts, folks. How many presidents and governors and mayors have we seen that claim to be Christians, but were laughably hypocritic and/or dumb as doorknobs?
Can we really blame John Q. Voter for finally deciding that “Brand C” isn’t worth a hoot, and that he might as well take his business elsewhere?
MelonCollie on June 21, 2012 at 7:58 PM
Good for you darlin’
God Bless
OmahaConservative on June 21, 2012 at 8:00 PM
The voters have already voted for a number of closet atheists and some open atheists, whether they new it or not.
aposematic on June 21, 2012 at 8:00 PM
Yes, but did Allahpundit post a poll a few months ago showing that the majority also consider atheists to be less trustworthy than pedophiles?
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:00 PM
Well, I for one would vote for AP over obama.
davidk on June 21, 2012 at 8:00 PM
I don’t believe atheists.
AllahsNippleHair on June 21, 2012 at 8:01 PM
Oh yea? How about polling how many would vote for a President that was in the movie Prometheus?
Or how many would vote for an Android as President of the United States?
Varchild on June 21, 2012 at 8:01 PM
The Frankie Avalon character in Bikini Beach?
He’s British, not eligible to be POTUS.
malclave on June 21, 2012 at 8:02 PM
Pff. Like AP’s really an Atheist. We all know he worships a small idol that makes pelvic thrusting motions, and his rituals include sacrificing chocolate bunnies with a hair dryer. What percentage would vote for a Humpbotist?
trubble on June 21, 2012 at 8:02 PM
Ha!! The joke’s on you. We already have an atheist in the White House.
NickDeringer on June 21, 2012 at 8:02 PM
Heh…. :)
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 8:03 PM
…I’m like several others here…I thought folks did that 1n 2008….JugEars is no Muslim – eating pork and dog along with some of his other personal habits…and I think his god is different than my God. So what is he?
KOOLAID2 on June 21, 2012 at 8:03 PM
My own thinking is that in a second term Obama would ‘evolve’ into a Muslim, or maybe someone who would practice many religions, including Islam. After all, he is a citizen of the world and the Leftist Messiah. He’s the Won that the whole world has been waiting for.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:03 PM
I don’t believe in them either… therefore they don’t exist.
melle1228 on June 21, 2012 at 8:03 PM
Ooooopppppsssss, hit the submit button by mistake:
And you too OC! God Bless us and keep us…….S.T.R.O.N.G.!
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 8:04 PM
No great shock. After all, over 50% voted for a Marxist in the last election.
peski on June 21, 2012 at 8:05 PM
That poll is complete bilge.
Sit someone down and say “Jim over here is an athiest, and Jack over there is a pedo. Which one would you rather have teaching your kid(s)?” Do you REALLY think Jack will be picked more often?
Depends on who programmed it. But if it was programmed to make logical decisions, how wrong could it go?
MelonCollie on June 21, 2012 at 8:05 PM
I’d vote for Allahpundit’s alcoholic cat before I voted for Obama.
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:05 PM
.
Exactly.
I believe Christians would be willing to vote for an atheist, BUT . . . they’re going to want to know exactly what getting for their vote.
listens2glenn on June 21, 2012 at 8:06 PM
I can understand what you say about the GOP acceptance of an LDS member but let’s look at the opposite side of that equation. The left (and I include many moderates) despise anybody who does more than give token acknowledgement to their faith. Pelosi/Sebelius/Biden “Catholics” are a good example. They sit in pews and take communion on a Sunday but vote against allowing aid to a child born from a botched abortion on Monday. It is the intolerance of the left that will never decline unless and until they succeed in driving all people to their disrespect of views other than their own.
Happy Nomad on June 21, 2012 at 8:06 PM
Allah, did you make this up???????? Hmmmmmmmm….pushing the big A thing are we? ;)
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 8:06 PM
He worships himself as God-King, as do his followers.
Not sure what the term for that is, other than “narcissist”.
malclave on June 21, 2012 at 8:07 PM
Don’t be a goomba, I was just poking Allahpundit in his eye since he posted that obscene poll in the first place.
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:08 PM
say they’d vote for an atheist for president
No doubt.
CW on June 21, 2012 at 8:09 PM
You never read (or watched) much science fiction, did you? :)
malclave on June 21, 2012 at 8:09 PM
OT… Archbishop Lori of Baltimore delivered a stirring homily at the opening Mass of the Fortnight for Freedom.
Will AP post this???
either orr on June 21, 2012 at 8:10 PM
When one considers how many different religions there are today adequately represented in the American tapestry, the term atheist no longer simply means “not-Christian” as it always used to mean – and thus the hostility from the rest of America. Now it means also not-Hindu, not-Buddhist, not-Muslim, not-Jewish, not-Mormon, and certainly not New Age. And there are few Christians in America who would have a problem with a president NOT being those things. Ergo the trend.
keep the change on June 21, 2012 at 8:10 PM
A European socialist with narcissistic personality disorder. The reason he snapped at that reporter who dared ask him a question was that he truly believes that he is the guiding moral authority in this nation. He has surrounded himself with people that support that delusion. And now as he is going down in defeat he becomes dangerous deciding to unilaterally grant amnesty to illegals, figure out ways to legitimize sodomite relationships, declaring executive privilege without any legal standing to do so. It will only get worse as the election nears and his numbers (and those of the economy) do not improve.
Happy Nomad on June 21, 2012 at 8:10 PM
As AP is a professed atheist….I’m going with No. :(
sicoit on June 21, 2012 at 8:11 PM
I find it hard to believe in the existence of Alllahpundit, but there he is.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Considering 50 plus percent of Catholics voted for Obummer sure I’d be open to voting for an atheist. Again it would have to be the right atheist….you know a conservative who believes in the Constitution.
CW on June 21, 2012 at 8:12 PM
*blushing*
Well, I’ve always been a bit of an outlier and early adopter.
Fallon on June 21, 2012 at 8:13 PM
Thought 1: Well, it ain’t like we haven’t voted for closeted atheists.
Thought 2: Something tells me we’d do it once, and then never make that mistake again.
AbaddonsReign on June 21, 2012 at 8:13 PM
Taqiyya =/= atheism
turfmann on June 21, 2012 at 8:15 PM
No kidding.
BKeyser on June 21, 2012 at 8:15 PM
Oh. My apologies, then, I’m with you.
Meh. What I had in mind was an android immune to all the idiotic whims of office because it had no emotions, and couldn’t be swayed by anything short of solid logical arguments. Your milage may vary.
MelonCollie on June 21, 2012 at 8:16 PM
Ed posted this earlier.
Fallon on June 21, 2012 at 8:16 PM
What religion is Obama today? I forgot.
Key West Reader on June 21, 2012 at 8:16 PM
‘What is a cretin?’
EnglishRogue on June 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM
They already have!
Kjeil on June 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM
Would it be considered “natural born?”
davidk on June 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM
I wouldn’t vote for an atheist for President.
Voter from WA State on June 21, 2012 at 8:18 PM
But how do you know… Allah could be just a figment of Ed’s imagination….
melle1228 on June 21, 2012 at 8:18 PM
AllahPundit 2020…a man can dream.
mythicknight on June 21, 2012 at 8:19 PM
AllahPundit is still allowed to have a cat?
AllahsNippleHair on June 21, 2012 at 8:19 PM
I’d agree with a couple of caveats.
1. Location matters. Religion does matter in some regions of the country. And I’m not talking about “the South.” Other than the deepest of blue Northeastern states, you are going to find areas where faith matters more than in other parts of the same state. An atheist or non-Christian would have little problem here in Northern Virginia but down in SW Virginia where even the few remaining Democrats are conservative- not so much.
2. In the absence of being concerned about one’s faith, character and values matter even more. Which is really what being concerned about one’s faith was rooted in. An atheist can not expect to win if he/she has also led a life of debauchery or otherwise outside societal norms.
Happy Nomad on June 21, 2012 at 8:19 PM
An Obama worshipper.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:20 PM
Then how are you any better than the liberals who say they are not voting for Romney based solely on the fact that he is a mormon?
theoddmanout on June 21, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Everyone is an atheist to some degree, unless they believe equally in the hundreds of different deities worshipped by various civilizations around the world. Technically, self-proclaimed atheists only believe in one less god than everyone else.
Go RBNY on June 21, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Of course, as there is pretty much a tacit understanding that O is an atheist. Oh, right, he went to “church.” And, right, he’s a “Christian.” Sorry, no, the people get it.
anotherJoe on June 21, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Democrats would get behind the Devil
if they thought he/she,had a shot at winning!
(sarc)
canopfor on June 21, 2012 at 8:22 PM
Oh I should really start designing bumper stickers!
Valery Kyriep-Undit 4 PotUS 2032!
Valkyriepundit on June 21, 2012 at 8:22 PM
Along the same lines, why are atheists not standing up in support of religious freedom? They are remarkably silent just because they don’t think they have a dog in the fight. The sad reality is that they are too filled with hate for organized religion to understand that religious freedom includes their right to not believe in a higher being.
Happy Nomad on June 21, 2012 at 8:22 PM
I’d vote for a tuna sammich over TFHP.
Rio Linda Refugee on June 21, 2012 at 8:23 PM
That didn’t prevent Obama.
OldEnglish on June 21, 2012 at 8:24 PM
We have a few of them here. Most Hot Gassers lovingly refer to them as “trolls.”
Flora Duh on June 21, 2012 at 8:25 PM
You raise a good point. I’ve been thinking that Allahpundit might be a computer program imitating a conservative blogger, just not very well. But maybe Allahpundit is a repressed part of Ed’s personality. No one has ever seen pictures of AP. Either theory will work.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:25 PM
I’d vote for a socialist if it meant defeating Obama.
MeatHeadinCA on June 21, 2012 at 8:26 PM
Pretty sweet.
libfreeordie on June 21, 2012 at 8:28 PM
OT… Archbishop Lori of Baltimore delivered a stirring homily at the opening Mass of the Fortnight for Freedom.
Will AP post this???
either orr on June 21, 2012 at 8:10 PM
either orr:Here ya go….Live Stream:)
http://www.ewtn.com/Live/unicorn/jwplayer.asp?feed=domeng
canopfor on June 21, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:25 PM
:) I thought about using the computer program too…
melle1228 on June 21, 2012 at 8:30 PM
+1000 1st amendment protection for me but not for thee!
melle1228 on June 21, 2012 at 8:32 PM
A cretin refers to an inhabitant of the Island of Crete from around the 1 century AD. They were reputed to be amazingly lazy and dishonest, kind of like modern day Democrats.
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:32 PM
Wasn’t Jefferson a theist?
faraway on June 21, 2012 at 8:33 PM
A cat? hell, he probably has six or seven… ;p
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:35 PM
Pff. Like AP’s really an Atheist. We all know he worships a small idol that makes pelvic thrusting motions, and his rituals include sacrificing chocolate bunnies with a hair dryer. What percentage would vote for a Humpbotist?
trubble on June 21, 2012 at 8:02 PM
trubble:
******************** BLASPHEMER ******************************
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh how could you,besmirch,the Great HumppyBot!!
I’m SPEECHLESS!!
(sarc).
canopfor on June 21, 2012 at 8:35 PM
I believe he was a Deist.
SWalker on June 21, 2012 at 8:35 PM
I wouldn’t. I have atheist friends and while love them, they’re some of the most confused individuals I have ever met. They put stock in the ideas expressed in Prometheus in explaining our origins while simultaneously teasing me for my faith in Jesus Christ. The don’t see the irony.
jawkneemusic on June 21, 2012 at 8:36 PM
I think he considered himself a deist, but I might be thinking of Madison
theoddmanout on June 21, 2012 at 8:36 PM
It’s easier to believe in the existence of God than the existence of Allahpundit. However, if Michelle Malkin can pass a lie detector test swearing to AP’s existence, I’ll accept it as proof positive.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:36 PM
Is that how Woodrow Wilson won the election?
Varchild on June 21, 2012 at 8:37 PM
You need Jesus more than any of us.
jawkneemusic on June 21, 2012 at 8:38 PM
LOL– The whole basis of Prometheus was Intelligent design not evolution.. ;0)
melle1228 on June 21, 2012 at 8:39 PM
Allah, I know it’s a wee bit early for a question like this. Have you thought about your VP and who you might be interested in having on your ticket?
Bmore on June 21, 2012 at 8:39 PM
canopfor on June 21, 2012 at 8:22 PM
Is that how Woodrow Wilson won the election?
Varchild on June 21, 2012 at 8:37 PM
Varchild:Lol!
canopfor on June 21, 2012 at 8:40 PM
Don’t know what ideas are expressed in Prometheus, but it can’t be any kookier than worshipping a zombie messiah like Jesus.
Go RBNY on June 21, 2012 at 8:40 PM
LOL! Good one – but not true.
OldEnglish on June 21, 2012 at 8:41 PM
It’s obviously Meggie Mac.
Gladtobehere on June 21, 2012 at 8:41 PM
Obama’s presser tomorrow:
“I have to confess that I am an atheist.”
AubieJon on June 21, 2012 at 8:42 PM
I know but they think we were created by extraterrestrials from another galaxy rather than created by a God or diety while claiming to be atheists. Have you seen Expelled by Mark Stein? They believe the same nutty ideas most of those religon hating scientists believe in.
jawkneemusic on June 21, 2012 at 8:44 PM
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