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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumAmerica is ready for socialism! Massive majorities back Bernie Sanders on the issues — and disdain D
America is ready for socialism! Massive majorities back Bernie Sanders on the issues and disdain Donald TrumpTrump channels the right's angry Fox News id. But Sanders speaks to America's soul and our values
PAUL ROSENBERG
Donald Trump is throwing the GOP primary into chaos by channeling the GOPs id, spinning out wild fantasies of the Mexican government deliberately sending a flood of rapists and murderers across the border. But Bernie Sanders is disrupting Hillary Clintons coronation on the Democratic side by channeling the partys soul, with a specifically issue-based focus.
In a way, both men are vividly illustrating a basic asymmetry that runs through American politicsbetween left and right, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republicanwhich was first comprehensively described by public opinion researchers Lloyd Free and Hadley Cantril in their landmark 1967 book, The Political Beliefs of Americans: A Study of Public Opinion, and which political scientist Matt Grossman discussed in a recent Salon interview. Free and Cantril found that half the population was ideologically conservative, in the sense of preferring a smaller, more limited government, while about two-thirds was operationally liberal, in the sense of wanting to spend more on specifically identified government programs.
Subsequent research has intensified this division. Conservatives win by making broad, sweeping appeals, which can often have little relationship with the facts (Iraqs WMDs, voter fraud, global warming denialism, etc.). Liberals win by focusing on how to fix specific problems. Thus government spending in general is seen as a negative, but spending on most specific programs is strongly supported. The pattern is clear: The more practical the question, the more liberal the answers. Thats just how U.S. politics works.
Trump takes the conservative side of this formula to an extreme, making broad, ludicrous false claims in his narcissistically self-confident manner. Whats grabbing headlines now are his false claims about illegal immigrant crime, but he remains completely detached from reality regarding Obamas citizenship as wellan act of broad stigmatization that also typifies conservative thought. When NBCs Katy Tur brought up his birtherism, Trump treated her with disdain: Well, I dont know. According to you its not true. When she responded straightforwardly, He released his birth certificate, Trump doubled down on the disdain, You know, if you believe that, thats fine. I dont care. Its an old subject.
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http://www.salon.com/2015/07/11/america_is_ready_for_socialism_massive_majorities_back_bernie_sanders_on_the_issues_and_disdain_donald_trump/
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America is ready for socialism! Massive majorities back Bernie Sanders on the issues — and disdain D (Original Post)
DonViejo
Jul 2015
OP
99Forever
(14,524 posts)1. Congrats! You win.
Bu bye.
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)3. Didn't bother to read the article, huh? Why am I not surprised?...
especially when the sub headline of the article is: Sanders speaks to America's soul and our values . Didn't realize you are a Clinton supporter.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)2. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!