Polarization and the Fetishization of the Mythical Center

Paul Krugman on: "Reasonable Republicans?"

"Several commenters have asked that I provide examples of Republicans making reasonable economic arguments; some of them seem to be saying that I’m proving my bias if I don’t provide such examples. 

But it doesn’t work that way: if all Republicans are saying unreasonable things, then it’s a distortion — indeed, a form of bias — to insist that there must be reasonable Republicans. 

Now, what you can quite easily find are examples of people who used to be Republicans, or even still consider themselves Republicans, saying reasonable things — say, Bruce Bartlett or David Frum. But the very fact that they’re reasonable has led to their excommunication from the movement! 

It’s kind of the “treason never prospers” argument (“for if it prospers, none dare call it treason”); if someone declares--

• that tax cuts don’t pay for themselves, or 

• that printing money when you’re in a liquidity trap isn’t deeply inflationary, or 

• that fear of Obamacare isn’t holding the economy back, 

--he ceases to be considered a member in good standing of the GOP. There are, therefore, no reasonable Republicans on these issues."

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More forthcoming.

• Fascinating:  Differences in Conservative and Liberal Brains - 2012 Presidential Election - ProCon.org - http://bit.ly/QnANYP
• 1. Conservatives spend more time looking at unpleasant images, and liberals spend more time looking at pleasant images.
• 2. Reliance on quick, efficient, and "low effort" thought processes yields conservative ideologies, while effortful and deliberate reasoning yields liberal ideologies.
• 3. Conservatives react more strongly than liberals to disgusting images, such as a picture of someone eating worms.
• 4. Liberals have more tolerance to uncertainty (bigger anterior cingulate cortex), and conservatives have more sensitivity to fear (bigger right amygdala).
• 5. Conservatives have stronger motivations than liberals to preserve purity and cleanliness.
• 6. Liberals follow the direction of eye movements better than conservatives.
• 7. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to interpret faces as threatening and expressing dominant emotions.
• 8. When making risky decisions, Republicans consider external consequences (ventral anterior cingulate and bilateral amygdala) while Democrats weigh internal considerations (right insula).
• 9. Genetics influence political attitudes during early adulthood and beyond.
• 10. Compared to liberals, conservatives are less open to new experiences and learn better from negative stimuli than positive stimuli. 
• Elon James - Racial Double Standard in Politics? Not Quite (only if you ignore history and context) (8/17/2012) http://wapo.st/Q8LOfs
• Jonathan Haidt Explains Our Contentious Culture | Truthout (2/5/2012) 
• An Update on Political Polarization (through 2011) – Part III: The Presidential Square Wave | voteview blog (2/3/2012)
• President Obama is the most moderate Democratic president since the end of World War II, while President George W. Bush was the most conservative president in the post-war era. 
• "Most of America is conservative"--Rachel Maddow Goes Nuclear On PolitiFact: ‘You Are A Disaster’ | Mediaite (2/14/2012) 
• Rod Dreher » Why Are You A Conservative (Liberal)? (2/2012)
• (fmr Republican staffer) Mike Lofgren - The Right-Wing Id Unzipped | Truthout (2/14/2012)
• The High Price of the Hard Right Turn—David Frum - The Daily Beas (2/14/2012) t http://bit.ly/w3Qx6W
• Watch: The Occupy and Tea Party Beer Summit | Mother Jones (2/2012) http://bit.ly/xwcZoK
• Poll: Majority Of Low-Income Republicans Believe The Government Does Not Do Enough To Help The Poor | ThinkProgress (2/3/2012)
• The Right's Stupidity Spreads, Enabled by a Too-Polite Left | Common Dreams (2/7/2012)
• It feels crude, illiberal to point out that the other side is, on average, more stupid than our own. But this, the study suggests, is not unfounded generalization but empirical fact. It is by no means the first such paper. There is plenty of research showing that low general intelligence in childhood predicts greater prejudice towards people of different ethnicity or sexuality in adulthood. Open-mindedness, flexibility, trust in other people: all these require certain cognitive abilities. Understanding and accepting others – particularly "different" others – requires an enhanced capacity for abstract thinking.
• Conservative ideology is the "critical pathway" from low intelligence to racism.
• Occupy Wall Streeters Aren't Republicans—Or Democrats - News - GOOD  http://bit.ly/tOL5Nr  (11/4/2011) 
• This chart should serve as a reminder that the protesters aren't interested in propping up one party in favor of the other. They're interested in changing the priorities of our leaders—who, donkey or elephant, have favored business over people for far too long.

Related posts on this blog:

• Welcome to the Echochamber (on Rightwing media)
• Vast Wasteland (on media)
• Big Lie, False Equivalency and how do they get away with it?