George Rebane
The curious and inexplicable course of our polarized public discourse has been examined for some time in these pages, even to the extent that ‘The Liberal Mind’ is an RR category of collected posts on this issue. To a reasonable person on the so-called Right, the reasoning processes of the so-called Left are an enduring puzzle, even though the outcomes of such processes are relatively easy to predict. I don’t know whether people of the Left have similar problems understanding our reasoning processes, but I presume that they do.
These questions are neither idle nor unimportant as indicated by the increasing level of academic research devoted to the area. A landmark study done at University College London, reported here, discovered measurable differences in the active brain areas of conservatives and liberals when they considered socio-political issues informed by their separate ideologies. This research indicated that with appropriate brain imaging equipment in place, it is possible to tell from the resulting images whether the subject studied is a self-professed liberal or conservative.
Now Dr Jonathan Haidt, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, has documented his examination of how liberals and conservatives differ in The Righteous Mind (two reports on it here and here). The results from Haidt and his research team are both revealing and illuminating. Even the noted progressive NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof reports that these results “help demystify the right”.
Dr Haidt’s research indicates that Americans speak of social values in “six languages” (aka six dimensions). Kristof states that “Conservatives speak all six, but liberals are fluent in only three. And some (me included) mostly use just one, care for victims.” The liberals’ three languages of social discourse are in a manifold whose three dimensions are – caring for the weak, fairness, and liberty. The conservatives share these three, with a somewhat different view of fairness and liberty, and add to their manifold of thinking/expression three more – loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity. These three are also tagged as “binding values” that bind people together into larger groups.
Our results go beyond previous studies, however, in finding and explaining an otherwise puzzling result: liberals were the least accurate. We presented three competing hypotheses about accuracy: 1) We found no support for the hypothesis that liberals would be most accurate; liberals were the least accurate about conservatives and about liberals. The largest inaccuracies were in liberals’ underestimations of conservatives’ Harm and Fairness concerns, and liberals further exaggerated the political differences by overestimating their own such concerns. 2) We found some support for the hypothesis that moderates would be most accurate, which they were in the case of the binding foundations. However, and most crucially, partisan inaccuracies were not mirror images of each other. On the contrary, liberals and conservatives both tended to exaggerate their binding foundation differences by underestimating the typical liberal and overestimating the typical conservative. 3) Finally, we found some support for the hypothesis that conservatives would be the most accurate, which they were in the case of the individualizing foundations. In line with Moral Foundations Theory, liberals dramatically underestimated the Harm and Fairness concerns of conservatives.
At this point it is important to remind ourselves that not being able to fathom the presumed reasoning processes in the liberal mind is independent of the ability to predict the contingent output from such a mind. In other words, I and others like me, cannot fit progressive thinking into our world frame, but we can treat that kind of thinking as a ‘black box’ that produces usefully predictable outputs from a given set of inputs. The University of Virginia’s research indicates that the progressive is doubly frustrated here – he not only cannot follow our reasoning, but is also saddled with a less reliable ‘black box’ model of our deliberations on social issues.
So as more studies are done and results roll in, the stark polarization of socio-political ideologies that gather around the collectivist and conservative/libertarian banners becomes apparent as being based on identifiable seminal differences in the workings of our brains and the minds that such brains are able to fashion. The interesting question of nature or nurture has yet to be addressed.
The research to date can be explained away by the ‘nurture’ side of development, especially in view of the University College London results – people changing ideologies did also change processing brain areas. And the Haidt study based itself on identifying right/left psychologies - i.e. mind instead of brain – which suggests that a differently nurtured brain might have adopted the opposite abilities to analyze and express themselves in the language manifolds identified. But we don’t know if there is something intrinsic in the nature (expressed physiological structure) of brains which make them more conducive to a collectivist vs classical liberal (a la Bastiat et al) ideology.
[7apr12 update] Since penning the above, the thesis that collectivists and classical liberals are fundamentally different in the make up of their intellects, including reasoning processes, is gaining traction among people who study our polarized ideologies. This coming Wednesday 11 April, the Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics (University of Southern California) is sponsoring a seminar on the topic in which it asks "Do we choose our political views or do our brains choose them for us? If political preferences reflect differences in brain structure, what effect does this have on our ability to defend our political affiliations on rational grounds?'
RR's continuing reflections on this important proposition form an important foundation for understanding today's political divide and its possible evolution to the Great Divide (q.v.).
[10apr12 update] And here's an even later report on results that point to a biological difference between people of liberal and conservative persuasions that should be very complimentary to our progressive friends. The point to bear in mind is that the differences appear to be clinically observable, and therefore 'real' in a wider sense than people having arrived at disparate ideologies by dint of reasoning alone.
loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity.
Etch-sketch, treatment of Obama the President, belief that Christ is more important than caring for the planet, yup I guess the conservatives have us beat, all the way up the inferior tree worshipper's tree.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 30 March 2012 at 01:48 PM
I think the issue of global warming and the threat to human existence is perfect example of the differences between the liberal and the conservative mind. Kari Mari Norgaard, a professor of sociology and environmental studies at the University of Oregon, suggests that resistance to the threat of climate change at individual and societal levels must be “recognized and treated” before real action can be taken to effectively address the problem global warming poses.
In the professors mind, how conservatives think is a mental condition that needs to be treated. When in fact it is the professor is the one needs to recognize how liberal and conservative minds differ in their views on issues like global warming. Liberal feel and conservative think.
“Climate change poses a massive threat to our present social, economic and political order. From a sociological perspective, resistance to change is to be expected,” she said. “People are individually and collectively habituated to the ways we act and think. This habituation must be recognized and simultaneously addressed at the individual, cultural and societal level — how we think the world works and how we think it should work.” …
How the world works is currently on display. There is no significant global warming and any that can be attribute to man is virtually unmeasurable. The good professor thinks the world is warming, and humans are responsible, at least that is how she would like the world to work -- it is NOT! The good professor is the one that needs a reality check!
Posted by: Russ Steele | 30 March 2012 at 01:51 PM
Doug: Your comment is evidence which proves the point of the article.
"The University of Virginia’s research indicates that the progressive is doubly frustrated here – he not only cannot follow our reasoning, but is also saddled with a less reliable ‘black box’ model of our deliberations on social issues."
Posted by: Barry Pruett | 30 March 2012 at 02:05 PM
Fascinating topic to say the least. I suppose most conservatives know how the liberal mind thinks and therefore find the liberal thought processes and actions most predictable. From within to without. A liberal sees a homeless man in dire straights. The immediate cry is "somebody must do something!" A conservative may see the same sight, even being moved to near tears. He thinks what can we do to improve his lot in life so he can rise above his pitiful position. The liberal may take the pitiful man down to social services. The conservative may take the man to his home and hand him a rake and pay him for doing a few odd jobs. Once talked to a police officer who related a story. A bum was standing on the corner, smelly, with swollen feet and his toes protruding from his shoes. A concerned woman approached the officer and demanded he do something for the poor man. The officer replied he was not breaking any laws. Then the officer asked the woman "why don't you take him home. He is harmless as he has been hanging out here for years and is well mannered. You can put him in the back yard and he will stand there causing no trouble. Just feed and water him like any of your plants." The appalled woman went storming off. The officer (a conservative) knew the outcome of the conversation before he even opened his mouth. The liberal woman left angry and confused by the officer's reasoning. Noticed the former mayor of Nevada City and another frequent poster are blaming the less than flattering queries by the Supreme Court during the recent oral arguments entirely on the gov't lawyers' performance. Seems our friends cannot not think past the first three languages (which they are most fluent in) and think in all 6 languages. I don't blame the gov't lawyers. They got boxed in with a tax is not a tax and relying on an unlawful reach of the Commerce Clause. The Solicitor General was given little to work with. "We need a mandate to help people" is about all the left can grasp. Somebody must do something! I am relieved that there were some adults in the chambers earlier this week.
Posted by: billy T | 30 March 2012 at 03:27 PM
Russ - your observation of the fact that liberals "feel" and conservatives "think" seems to point to another world view difference. Conservatives tend to be classic liberals that embrace a modern idea of seeking a knowable, ultimate truth. This is not to say that this end is always achieved. Or that by virtue of being a conservative it will automatically follow that you have the truth. The newer liberals (the left) are more of a post-modern thinker and truth to them, is an ever-changing and elusive chimera that changes depending upon the circumstances and conditions. The easiest example of this is the conservatives' holding to the Constitution as the law of the land. The left dismisses the original intent as old fashioned and out dated. It just gets in the way of all of the wonderful things they want govt to do. The founders were classic liberals and knew all too well what would happen to a govt run by feelings and good intentions instead of the law.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 30 March 2012 at 03:38 PM
Scott,
Yes, I should have said our modern liberals are more into feeling and less thinking.
Posted by: Russ Steele | 30 March 2012 at 04:15 PM
Is Conservatism Our Default Ideology?
New research provides evidence that, when under time pressure or otherwise cognitively impaired, people are more likely to express conservative views.
Newly published research proposes a somewhat different, and quite provocative, answer.
A research team led by University of Arkansas psychologist Scott Eidelman argues that conservatism — which the researchers identify as “an emphasis on personal responsibility, acceptance of hierarchy, and a preference for the status quo” — may be our default ideology. If we don’t have the time or energy to give a matter sufficient thought, we tend to accept the conservative argument.
“When effortful, deliberate responding is disrupted or disengaged, thought processes become quick and efficient,” the researchers write in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. “These conditions promote conservative ideology.”
Eidelman and his colleagues’ paper will surely outrage many on the left (who will resist the notion of conservatism as somehow natural) and the right (who will take offense to the idea that their ideology is linked to low brainpower). The researchers do their best to preemptively answer such criticism.
“We do not assert that conservatives fail to engage in effortful, deliberate thought,” they insist. “We find that when effortful thought is disengaged, the first step people take tends to be in a conservative direction.”
The researchers describe four studies that provide evidence backing up their thesis. In each case, they used a different method to disrupt the process of deliberation, and found that doing so increased the odds of someone espousing conservative views.
You can read more Here: http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/is-conservatism-our-default-ideology-40703/
Posted by: Russ Steele | 30 March 2012 at 04:16 PM
Russ 416pm - what you cite is a reaction that is both 'natural' and optimal. When pressure to perform is high and time is short, you go with what you got. At that point stopping to mull myriads of alternatives is guaranteed to get you into trouble.
That conservatives have an instinct for such reaction is IMHO laudible. I most certainly have successfully evinced and expressed it in my career, and I recommend it to others.
billyT 327pm - "I suppose most conservatives know how the liberal mind thinks and therefore find the liberal thought processes and actions most predictable." Actually, as I tried to point out, we conservatives don't know and don't need to know HOW the liberal mind thinks in order to figure out the input/output relationships of their mind as a 'black box'. Since liberal reactions to stimuli are less nuanced (three instead of six 'languages'), drawing the correlations is an easier task; we don't need to know what goes on inside the 'black box', only what goes into it, to be able to predict what comes out of it. I'm sorry if this was confusing.
Posted by: George Rebane | 30 March 2012 at 06:05 PM
Not confusing at all, Dr. Rebane. I don't give a hoot what goes on inside the black box, but what comes out of it is so predicable that little thought is required. It is almost as if we have an innate foreknowledge of what comes out of the lefties black box without any effort or contemplation. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Perhaps this article shows better the left right mindset better than I can express http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/294938/there-obama-goes-again-larry-kudlow
Posted by: billy T | 30 March 2012 at 10:07 PM
So the conservative thinks, takes a gun on a neighborhood watch, chases down a hooodie (we all know what that is code for) shoots him, and disappears.
"Oh just take him home, cosy him up and put him to work!" In today's litigiousness society, no can do. Not without risking everything you own to so lawyer for some imagined or somewhat real injury, so cross that one off your list.
"So just let him live on your land." likewise no can do, as should he start a fire, one way or another, your neighbors and the state will sue you.
Net result, only solutions available are via public actions, to which many conservatives take a NIMBY approach, especially if it involves taxes.
Your rubric of three vs six "languages" is as arbitrary and artificial as any, with Conservative inherent superiority via numbers, as a built-in bonus, I won't even bother to illustrate other possible interpretations. Enjoy yourselves, preaching to your own sanctimonious choir.
Predictable? How about less taxes, smaller government, more our interpretation of what the Constitution should mean, the SCOTUS be damned? Now that's predictable>
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 09:16 AM
To get an idea of how unrealistic your good Samaritan arguments are, consider the selfless members of the Ski Patrol, and a discussion of their liabilities:
http://www.emtlife.com/archive/index.php/t-23441.html
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 09:53 AM
DouglasK 916am - Thank you again for trotting out Exhibit A in a timely manner.
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 10:01 AM
Douglas you wrote at 9:16 -- "So the conservative thinks, takes a gun on a neighborhood watch, chases down a hooodie (we all know what that is code for) shoots him, and disappears."
How do you know that the hoodie shooter was a conservative? The one in the news was a registered Democrat. There is a higher probability that he was a liberal/progressive than a conservative. By the way, if you watch the evening news, you might note that most of the robbers on the surveillance cameras are wearing hoodies. I wonder if that is statistical significant?
Posted by: Russ Steele | 31 March 2012 at 10:10 AM
Or, Russ, maybe you should ask yourself, why do the Beagle Brothers wear masks?
I suppose the NRA is a liberal organization?
"The NRA is literally working to promote "George Zimmermans" to carry and use their guns in virtually every state across our nation.
Just days after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, the NRA was working on Capitol Hill to nationalize Florida's vigilante mentality. The gun lobby has gotten U.S. senators to introduce a bill that will force states like New York with strong gun laws to follow Florida's model of arming criminals and killers. Led by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), they call S.B. 2188, the National Reciprocity Act.
We call it the George Zimmerman Armed Vigilante Act.
S.B. 2188, which is a companion to H.B. 822, would allow the tens of thousands of concealed carry permit holders, such as those with violent backgrounds similar to Zimmerman's, to take their guns and their "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality into Times Square, downtown Los Angeles, Main Street in Des Moines, Iowa, or to your community.
If your state has tougher, more sensible laws, that might prevent someone like George Zimmerman -- who had an arrest record -- from getting a concealed carry permit, tough luck. This new bill would force your state to honor concealed carry permits of other states, even states like Florida, with abhorrently low standards."
Huffington Post.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 10:41 AM
Might we agree that a tangible work product of the Conservative mind is the opinion that Sarah Palin was qualified to be President of the United States?
Posted by: Paul Emery | 31 March 2012 at 10:56 AM
Below is your voter information as it appears on your voter record.
Full Name: GEORGE MICHAEL ZIMMERMAN
County: SEMINOLE
Voter Gender: Male
Date of Registration: 08/22/2002
Party: Florida Democratic Party
Correct, but not at all publicized in the mainstream press.
Eligible to Vote: Active*
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 11:23 AM
Neighborhood WATCH is just supposed to be WATCH. Excellent CNNN discussion going on right now. 11:27, will probably repeat later today.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 11:28 AM
Sure PaulE, you said
"Might we agree that a tangible work product of the Conservative mind is the opinion that Sarah Palin was qualified to be President of the United States? "
Tell you what, you give us the same on Obama and I will agree. How's that?
What fascinates me about your view is you you have lived Obama for three years and yet you claim someone who did not win is less qualified the the fellow who wrecked the place. I think maybe misogyny is at play here. Call the NOW gang! Oh, they won't defend a conservative woman will they?
Posted by: Todd Juvinall | 31 March 2012 at 11:47 AM
PaulE your 10:56
I would be most interest in what makes Sarah Palin unqualified to be President of the United States. What is it your liberal mind recognizes as disqualifying qualities?
Posted by: Russ Steele | 31 March 2012 at 11:54 AM
We truly think differently. This FLA shooting is a small example. We know a unarmed black teenager died in the streets. We know who the shooter is. The Right says wait until the evidence is in and lets carefully weigh the circumstances and reports. A tragic episode for the victim's family. The left sees this as a larger societal problem of ingrained racism, failure of the justice system, and the deck is stacked. Members of Congress weigh in, The President weighs in, Jesse Jackson and Rev Al race down there to be the first to mug before the cameras. NBC news alters the 911 call. I suppose this tragic event is not one man shooting a teenager in the streets, but its all our fault collectively and America is a bad unjust place. Just like the jogger in NYC who got gang raped by a group of teenagers. Its society's fault and something is wrong with us....so says the liberal mind. This whole thing reminds me of that mentally ill man to shot Gabby Gifford point blank. Oh, it is Ring Wing talk radio's fault, Sarah Palin's fault, Russ's fault. We need more gun control and need it now! Come to find out the wack job did not listen to talk radio and violated existing gun control laws. Never mind that, it is all a conspiracy. When intellectual giants from the left such as Oprah declare it is impossible for steel to melt in an inferno on 911, well...that says it all. My own days in a foundry taught me the melting temperatures of various metals. Guess we just see things differently. The left loved LBJ's Great Society. We watched the slums and barrios and ghettos become worse and were told we need to double down. So, we doubled down until the bull dozers razed the projects. To question the wisdom of the entire Great Society by judging the results opens one to the expected mundane predictable insults. Guess the left judges themselves on their intentions, while the right judges themselves on results. Miles apart.
Posted by: billy T | 31 March 2012 at 11:55 AM
Russ
Very simple. Her work record. Being governor of a small state less than two years (remember she quit) does not qualify you to be the administrator of the government of the most powerful nation in the world. You may not like Biden but I doubt if you would question his qualifications. Let me ask you this in return. What, as a conservative mind bearer causes you to believe she was qualified to be President?
Todd
John McCain was the most qualified of all candidates to be President and actually could have had my vote had he been nominated in 2000 before he got slimed by Rove and the Bushies. I'm referring here to Sarah Palin and her nomination as VP that had the blessings of the conservatives and using that as an example of the work product of the conservative mind. Obama was my last choice among the Dems for the nomination because I believed he lacked the necessary experience. What then in your mind made Sarah Palin qualified to be Pres?
Posted by: Paul Emery | 31 March 2012 at 12:14 PM
Here we have the continuing illustration of the unprompted but welcome amplification of the research cited in the post. BillyT's 1155am appropriately nails the incomprehensible logic in DouglasK's 1041am comment. Only the output of the reasoning process is visible.
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 01:15 PM
George, It's perfectly reasonable to question the end results of a particular philosophy, religion, lifestyle etc especially when it's so well articulated as in your post. Sarah Palin as an endorsed product of this thinking is therefore fair game and if you intent to reach out beyond your predictable legions its a reasonable question to ask. How anyone who considers themselves a "conservative" could embrace the Republican party as an vehicle for meaningful change in the conservative direction is beyond my comprehension so I'm a bit confused. Sarah Palin is only an example of the "reasoning process" that has the endorsement of conservatives. I might add that it's appropriate to add that Obama is therefore the end product of a different view therefore fair game in a discussion of this sort.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 31 March 2012 at 01:45 PM
Obama got the helm AFTER Bush hit the iceberg. I doubt Sarah could have gotten admitted to Harvard. She is ignorant of Boston history:
http://www.necn.com/06/06/11/bPolitics-bSarah-Palin-rewriting-history/landing.html?blockID=532966&feedID=4212
The Tea Party must be so proud!
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 01:53 PM
That makes a certain amount of sense. That might explain the obsession with oil profits, but an inability to process the concept of profit margin. I once joked to myself that every dollar is sacred, turns out I wasn't too far off. They see money and they see victims, but nothing in the middle. You really have to be cautious with giving money to beggars, if you truly care, an alcoholic needs to hit bottom. All the ones I see seem to eat take out, yet for much less they could eat sandwiches all day while with their beer. We let a homeless family stay for free at one of our properties and they broke a cabinet door. If I remember right, the father had anger management issues. He was a welder, yet they could never make ends meet. Yet a coworker ended up with a lot of kids that were not their own. Can't remember the details, but they made ends meet with beans and rice. I cannot shake the idea that a lot of people are not victims, but talented at repeatedly making bad decisions and our policies merely encourage them.
Posted by: Ian Random | 31 March 2012 at 02:02 PM
Paul your 12:14
You have taken a very narrow point of view, yes Sarah resigned. The political establishment had made the job impossible, filling law suit after law suit, that all went away once she resigned. If the cases were legit, they would have been continued. Sarah determined it was best for the people of Alaska that they have effective leadership, so she did the right thing for the people of Alaska.
If you look closer at Sarah's record you will see she solved some long term Alaska problems, including the gas pipe line across Canada to the US, corruption in the Republican Party, bring the oil companies to heal, etc. She worked her way up the political ladder.With Todd she has run her own business, and is how a national voice for conservative issues. And, you think the daily gaffer would be a better choice as VP.
What were Obama's qualifications? What business has he run? What has he accomplished in three years, other than raise gas prices, increase the national debt by 4 trillion, reduce the US stature in world affairs, and kill 2 million jobs. Sarah got a long stalled pipe line back on track, Obama stalled a pipeline. When you look at Sarah's accomplishment next to Obama, I would take Sarah any day.
Posted by: Russ Steele | 31 March 2012 at 02:06 PM
"I cannot shake the idea that a lot of people are not victims, but talented at repeatedly making bad decisions and our policies merely encourage them."
So what policies would you implement that would cause them to make fewer bad decisions, for themselves and the kids they are raising to take their places?
"The Right says wait until the evidence is in and lets carefully weigh the circumstances and reports."
Without the stink now being raised, the Right was quite happy to let it be a "case closed, always believe the cops." Can you show one Republican who called for an investigation before the demonstrations started?
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 02:14 PM
IanR 202pm - well said.
PaulE 145pm - am not sure what critique of mine you are complaining about (you don't cite specific comments), but I have not here opined on your Palin issues. My comments refer to DougK's attempts to string together the interpretation of efforts like those of the NRA promoting Zimmermans to kill Martins. That logic is simply incomprehensible to my conservetarian mind, and apparently to those of some other readers.
If you wish to join with brother Doug, then this assessment will also apply to you. Absent that, we have yet to lock horns on the topic of this post ;-)
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 02:15 PM
Too bad I didn't win the lotto. It would have been such fun buying The Union and making a few changes.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 02:17 PM
Voice analysis is yet to be done on the "help help help" and I will be reallycurious to see if that phrase carries Zimmerman's signature, or Trayvons. a good consultant would be:
http://forcomm.com/About_Us.html
They did the work in the Bay Area in the Mitchell Brothers case, and they are right next door in Gainsville, FL.
Is there anything that would prevent a George Zimmerman from showing up in California? If the can carry under FL laws, can they shoot to kill on stand your ground statutes from FL while in California? Just what does the NRA have in mind here?
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 02:26 PM
Gas prices are now at the same levels Bush had them at in June 2008. Over $4/gallon.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 02:37 PM
BTW, it was the state's attorney's office caused him to be released. The cops did want him to stay arrested, and they brought him in as if he was under arrest. (CNN)
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 02:41 PM
I chuckled when someone said liberalism is a disease. More like 'dis ease' I thought. But until today, I never considered liberalism to be a preexisting medical condition. I suppose someone will counter that we righties have the same disease as our Founding Fathers.
Posted by: billy T | 31 March 2012 at 02:59 PM
Russ
Come one now. I can't really take you seriously on your belief that Sarah P resigned because of legal harassment. She resigned simply to go for the big bucks (millions) as a media star.
Believing that a half term Governor of a small state is qualified to be President of the US certainly brings to a question the thoroughness of thinking in such an important matter. There is no need to compare her with Obama. In this case the "cheese stands alone".
Posted by: Paul Emery | 31 March 2012 at 03:50 PM
"....and along came a spider, and sat down beside her, and frightened Ms Palin away...
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 04:05 PM
PaulE,
Well I would have gone for the big bucks too as being a vice president is crummy job, especially for a political hack like McCain. He would never have let Palin have the kind or responsibility that Dick Cheney had under Bush. I think that Palin made the right decision, she has more influence were she is now than having been McCain's VP or running for President. The Eastern Elites are going to get the candidate they wanted, and at the same time increase the chances that we will get four more years of the "O" man and ruin what is left of our great county.
Posted by: Russ Steele | 31 March 2012 at 04:53 PM
Quick... who said "I can see Russia from my house!". See if you can beat NBC New's David Gregory on that one.
Palin very definitely resigned due to the harassment which, under Alaska law, could not just be dismissed as frivolous. Her presence on the ticket caused me to not hold my nose hard enough in the ballot box, as, in California, a vote for McCain was as futile a gesture as the Barr vote I cast which took no nasal constriction at all.
Palin could attend foreign state funerals and all of the other VP duties as well as Biden, who, in the footsteps of Gore and Quail, is there mainly to spur the Secret Service protect the President and for the country to pray for the health of the President.
Posted by: Gregory | 31 March 2012 at 05:09 PM
Russ, if Russia is ascendant as our Nemesis du jour from now to November, Obama's recent live mike faux pas will make for very effective scare ads.
Posted by: Gregory | 31 March 2012 at 05:17 PM
Gregory 509pm - Brutal, but thoughtful.
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 05:26 PM
Who said "I can see Russia from my house."? That quote was uttered by none other than Tina Fey. Too bad Palin never said it, but if you tell a lie over and over, then the gullible think it is true. Kinda like Pelosi saying Pay Go was the most important bill passed by Congress one year or the Republicans are trying to cut Medicare....hmmm, doesn't Obamacare cut half a billion from Medicare for starters. Ah, those rascally Republicans and their distracting figures.......ah, heck. Why don't we all just put the florescent war paint on, pound the jungle drums, and go down to FLA and chant "Kill the Beast, Kill the Beast." Then we can hop over to NYC or Oakland and reclaim the peoples' parks without even changing the chant or clothes. Soap was no place when you are saving the down trodden, the whales, and throwing Mama from the train.
Posted by: billy T | 31 March 2012 at 05:43 PM
Thanks Billy T for setting the record straight on who said what. Lies are hard to kill when the liberals are chanting it on every street corner.
Posted by: Russ Steele | 31 March 2012 at 06:32 PM
Billy rings the bell and wins the kewpie doll. Meet the Press's David Gregory got it wrong a few months ago.
Posted by: Gregory | 31 March 2012 at 07:13 PM
Actually Palin resigned her Governorship after the Repub ticket lost. She actually served only 2 years active because ot the distraction of running for VP She would have been a heartbeat away from being President and McCain would have been the oldest elected President which shows the level of irresponsibility the Rep[ubs exected in catering to the conservatives by including Palin on the ticket. She'll soon be iirrelevant even as a talking head and will probably settle into marketing some kind of skin cream product distilled from Polar Bear fat to give it an Alaska touch.
Either was my question has been answered that she is an accepted work product from the conservative mindset.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 31 March 2012 at 09:22 PM
PaulE 922pm - "... accepted work product from the conservative mindset." Let's first be clear that very few conservatives will accept McCain as a fellow conservative - he is a Republican apparatchik. If you want to make hay with that phrase, then perhaps you should offer a tighter definition than the one that will fuel your travels all over the waterfront on the issue you raise.
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 09:33 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk8moOxzlGQ explanations of explanations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwhO8a1PLMQ&feature=endscreen
go to 5:10 "you can actually see Russia, from land, here in Alaska.." an
explanation of qualifications gets started with this whole interview.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 09:34 PM
Let's put Palin and her ability to discuss Supreme Court cases (Roe vs Wade, the only one she could recall) up against what Obama could do without any hesitation or error.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=Cn9WduykYpA
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 31 March 2012 at 09:49 PM
For the undecided reader, I'd like to point out that our leftwing commenters have taken my post as an attack on the discriminatory powers of progressives. No such attack was launched, although I can see how they might construe the research as such. Nevertheless, it is apparent that none of them are prepared to discuss the ramifications of the cited studies, and have instead diverted the discussion to what they deem as an expose of conservative faux pas as if in that direction lies redemption.
Posted by: George Rebane | 31 March 2012 at 09:51 PM
Since none of the links above actually go to the meat of the studies themselves, there is really nothing of substance to comment on, just opinions of opinions. Is this your idea of an April Fool's joke? If so, not bad....
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 01 April 2012 at 12:15 AM
DougK 1215am - Brilliant! Since you applied the same policy on the NYT and RedState pieces, we look forward to its application here.
Posted by: George Rebane | 01 April 2012 at 07:56 AM
Guess which train just rolled into the station?
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/01/10963191-trayvon-martin-case-audio-screams-were-not-george-zimmermans-2-experts-say
Not totally conclusive, but a good step in the right direction. I'll bet Trayon's dad is a better match than George Zimmerman. His brother argued last night on Piers Morgan that there was a struggle in which George was face down on the pavement and grass alternately, anybody see any grass strains on his shirt?
We look forward to actually links to this study you've made a centerpiece of your blog? Where's the beef, George? I asked first.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 01 April 2012 at 09:14 AM
"actual" saving GG the effort.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 01 April 2012 at 09:16 AM
Can conservatism be cured? A study reveals that conservatives have more pronounced amygdala,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1342239/Brain-study-reveals-right-wing-conservatives-larger-primitive-amygdala.html
Now researchers have discovered a pill, propranolol, that might help the overactive amygdala. Recent tests look promising,
http://theweek.com/article/index/225396/can-a-pill-cure-racism
Ignore the 'racism' tag as this was the only thing being tested for. The part of the brain affected is the same though.
Posted by: Brad Croul | 01 April 2012 at 10:22 AM
DougK 914am - A more careful read would have pointed you to http://www.amazon.com/The-Righteous-Mind-Politics-Religion/dp/0307377903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333301399&sr=8-1
You can dig out the original research publications from there. In meanwhile, please give it a rest.
Posted by: George Rebane | 01 April 2012 at 10:33 AM
You are willing to fund the purchase of the book, to be able to look up the references? That's nice. Where do I send the bill? The Range, or the Outdoorsman's Club.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 01 April 2012 at 10:53 AM
"Nevada County Sportsman's Club"
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 01 April 2012 at 10:55 AM
Without comment besides the obvious that this Dec '11 image has a much different impact than those of him at age 14 or so:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/29/second-trayvon-martin-twitter-feed-identified/
Posted by: Gregory | 01 April 2012 at 11:46 AM
George
Palin was put in as VP to energize the conservative legions as a hedge for nominating McCain. Does that simplify my labeling her as "work product" of the conservative mind?
Posted by: Paul Emery | 01 April 2012 at 03:09 PM
I think PaulE has now shown us his ignorance of politics. Palin was added for her conservative values which attract many people to vote for the pair. Just as Kennedy picked Johnson for his Texas residence to attract Texas votes.
Posted by: Todd Juvinall | 01 April 2012 at 04:26 PM
I agree Todd. My point is that the conservatives believed that she was qualified to be President of the U.S. which is an actualization of the values and reasoning of conservatives.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 01 April 2012 at 05:46 PM
Well duh PaulE. Tell us Paul, what are the qualifications for the fellow you voted for, Obama versus Palin.
Posted by: Todd Juvinall | 01 April 2012 at 07:17 PM
I had an impromptu debate with 2 people pushing socialized health care outside the grocery store Friday.
Them: "Single payer health care will make health care almost free for everyone, the doctors will get paid more, the state will save 8 billion dollars, greedy insurance companies will be gone"
Me: "Who pays for it?"
Them: "we really haven't figured that out yet, we are just asking folks to get educated, plus we will save $8 billion dollars"
Me: "greedy insurance company? Do you know that my insurance company only has a 2% profit margin"
Them: "I don't know what a profit margin is"
Me: "do you expect the cost and benefits to be equitably shared among Californians?"
Them: "oh yes, millionaire will pay for it and employers and everyone will be covered, especially the kids"
Me: "the kids that are already covered, regardless of even being a citizen?"
Them: "No one is happy with their health insurance"
Me: "I'm happy with my health insurance"
Them: I had ankle surgery I couln't walk without the surgery. The surgery cost me $2,000.
Me: "I would gladly pay $2,000 to walk... would this single payer system be FORCED on everyone or would it be a choice? If it is desired couldn't it be a choice?"
Them: "It is so good that we would make everyone be in it, remember the goal is to get rid of the greedy insurance company. California will become the insurance company"
UGH.
Posted by: THEMIKEYMCD | 01 April 2012 at 07:30 PM
mikeyMcD 730pm - A conclusion from this post and the research it cites is that they are beyond redemption; at least any for which I would be willing to exert. For kickers, look at the thread that concludes with DougK's 1053am. I hope the middle-roaders, independents, and undecideds are taking all this in.
Posted by: George Rebane | 01 April 2012 at 08:35 PM
- A conclusion from this post and the research it cites is that they are beyond redemption....Interesting statement, Dr. Rebane. It brings up the whole question of whether the hopeless, helpless, hapless far left became that way by environment or heredity. While some will go their graves beyond redemption, other have climbed out of the liberal slime and made it to safety. Some survivors have gone through a spiritual awakening coupled with deep soul searching and introspection. Some just looked around one day and things became clearer as they emerged from the fog. It takes an open honest person with courage to challenge long held beliefs and come to the light. I have a family member who graduated from Long Beach State in 1971 with a degree in feminist literature. A published author no less. She has since discarded the foolishness she believed as gospel for years after homeschooling her children and seeing how bigoted the far left has become and the leaders of "the movement" have betrayed her, mothers, wives, and the cause. She is not a man hater nor feels she ever was a victim. Yet, she confided to me that after all these years she still has those tapes in her head and it is battle at times to undo the propaganda that was drilled in her head in her impressionable youth. There is hope for the seemingly hopeless. Who was it that wrote all consensual sex is rape, even in marriage? Oh yeah, it was a much revered college professor (with a doctorate degree) on our campuses. For those of that professor's ilk, they are indeed beyond redemption. The good news is that the Wizard has agreed to give Joe Biden a brain.
Posted by: billy T | 01 April 2012 at 10:52 PM
billyT 1052pm - A relevant and cogent addendum. Nevertheless we must recognize that my use of 'redemption' is from an ideologically provincial (or even parochial) perspective. Its semantic approaches no divine absolute. Those identified as irredeemable have not the slightest desire for such redemption, and are more than happy how their world is ordered. And I fear that, in the large, their joy and satisfaction will persist as long as there are still enough of us around to pay the bills that they gleefully address to us.
Posted by: George Rebane | 02 April 2012 at 08:49 AM
All this is peeing in the wind unless it translates into independent viable elected officials that can inspire enough support to enact meaningful change. We'll never see a true conservative government based on universal values because it will not please the ruling class. Romney as the end result of the Republican primary is certainly evidence of that.
Posted by: Paul Emery | 02 April 2012 at 02:47 PM
Here come the job creators:
Wealthy Chinese seek special visas to relocate to Bay Area
By John Boudreau
[email protected]
Posted: 04/05/2012 03:01:47 PM PDT
Updated: 04/05/2012 09:30:16 PM PDT
Even as China emerges as a super power, many of those who have benefited most from the country's economic rise are heading for the exits. And many are relocating to the Bay Area, whose large Asian population, good schools and comfortable lifestyle are powerful draws for Chinese multimillionaires concerned about the future of their homeland and seeking the own American dream.
"The rich people are trying to get green cards," said Ta-lin Hsu, founder and chairman of Palo Alto-based venture capital firm H&Q Asia Pacific, who spends a lot of time in Asia. He is frequently asked by business associates about how to immigrate to the United States.
"The main reason is, they still worry about the future stability of China," Hsu said. "The U.S. is a democracy, there is freedom and it's a safer place."
The exit door for many of these wealthy Chinese is opened by the fast-track visas America offers for well-heeled immigrants. Known as the EB-5, the visa requires applicants to invest $500,000 in projects in economically struggling regions or $1 million in a commercial venture in other locations. The investments must create or preserve 10 jobs for two years. If successful, the applicants and their families -- spouses and children younger than 21 -- are awarded permanent residency.
The foreign money is a welcome source of funding for many projects. Oakland city officials, for example, have eyed the program to help pay for a project that includes
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hotels, a convention center, shops and new facilities for the Raiders and Warriors and possibly a new A's ballpark.
Posted by: Douglas Keachie | 05 April 2012 at 10:12 PM
Those darn 1%ers are everywhere. http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20120405&id=14964865
Posted by: billy T | 05 April 2012 at 11:45 PM
I realize that this comment is a bit late, but the misinterpretation of the data, whether by liberals or conservatives, coupled with the apparent reluctance on the part of many conservatives to either defend the conservative "mind" using the liberal paradigm or, perhaps more importantly, to suggest that another paradigm even exists has really begun to irk me.
I'm just getting started in addressing those issues in a wider venue than I have in the past, but my first step has been to visit each site to see what others are saying about the issue.
Liberals exhibit liberal tendencies and seem to have no clue, no matter the site, but the more serious problem is that conservatives seem unable to really defend their positions.
Thanks.
Posted by: Mybestconservativeblog.blogspot.com | 24 September 2012 at 12:30 AM
Mybest 1230am - Thanks for your comment. Your "... no clue, no matter the site ..." assertion is easy to agree with, but the lack of an effective conservative defense may be explained by the tools required to defend each side. The liberals defend theirs on the basis of emotional arguments and the promise of direct satisfaction of proximal needs. The conservatives have to summon tools such as reason and numeracy to show how their ideology would create a better society, they have no element of instant satisfaction to offer. This makes the conservative arguments much less accessible, and underpins the reason for the demise of democracies.
Posted by: George Rebane | 24 September 2012 at 08:32 AM