The age of information has quickly become one of misinformation and the myth that Obama is Muslim, perhaps even a "Muslim plant," and certainly unpatriotic has taken hold in the heartland. According to a Pew Research poll Democrats who share the misperception are less likely to vote for Obama. Despite efforts by the Obama campaign to fight the smears and dispel the rumors the number of voters who think Obama Muslim has remained remarkably constant throughout 2008. 

On day 14 of Red State Road Trip, Chris Hume travels to Kentucky and Mississippi and asks locals what they think of the Democratic nominee. They cite emails that have circulated widely as evidence of Obama’s Muslim faith. They argue that Muslims are against Americans and thus they cannot vote for Obama. They may not be big McCain supporters but in this race he is the lesser of two evils. 

Black residents in Mississippi on the other hand have less to say about innuendo and the right wing smear machine. Either they’re not listening or they know them to be false. And they overwhelmingly support Barack Obama.

What's going on here? There's been a lot of talk in recent days about which campaign has played the race card in this election. But Obama's race seems to be less a factor to voters than his fabricated faith. Or at least people are more willing to admit that they wouldn't vote for a Muslim than a black man. 

Additional episodes of red state road trip can be seen here.