CNN Polls Nation's Top Constitutional Scholars, the General Public, About Important Constitution Issues

CNN doesn't really know how to come up with an original perspective on an issue, so they like to poll the general public about things in which they have no expertise. And now it turns out that Americans are nearly evenly split on whether the Constitution protects gay marriage and whether the U.S. should pass a constitutional amendment negating automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. of foreign parents. How can our top experts be in such conflict over these things?

It also turns out that 52% of Americans think "gays and lesbians should have a constitutional right to get married." But the poll questions on gay marriage are generally terrible, because it doesn't say anything about a right to same-sex marriage. It just says "right to get married," which is the same wording as is in the first question about whether they already do have a constitutional right to marriage.

Perhaps CNN should ask the general public how to write poll questions.

But there is one clear message from this poll: America fucking HATES that proposed Manhattan community-center complex. 68% say they "oppose this plan," whereas 29% "support" it, and 3% have "no opinion." But why do 29% of Americans actively support it? "Yes, I do want that mosque in that place I don't live," is this opinion, whereas "no opinion" is, "Do what you want, it's a free country." So apparently 3 out of 10 Americans are proselytizing Muslins, secret or otherwise. WATCH YOUR BACK, NEWT.

CNN is good at writing poll questions, and America is good at answering them. [ CNN ]