Google this: “Number of Republicans who believe Acorn stole the 2012 election.” What you will get is sixty or more stories citing a Public Policy Poll to the effect that 49% of Republican voters believe that ACORN, which no longer exists, stole the election for Obama.

There is a very high coefficient of “chortle-and-snigger” in these stories. How dumb can these voters be to attribute their loss to the machinations of a defunct organization?

There is no doubt that many voters were profoundly disappointed in the result of the election, a result that they did not expect and which seemed to mark a profound and threatening sea change in American society.

They found plenty of explanations for this. A biased press, faulty polls, the promises of “stuff” to special interests.But ACORN? Here at The Data Port we keep political junky’s eye on all the brags and excuses and it is only with this poll that we hear the “ACORN stole it” excuse.

I believe it was in an Atlantic commentary that it was pointed out  the ACORN theory might be the result of poor poll question design. Consider this, from the Public Policy Poll:

Q8 Do you think that Barack Obama legitimately
won the Presidential election this year, or do
you think that ACORN stole it for him?

Obama legitimately won……………………………. 66%
ACORN stole it for him……………………………… 24%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

(Note that the 24% figure is for all voters. Detailed poll results at the link below.)

If you believed that there was something suspect about the election, but not sure what, you might easily be led to the ACORN explanation because there was no other alternative offered;  but do 49% of Republican voters really believe this?  Here at The Data Port we’re a tad  skeptical.

Read the full poll here.