Did ACORN steal the presidency?

More than half of Republicans -- 52 percent -- believe that ACORN stole the presidential election for Barack Obama, despite a "complete lack of evidence," according to Public Policy Polling. That makes the belief more popular in the GOP than the birther theory. The news came as Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman accused ACORN of helping tip his upstate New York congressional race to Democrat Bill Owens. Do Republicans really believe voter fraud put Obama in the White House? (Watch a report about whether ACORN "stole" the election for Obama)

What astonishing paranoia: This helps explain "the anger of the Tea Party crowd," says Eric Kleefeld in Talking Points Memo. The "obvious comparison" is the Democrats who questioned George W. Bush's 2000 election. But that came down to a handful of votes in Florida -- Barack Obama clobbered John McCain by 9.5 million votes.

"Poll: Majority Of Republicans think Obama didn't actually win 2008 election -- ACORN stole it!"

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This is typical post-defeat denial: Republicans are just "mired" in the first phase of the normal reaction to a "bad political defeat" -- denial, says David Frum in New Majority. Eventually, the diehards will move on, and focus on how to stage a comeback.

"We wuz robbed -- by ACORN"

The poll is what's crazy: "I can believe some small number of people honestly believing this," says Lance Burri in The TrogloPundit, "but 52 percent of Republicans?" I hate to think the pollsters concocted this to "reach this ridiculous – and, if true, embarrassing -- result." But Public Policy Polling has many liberal clients, and something is definitely wrong with their poll.

"I don’t believe this for a second"

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SEE THE WEEK's LATEST COVERAGE OF ACORN:

• Doug Hoffman vs. ACORN