There will be far too many New Years diaries in the next 24 hours, but this will undoubtably be the latest--and earliest--you'll see. Here's my resolution from 2008, a promise to myself to discuss the psychology of the conservative and ultra-Republican psychology. Warning: There's a lot of hard science in the snippets below, so for the sake of those already laid back into New Years' celebrations (ex-Pats and those who wish they were) I'll summarize up top:
Study #1: You can change votes with a good election campaign, but it's a lot harder to change psychology
Study #2: Republicans/conservatives HATE uncertainty of any kind (especially herds of progressive cats), and need Big Daddy government.
Study #3: Religion (organized--as opposed to faith) is often a cliquish way to show off the compassionate tendencies you think you ought to have, but it seldom spills over.
And Conclusion #4: (My own) If we don't pay attention to this sort of study now, in two years we'll be watching Sarah Palin doing Iowa rallies, while stadiums full of true believers throw popcorn, recite her lines for her, and generally make themselves feel more secure.
Now for the tough stuff.
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