Liberals are Smarter!

sparky11point5

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MalakingTiti

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I have a degree from an Ivy League school and consider myself a liberal, however I don't think conservatives are inherently less intelligent. I do think by their very nature and definition of their "movement", they are less receptive to forward progression. Think about it, if the founding fathers were true conservatives, they would never have left England.
 

sparky11point5

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What was the Buckley quote? "Conservatives stand athwart history" roughly. I think this captures it. Republicans were once radicals -- supporting abolition, emancipation, food safety, national parks. If I were alive in 1900, I could have voted Republican. Now, they defend Wall Street bonuses, foreign tax havens, torture ... Not just the status quo, but downright *gothic*.
 

D_Tully Tunnelrat

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Funny thesis, but I hope it's not true, for I do like an intelligent debate from the opposing point of view.

The demise of the right intellectually, and philosophically seems to follow the life of William F. Buckley. What I liked most about Buckley was his ability change his mind, something sadly lacking from today's primarily socially conservative group.

Buckley changed his mind about civil rights, and drug legalization, years later becoming for both of them. In the early-60's, he also took on the John Birchers in this own party when few would, and considered Ann Rand a totalitarian, when many on the Far Right praised her as the quintessential libertarian.

In '65 when running for Mayor of NYC, which he lost to fellow Yalie, but liberal, John Lindsay, Buckely wanted to impose congestion pricing on cars into the City center, and a network of bike lanes through out the City, both things the Left is only now embracing.

The intellectual death knell for McCain, was delivered by his son Christopher, who came out for Obama in the National Review, founded by WF.

BTW Spark almost all of the New Deal, championed by FDR, was first proposed by Republican TR before his Bull Moose sortie.

We need a rational voice from the right, especially with regarding to fiscal thrift, and more accountable government. Just live for awhile anywhere liberals have ruled unfettered for 30 years, and you will find that better educated, doesn't always mean smarter.
 

Wntabigone

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I very much enjoyed reading the article and the comments. It gave me a pinpoint clear label for the strategy of the conservatives for the last 30 years. It explains their attitude, why they've bought into the lies, and why a thinking person can't reason with them.
 

midlifebear

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Sparkman: Just because you have an MBA does not make you a bad person or anti-intellectual --- unless you're a graduate of The University of Phoenix.

Regardless, thanks for the link to the article. Yeah, I miss the reasonable, well-educated Goldwater-style Republican, but even when I was 14, William F. Buckley made the fillings in my teeth hurt. Buckley wasn't so much an intellectual (in my opinion) than an over reaction to the zeitgeist of his generation's particular white Anglo Saxon Protestant class culture.

But I'm white trash from the wild and woolly west. So what do I know? I speak more Spanish than I speak English these days.
 

MalakingTiti

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Conservatism to me is playing not to lose which is as everyone knows vastly different than playing to win. And the rigidity of the movement is such that when a course of action has been proven clearly to be ineffective, conservatives remain unwilling or unable to try another approach.
 

B_starinvestor

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Nice try, Sparks.

This has everything to do with demographics and nothing to do with intelligence.

The gigantic Gen-Y establishment - which are in or newly out of college/grad are leaving a liberal-brainwash after completing college, especially grad school.

Your post-grad statistic is bullshit, because the conservative baby-boomer generation was not even privy to grad school in 99% of cases. An undergrad degree was the the apex 40 years ago.

Great spin, tho for the libtards.
 

sparky11point5

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Gosh, Star, I guess this touched a nerve or something :).

Seriously, how can you suggest that this 'has everything to do with demographics' as a counter argument? The only more damning statement in a discussion is 'this is just semantics'.

Obama (and centrist or moderately progressive policies) won a majority of votes in almost every demographic group. The exception was older, white voters. Almost every way to parse the results showed current and potential librul strength -- hispanics, blacks, women, younger voters, educated (undergraduate and above).

So, yeah it's just a question of demographics. I know it's comforting to blame media, popular culture, schools, Fluoride, EMF, Black Helicopters, etc for 'losing your country'. But, I think this all about demographics, also known as 'voters'.

As for intelligence, I actually disavowed this notion in the OP, if you read it and not just the thread title. I have learned over the years that intelligence is only weakly correlated to degree or school. (Don't even get me started about Harvard, btw :) )

Nice try, Sparks.

This has everything to do with demographics and nothing to do with intelligence.

The gigantic Gen-Y establishment - which are in or newly out of college/grad are leaving a liberal-brainwash after completing college, especially grad school.

Your post-grad statistic is bullshit, because the conservative baby-boomer generation was not even privy to grad school in 99% of cases. An undergrad degree was the the apex 40 years ago.

Great spin, tho for the libtards.
 

sparky11point5

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Sparkman: Just because you have an MBA does not make you a bad person or anti-intellectual --- unless you're a graduate of The University of Phoenix.

That was cold, man!

I am a product of a public high school, 'State', and an Ivy. And, I have met a range of extraordinarily smart people at every level. Also, some remarkably unintelligent and ineffective people from some of the most 'elite' institutions.

Personally, I think Cornell should take back its degree from Ann Coulter.

Regardless, thanks for the link to the article. Yeah, I miss the reasonable, well-educated Goldwater-style Republican, but even when I was 14, William F. Buckley made the fillings in my teeth hurt. Buckley wasn't so much an intellectual (in my opinion) than an over reaction to the zeitgeist of his generation's particular white Anglo Saxon Protestant class culture.

Buckley was intelligent, but also a product of his own creation. I love reading some of the feud between him and Vidal. I could never listen to Buckley without thinking of Peter O'Toole in "The Ruling Class".

But I'm white trash from the wild and woolly west. So what do I know? I speak more Spanish than I speak English these days.

Just big, Scot-Irish kid, one generation off the farm here. :) I have been very lucky.
 

D_Tully Tunnelrat

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Regardless, thanks for the link to the article. Yeah, I miss the reasonable, well-educated Goldwater-style Republican, but even when I was 14, William F. Buckley made the fillings in my teeth hurt. Buckley wasn't so much an intellectual (in my opinion) than an over reaction to the zeitgeist of his generation's particular white Anglo Saxon Protestant class culture.

MLB, I could not have said it better. Give me an old-fashioned ornery Goldwater Repub. any day over the current group. At least they were only curmudgeonly about economics, not everyone else's life choices.

I agree that WFB could make your fillings hurt, or worse, but at least he thought, or maybe just reflected. Either way it's far better than what we usually get from the right now. There was an eagerness to somewhat civil debate with him. Whether WFB was an intellectual or not is debatable, but he was good at that too, as anyone who watched him dueling with Vidal will attest.

He was extremely NorthEastern WASP in demeanor, and speech pattern, but was actually Catholic from Southern roots. His most intense antipathy was towards Communism (the bogeyman of yore...), which was primarily based upon it's atheism. I only hold him up as an example, cause he was the best they had.

As we all know education has little to do with smarts, as anyone who has attended college will attest. Just because liberals hold more degrees than conservatives may only mean that they were willing to postpone working for as long as possible...

One last point on WFB, all his punditry was only made financially possible by his dad's legacy of great oil wealth.
 

vince

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Liberals are smarter than conservatives? Well, that's not saying much is it?