[Grizzly]

http://www.the-american-interest.com/article-bd.cfm?piece=906.

An interesting read.

[General Battuta]

The rich do indeed have a disproportionate influence, but not in every domain. I just helped get this published.

[Black Wolf]

Not really my area, I'll grant, especially since it's a foreign country, but I've always suspected a big chunk of the reason for the strong right wing in America is a generational hangover from the cold war. People wanted to distinguish themselves from the commies, and propaganda helped push this along. They're communists, they're bad, so we'll be a market economy, and we'll be good. Anyone who tries to mess with that is a commie, and therefore bad.

[Sushi]

It took me half the article before I caught on that this wasn't eventually going to be about left-handed people.

[SpardaSon21]

I don't know what America they're talking about.  My state has plenty of leftists.  My state is also on the verge of a budgetary implosion.  Those two couldn't possibly be related.

[General Battuta]

Probably not related, actually, since people's stated political leanings rarely determine their actual fiscal behavior.

Interestingly for Sushi, left-handed people are on average far more successful than right-handed people. A disproportionate number of presidents have been left-handed.

[SpardaSon21]

 
You haven't seen the California budget (or complete lack of one), have you?  California is a paragon of progressiveness that's damn close to defaulting on its immense debts.  Our legislature refuses to consider any serious cuts to social spending as necessary to the budget problem.  If that isn't influenced by political leanings, I don't know what would be.

[General Battuta]

Misunderstood. Will post deluge of papers when I am back in the lab.

There is experimental data going back to the 60s or 70s which explains how fiscally conservative people actually behave: they advocate fiscal moderation but generally voice support for every individual government program in question, with support varying heavily based on how the poll question is worded. Fascinating stuff.

[Klaustrophobia]

who the hell looks at america and doesn't see a lot of leftists? o.0

[MP-Ryan]

who the hell looks at america and doesn't see a lot of leftists? o.0

All of us who don't live in it.

The article is a very insightful look at the complete lunacy of the American fiscal-political environment (at least at the federal level).  In no other country do you see the grassroots screaming in favour of financial policy that clearly favours the wealthy to their detriment.  The bizarre thing is the phenomenon applies equally to the educated and the uneducated.

This latest round of tax cut extensions is a perfect example.  The Republicans, back traditionally by the very wealthy but also by conservative lower-middle class voters, were overwhelmingly in favour of extending tax cuts to the wealthy... which isn't surprising.  What is surprising is the complete lack of criticism of this policy by 2/3 of the people who elected them and won't benefit from said cuts, but will actually receive financial harm because of them.

A large portion of the problem is that ordinary Americans, thanks to polarized politics, no longer understand that liberal != Communist.  I'd go so far as to say that the vast majority of Republicans have absolutely no idea that Reagan and Bush1's policies are actually derived from liberalism.

[Mars]

Political science education is not usually considered useful in the schools I've been to. Several people tried to warn me off when I took it.

Also, the grassroots movements are essentially heavily endorsed advertisement campaigns, aimed at sheep (who come in all types of educations).

Also, I must say, as someone who has a lot of socialist type beliefs, I often feel uncomfortable entering political discussions; there seems to be a lot of hatred for anything remotely more balanced. 

[Nuke]

who the hell looks at america and doesn't see a lot of leftists? o.0

our left is very much the rest of the worlds middle ground. even obama is a couple lines into the right side of the political compass.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2008

[IceFire]

who the hell looks at america and doesn't see a lot of leftists? o.0

All of us who don't live in it.

The article is a very insightful look at the complete lunacy of the American fiscal-political environment (at least at the federal level).  In no other country do you see the grassroots screaming in favour of financial policy that clearly favours the wealthy to their detriment.  The bizarre thing is the phenomenon applies equally to the educated and the uneducated.

This latest round of tax cut extensions is a perfect example.  The Republicans, back traditionally by the very wealthy but also by conservative lower-middle class voters, were overwhelmingly in favour of extending tax cuts to the wealthy... which isn't surprising.  What is surprising is the complete lack of criticism of this policy by 2/3 of the people who elected them and won't benefit from said cuts, but will actually receive financial harm because of them.

A large portion of the problem is that ordinary Americans, thanks to polarized politics, no longer understand that liberal != Communist.  I'd go so far as to say that the vast majority of Republicans have absolutely no idea that Reagan and Bush1's policies are actually derived from liberalism.

There's that often told story/joke (it's very likely made up) about Soviet era politicians touring around the United States and seeing the fervent patriotism and support for the political elite in America. One of the politicians turned to one of the Americans and said "In my country we have to kill people to get this kind of loyalty."

For some reason everything said here reminds me of that joke.

[Kosh]

When the rich abandoned america

[Pred the Penguin]

Not really my area, I'll grant, especially since it's a foreign country, but I've always suspected a big chunk of the reason for the strong right wing in America is a generational hangover from the cold war. People wanted to distinguish themselves from the commies, and propaganda helped push this along. They're communists, they're bad, so we'll be a market economy, and we'll be good. Anyone who tries to mess with that is a commie, and therefore bad.

And there are people that still think that way...

[Liberator]

How do you define lefties?  Flaming whacko die for the cause ones or the more quiet politically savvy ones who would see this country buried under crushing tax rates to pay for programs we cannot possibly afford while they provide every little nit picky group a way out if you meet these conditions or those circumstances and who see the American people not as a quilt of beautiful, vibrant individuals who have come here to seek a better life, but a voting blocks to be pandered to so they get to keep playing their pointless political games.

Umm, we have all we need of the second one thanks.

[Hades]

the more quiet politically savvy ones who would see this country buried under crushing tax rates to pay for programs we cannot possibly afford

First off, these taxes are for programs that greatly benefit ALL of us, not like the conservatives who pass tax cuts for the wealthy alone (which you would never get)

And guess what, a hell of a lot more republican presidents increase the dept percentage than democrat presidents do

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms Take a look at that chart

while they provide every little nit picky group a way out if you meet these conditions or those circumstances and who see the American people not as a quilt of beautiful, vibrant individuals who have come here to seek a better life, but a voting blocks to be pandered to so they get to keep playing their pointless political games.

That's politics in general, stop trying to act like the conservatives are god's white knights to us who have our best interests in mind and are in no way bad, because they aren't. Far from it. If you'd stop watching Fox News and actually observe the real world as I have you may be able to see that.

How do you define lefties?  Flaming whacko die for the cause ones

This is so idiotic I'm not going to try explaining to you that there are a whole lot of right wing members like this too.

[General Battuta]

ugh, liberatored

[karajorma]

I see no reason why we should lock a promising thread just because the exact sort of person the article talked about actually posted.

Just don't reply to Liberator. Seriously, anyone who does is getting kicked out of Gen Disc!. It's pretty obvious he has exactly the kind of programming that the article mentions running around in his head on a loop. You could replace his entire political view with some simple Macros. So let's simply write him off as a lost cause and keep talking to those who might actually have a sensible reason why they vote for the same people who have been screwing them for years.

Back on topic guys.

[Klaustrophobia]

you know posts like "LOL STOOPID REPUBLICANS!" don't do anything but piss us off further and make it more likely you get rants like liberator's.  and locking threads because someone posts a dissenting opinion is just plain childish.