Warning, political content ahead. :-D
I am a liberal. I’m fairly moderate in some things, but certainly not in others. I’m very much a social liberal, and a little more fiscally conservative. I would rather see a few people live off of the system than see any starving children, so that probably makes me more liberal that center.
As liberal as I am, I do have to grant that the GOP is *much* better at the spin game and at politics, in general. Dems are much less likely to stick together as a party to get their political agenda passed. Not sure I particularly would want my government to be good at spin and politics, but there you have it.
Caveat: I understand that not everybody out there is as liberal as I am. I might think that people are wrong on certain things, but I respect their ability to hold their own viewpoints. I won’t call people names because of what they believe or how they want to vote. (In other words, I think the icon is funny, but I'm not calling my republican friends "damn republicans.") ;-)
One thing I’ve noticed about the GOP, is that they’re much more likely to talk about how great America is, how American workers are the hardest working in the world, and how strong the morals of are heartland are. They’re great cheerleaders. I’m not the only one who has noticed it – most of you are probably saying, “Duh! You bothered to post about this?”
I heard a piece on NPR a couple of weeks ago, and after listening to two debates since then, I realized that the GOP did, or could have, written their play book based on Terror Management Theory.
What is Terror Management Theory? No, it actually doesn’t have anything to do with terrorists. Simply put, TMT describes how humans cope with being faced with death or danger. The answers are complex, but can focus around religion, human interaction, attempting to feel good about oneself or a group, etc. When you fear for your life, you might find comfort in religion. You might find comfort following a leader who stresses your own good qualities. You might find meaning in these things.
The story on NPR described a study that tracked how people saw political candidates. They created two different types of candidates, who gave speeches to an audience. One candidate provided rational, well-thought out solutions to problems. The other candidate appealed to values, talked about the greatness of the group, etc. When reminded of their own mortality, the group voted overwhelmingly more for the value-focused candidate. Sound familiar?
Though it’s not often talked about, if you google Terror Management Theory and Terror Management Theory Politics, you’ll see a variety of references, blog posts, studies, etc. If you’re interested in reading more, I’ll let you sort through the evidence, and find the best peer-reviewed information, etc. It’s worth looking into more. I’m finding some discussion that some of these TMT studies are being funded by the Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. That could go some interesting places.
But knowing this, knowing that reminding people of dangers around them can make a value-driven candidate look more attractive, watch the debates. Watch the rhetoric from the conservatives. Watch how both sides approach issues (it might be hard – it’s starting to get ugly out there). Watch how McCain uses phrases like “American workers are the greatest in the world”, etc. Watch how he appeals to our identity, and our desire to be the best. Knowing about this can make listing to McCain/Palin almost comical.
Does that mean that everybody who votes republican is simply duped by psychology? Nah. Many hold values that match up more closely to the party. But there is a big segment of the population who votes their “gut”. Nothing wrong with that, but watch how McCain is trying to appeal to your gut. It suddenly becomes very transparent.
