The crazies are taking over!

World War II Memorial - Red Square

Europeans generally don’t understand Americans and think that America is a strange country full of very strange people. There are some good reasons for the way they think.

I have just finished reading a book called ‘Wingnuts’ by John Avlon of the Daily Beast. This is a fascinating book about the fringe dwellers on both the left and the right in the USA and the crazy worlds they inhabit.

He talks about Bush Derangement Syndrome and Obama Derangement Syndrome and about the ‘Truthers’ (The 9/11 attacks were carried out by the USA) and the ‘Birthers’ (President Obama was not born in the USA).

He quoted a few figures in there about what Republicans believe and this prompted a Harris Poll which confirmed some really scary things about Republicans:

“Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say "he may be the Antichrist."

To anyone who thinks the end of the health-care vote means a return to civility, wake up.

Obama Derangement Syndrome—pathological hatred of the president posing as patriotism—has infected the Republican Party. Here's new data to prove it:

• 67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist.

• 57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim

• 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president"

• 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did"

• Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist."

You can read the full story at the Daily Beast and the Harris Poll details have been published across the media.

See, Europeans see this and scratch their heads and say 'why would anyone think that President Obama was not born in the USA. You cannot BE President unless you are born in the USA'

(Much the the dismay of Austrians who would like Arnold Schwarzenegger to be President).

Europeans generally believe that something should make sense if it is to be believed (although they do of course, like most others, make an exception for religion).

Now I think all this stuff is amazing, scary - and immensely entertaining - but if I was an American I would be seriously worried about where the country is going.

I know only sane and intelligent Americans read my Blog and I think you had better start doing something about this stuff or it will be curtains for all of us.