[ExI] What Makes People Vote Republican

[Damien Sullivan]

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 05:04:14PM -0700, Lee Corbin wrote:

> At least the Republicans *talk* a good game, but it seems very seldom 
> that they're able to put in place the fiscally conservative policies that
> I imagine most of the readers of this list would support. I'm not sure
> what explains their failure, and that is the question I would most like
> to ask Newt Gingrich, who along with his friends did control both
> houses of congress beginning in 1994. I imagine that simple politics,

Well, these days there's a little war thing soaking up money.  Oh, and
the ongoing collapse of the banking system.  Can't speak for Newt.

> Whether or not the government passes lots of ridiculous laws about
> abortion, or who can sleep with whom, or whether the kiddies must
> or must not pray in school---all these seem trivial to me in comparison.

Let me guess... the author is a straight man.

What matters more?  Growth tomorrow, or rights today?

> of almost everything and ever more government spending are positive
> goods that serve to reform society towards higher ideals. So who do
> you trust more to have a *chance* of exercising economic common
> sense?  Those who dismiss it entirely, or those who sound as though
> they mean it, despite their track record? Not a very good choice, I'll 

The party with historically higher growth rates, regardless of rhetoric?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html
The party whose policies could plausibly lead to balanced budgets, vs.
the borrow and spend of the Republicans and resulting economic drag?

BTw, an article on Obama's economic influences
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/magazine/24Obamanomics-t.html

> the sole superpower status will last forever. A revitalized Russia and an
> emergent China suggest that it's only a question of time before the 5000
> year history of power politics as usual resumes. And the last people we
> want in the White House are those who would exhibit the least naivety
> here, one-worlders who really cannot understand the reality of "us vs. 
> them".

Not that there's anything self-fulfilling about foreign policy
attitudes.  Oh, wait.

Or anything valuable about maintaining a healthy alliance of
democracies and of goodwill.

Also BTW, a different 2D quiz:
http://quiz2d.com/

-xx- Damien X-)