Science magazine reports an Italian study that discloses more physiological differences between liberals and conservatives. Participants in an experiment were shown images of politicians looking to their left or right. Participants were asked to look left or right depending on the color of a small square placed between the politician's eyes, but the real experimental goal was to see how strongly the participants followed the politician's gaze left or right. Self-described conservative participants looking at conservative politicians tended to look in the direction the politician looked even if the colored square instructed them to look the opposite way. Liberal participants were less likely to follow the gaze of liberal politicians. The experimenters compared the conservatives’ behavior to animal studies which found that subordinate primates follow the gaze of dominant monkeys.
I add that this is consistent with the tendency of House Republicans to vote 100% with their leadership’s desires. The experiment results above also are consistent with the famous Will Rogers quote: I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.
Study by Marco Tullio Liuzza, a social neuroscientist, published in PLoS ONE. From Science 7 Oct, 2011, p 25.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Think Big
Another comment I posted at the NYT, this time in response to a despondent Democrat:
Dem (comment #8) said:
"... a Romney presidency might be the only way to break the impasse and at least make some policy progress."
This assumes that the Rs continue in control of the House, and the Ds lose the Senate. The coattails of any elected R as President might lead to that, but the country would shoot back to 1890, pre-taxes, pre-regulation, pre-workers rights, pre-modern science. That would be a disaster.
Think what Obama could have done if the Rs had acted even halfway responsible the last 3 years. Obama with a D House would have a chance to move the country forward (and the economy is likely to get better the next few years no matter who is President).
Dem, you should work to return control of the House to the Ds. All the new Rs are vulnerable because they have sabatoged the govt since day 1 - and they say such stupid things - so that a public angered with govt stalemate may want more change since the 2010 version didn't work. Or as Sarah would say, How those Tea Party guys workin out for ya?
Dem (comment #8) said:
"... a Romney presidency might be the only way to break the impasse and at least make some policy progress."
This assumes that the Rs continue in control of the House, and the Ds lose the Senate. The coattails of any elected R as President might lead to that, but the country would shoot back to 1890, pre-taxes, pre-regulation, pre-workers rights, pre-modern science. That would be a disaster.
Think what Obama could have done if the Rs had acted even halfway responsible the last 3 years. Obama with a D House would have a chance to move the country forward (and the economy is likely to get better the next few years no matter who is President).
Dem, you should work to return control of the House to the Ds. All the new Rs are vulnerable because they have sabatoged the govt since day 1 - and they say such stupid things - so that a public angered with govt stalemate may want more change since the 2010 version didn't work. Or as Sarah would say, How those Tea Party guys workin out for ya?
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Religious Extremists
I posted this comment in response to Ross Douthat's column in the NY Times today:
I don't see how you can uncritically accept any of these crazy Republicans who want to be president. You ignore their beliefs and only talk of the horse race. Do you not believe in science? Is the Earth really only 6000 yrs old? Do you want fewer regulations on cantaloupe growers? Do you think any of the Repubs have any idea that compromise is part of governing? Do you want to abolish the Dept of Education? How can someone who doesn't believe in government run it? Don't dignify them by calling them populists, they are crazy religious extremists who reject the 21st century much less the 20th. How can you and any serious Republican not be ashamed of their hijacked party?
I don't see how you can uncritically accept any of these crazy Republicans who want to be president. You ignore their beliefs and only talk of the horse race. Do you not believe in science? Is the Earth really only 6000 yrs old? Do you want fewer regulations on cantaloupe growers? Do you think any of the Repubs have any idea that compromise is part of governing? Do you want to abolish the Dept of Education? How can someone who doesn't believe in government run it? Don't dignify them by calling them populists, they are crazy religious extremists who reject the 21st century much less the 20th. How can you and any serious Republican not be ashamed of their hijacked party?
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