What makes people vote Republican? Why in particular do working class and rural Americans usually vote for pro-business Republicans when their economic interests would seem better served by Democratic policies?
People vote Republican because Republicans offer “moral clarity”—a simple vision of good and evil that activates deep seated fears in much of the electorate. Democrats, in contrast, appeal to reason with their long-winded explorations of policy options for a complex world.
Most interesting comment within the post:
MICHAEL SHERMER
Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American; Author, Why Darwin Matters; and How We BelieveThe Conscious of the Conservative
Two cheers for Jonathan Haidt’s essay. At long last a liberal academic social scientist has recognized (and had the courage to put into print) the inherent bias built into the study of political behavior—that because Democrats are so indisputably right and Republicans so unquestionably wrong, conservatism must be a mental disease, a flaw in the brain, a personality disorder that leads to cognitive malfunctioning. Thus, Haidt is mostly right when he asks us to move beyond such “diagnoses” and remember “the second rule of moral psychology is that morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way. When Republicans say that Democrats ‘just don’t get it,’ this is the ‘it’ to which they refer.”
Two theories:
1. An extra Y chromosone
2. Meth IS one hell of a drug
“Two theories:
1. An extra Y chromosone
2. Meth IS one hell of a drug”
That’s why some vote Democrat. John asked a different question.
> Why in particular do working
> class and rural Americans
> usually vote for pro-business
> Republicans when their economic
> interests would seem better
> served by Democratic policies?
One good reason would be because the statement itself is a inherently false. Pro-business *is* pro working class and the working class know it. Everyone seems to have it their head that all businesses are Microsoft. Most business have less than a dozen people and are made of those “working class” people about whom this academic elitist is discussing.
A much better question is why Democrats are anti-business and thus anti-working class.
> conservatism is a partially heritable
> personality trait that predisposes some
> people to be cognitively inflexible,
> fond of hierarchy, and inordinately
> afraid of uncertainty, change, and death.
What a load of bullshit! Only someone that is completely clueless about conservatism would make such a ridiculous and biased statement. If liberals are not afraid of death, why don’t we send them over to Iraq? If liberals are so fearless as to change and so adverse to hierarchy, why is it that so many people on the left work in government positions?
The entire article is written from a false assumption: that voting Republican is wrong or bad. In any given election, it depends mostly on who is running. Perhaps if this bozo had studied more economics and less fluffy psychology, he might better understand conservatives.
The blatant partisanship on Dvorak’s blog is nauseating. At least we know where he’s coming from and can make a few guesses as to why he’s often so cranky.
Money…
John wins the Gold medal for Trolling, which will be replacing baseball and softball in 2012.
If you had experienced 45 years of communism and a further 18 years of its legacy in an “original democracy” you’d ask yourselves “What makes people vote Democrat?”
i guess the answer to the posted question is:
they want to have *some* hope of keeping their hard earned money..
-s
The rest of the world has come to the conclusion that voting Republican means that you hate the rest of the world.
This would explain the Obamamania we see in Europe, and to some extent here in Australia.
Because the democrats want everyone to be poor, while the republicans want for everyone the freedom to choose their own level of success.
2 words:
common sense
I like this quote from the article:
“I would say that the second rule of moral psychology is that morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way.”
“When Republicans say that Democrats “just don’t get it,” this is the “it” to which they refer.”
“We think of the moral mind as being like an audio equalizer, with five slider switches for different parts of the moral spectrum. Democrats generally use a much smaller part of the spectrum than do Republicans. The resulting music may sound beautiful to other Democrats, but it sounds thin and incomplete to many of the swing voters that left the party in the 1980s, and whom the Democrats must recapture if they want to produce a lasting political realignment.”
In other words, those who vote Republican generally have a much broader and more complete view of Society than Liberals.
In the view of Republicans, Liberals are like children who want to play in the street. To the children, they see nothing harmful about playing in the street and are blissfully unaware of the danger they have placed themselves in.
The Republican, on the other hand, knows the danger and will restrict the child (Liberal) from doing themselves harm. This restriction is usually more than just a gentle explanation -who pays attention to a gentle explanation? More often the child is restricted from playing in the street, and may even get a spanking!
Yes, most Republicans look on Liberals as somewhat immature, if not downright retarded.
Democrats!
“Democrats, in contrast, appeal to reason with their long-winded explorations of policy options for a complex world. ” or cant give a straight answer to a simple question.
I registered Republican when I began my military service. I recognized that the Army was a job, and the Republicans liked to keep me employed. They may not have raised my salary, but I had work everyday.
After leaving the military, with the experience of 8 years of service, I began a career to make money. Again, it appeared to me that the Republicans were more geared towards that goal, whereas the Democratic party wanted to give others the money I worked for. It is still a viable method to me, however I also realize that the last 8 years, the republican party has become more about religion, and taking away individual freedoms, and wracking up massive debt in their quest to conquer the world, that has turned me into an ‘Independent’ voter. I look at the issues. I look at what the candidates have voted on in the past. I actually read and correspond to my representatives when I disagree with their ‘ideas of representation’. I have sent more letters in the last 3 years than I have in my life. I still don’t like the fact that the Democrats give away my money. I earned it, and have never relied on others to hand me anything. However, I also realize that the world has changed, for the worse IMHO, and the only way out is to take a stand, hold those in fault accountable, and write my representatives expressing my concern and anger. If they don’t change, I cast my vote for the person who is running that represents my views. So far, it has been an empty field, as everyone running feels they need to protect me from myself, or try and force some stupid religion into my thought process.
There is no difference to voting republican or democrat, what naive ideas this person has.
Neither side is on the side of the working man nor the small to medium business owner.
They are there for the corporations and other organisations that can give them as much money as they need, while also stroking their immorality.
Oh and #7, there was NEVER any communist nations. Never was, not now and not ever. We all know they talked communist, but could not pull it off. They became totalitarian oligrachies and autocracies, not communist.
So please save it for dumb people over the age of 60 who still think Columbus discovered America, Pilgrims came for religious freedom and Paul Revere completed his midnight ride shouting the British Are Coming!
Cursor_
Situational Irony. The author trying to explain that the Democrats as a whole are the standard of dispassionate reasoning.
Delusional and narcissistic, that’s why certain Democrats, not the majority mind you, do not understand why people would vote Republican.
#17, There is no difference to voting republican or democrat, what naive ideas this person has.
Agreed.
In fact, Ayn Rand stated this years ago. I paraphrase — “One side believes your life belongs to everyone else. The other side believes it belongs to God. In either case, there is always someone at the top determining the best use of your life without your permission.”
She goes on to explain that both sides are wrong. Our lives belong to ourselves, individually.
I note the effect of the “dipolar” interest groups/ideology wherever it appears. Politics, religion, psychology, sociology.
It pushes understanding to the extremes, leaving the majority well considered middle ground decimated.
If you can imagine a bell shaped curve, then further imagine that the difference in the articles findings are two vertical lines about 4 graph points apart.
The discussion and understanding of the issues here takes these vertical lines as 20 graph points apart. You’ve been dipolarized!!!!!
And the politics of fear and loathing continue. No resolve.
Read the whole article, folks; then post
#22–Springheel==thank you for a completely kneejerk reaction as per my comment at #20. Instead of discussing or contributing to a conversation about the best political position to lead our country out of the challenges you face, you go bat shit crazy.
Proof otherwise?===Please link to any source regarding liberals or anyone else jumping off buildings. You don’t think that is shrill? Maybe even keening?
You show something the repugs also do better (on average==4 graph points apart) than the dems. Accuse liberals of doing exactly what you do. The only difference being liberals don’t do it and you do.
Good dipolar dysfunctional thinking.
In one point in my life I remember growing up in a well disciplined life style.
We the human being have structured all aspects of our lives as well as cataloged, caged or removed all (animal or man) who have gotten in our way.
Has our political point of view drawn the line as to who is in our way?
The Republican party is so extremely well organized that it can run without a leader or it can operate a puppet extremely well.
History has shown us that human beings do remove unwanted characteristic from society.
The line has been drawn and it is up to us as to choose who is to stay or leave.
#24–tomd==you’ve gone from dipolar to just plain silly.
Please explain your mishmashed gobbledegook:
1. name a few characteristics of society that have been removed?
2. Describe this line that has been drawn?
Looking forward to your fresh point of view.
Interesting. Starts out like a typical elitist, hit piece, but then he actually makes some good points. I hope the Dems don’t pay any attention to this guy.
I know a long time ago I said here that a little diversity (all it variety) makes a society dynamic, but it’s the commonalities the give a society strength. (I was probably arguing for assimilation) Today’s Dems seem to be all about diversity that approached chaos. At least on this point, Haidt agrees with me: “This often divisive struggle among the parts must be balanced by a clear and oft-repeated commitment to guarding the precious coherence of the whole. America lacks the long history, small size, ethnic homogeneity, and soccer mania that holds many other nations together, so our flag, our founding fathers, our military, and our common language take on a moral importance that many liberals find hard to fathom. .
PS. He is confusing Democrats with Liberals and Republican with Conservatives, but that’s another debate.
Another way of looking at it…
Conservative thinking is:
> doing as it was done in the good old days
> how our fathers handled it, they were right
> it’s hidden in mysterious scripture
> don’t talk about the past if it’s bad
> as mommy and daddy, don’t question authority
> everything is perfect, including America
> all either good or evil, nothing in middle
> there is right and wrong, nothing in middle
Liberal thinking is
> learn from mistakes, learn from history
> our fathers set principles, not solutions
> believing in ghosts is no longer needed
> talk about the past, daddy’s slavery was bad
> nothing is perfect, always do it better
> America is an ideal, strive for it
> as in nature, there are gray areas to consider
25.
It is common sense.
So our founding fathers were mentally ill? Believing that one should be free from oppressive government is a disease?
Thinking that one should keep what one earns and not have it stolen and given to someone who doesn’t earn is sick?
Well, I must be a total sicko then, I’m voting for Bob Barr and any libertarian I can vote for.
#28–tomd==common sense should be easy to list.
Go ahead–list a few of your characteristics and lines.
No list, no common sense, and not even the honesty to admit you were talking out your asshole. That would be ok, except you’ll keep doing it.
Good Bushie.
#2 Lou Minatti
Very witty.
#22 – Springheel
>>Sweet Hot Sarah Palin has won the day
Oh man. Get your hand out of your tightie whities and start thinking straight.
She may be hot, but as to “sweet”?? She makes Karl Rove look like St. Francis of Assisi when it comes to being a cold, calculating bitch.
And her dogmatism, combined with the apparently loose sexual habits of her family, and the confusion of who is whose mother, will bring her down, taking McBush with her.