There’s pretty good social science evidence that, while belief in religion and unconscious prejudice don’t decline in economic boom times, people DO become less inclined to act or speak in a racist manner, certainly less xenophobic, and less interested in legislating their religion on others instead of privately practicing it.

A popularly written book on this issue is “The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth” by Benjamin Friedman. http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Consequences-Economic-Growth/dp/1400095719/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208094668&sr=8-1

I do find it a bit odd to lump guns in there, except in the context of the triad of divisive social issues. Maybe it’s just because my support for a moderate right to own guns is blinding me to the connection, but I don’t see it. I think that’s an emotionally charged issue, but also more empirically/utilitarian based and less susceptible to unrelated bitterness and anger.

Obama is nothing short of an outright Racist. Anyone who votes for him is a supporter of Racism.

Your argumentative and dismissive style is a useful illustration of another reason why most people don’t like or trust the current democratic leadership. People want a leader they can trust. One who says what he/she means and doesn’t demean the people when they say it. The current leadership treats the people as being “silly”. They claim to be for the “little people” yet treat them like lepers whenever confronted by one.

It looks like we will have to wait until 2012 and hope a true leader emerges that honestly represents the people and the democratic principles we all support. 2008 has already been given to the republicans.

Go ahead and vote McSame if you want, but don’t fool yourself, all your getting is four more years of Bush policies, a stacking of the supreme court with right wing judges and a further erosion of our rights.

And if all that wasn’t bad enough his economic plan will increase deficits his tax plan will add another three trillion to the debt on top of what Bush’s projected debt, and that doesn’t include the likely invasion of Iran and the reinstitution of the draft, alsong with the economic costs those moves will incur

McCain and Hillary are known. Their records speak for themselves. Obama is just a sugary speach that is tailored to fool children and the weak minded. His facade is crumbleing and it cannot survive until november.

I really wanted to vote a democrat in this term, I think most of america did too. Many of the key democratic positions are those that we want to see implemented. Unfortunately the democratic leadership are mostly just demagogues and charlatans. They don’t believe the things they say to get elected and most americans see right through them.

It doesn’t help the democratic cause that when someone like Lieberman stands up for principle they boot him out of the party… Americans like a leader who stands on principle and who says what he believes. Like him or not McCain unfortunately fits that suit better than either Hillary or Obama.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/bitter-and-angry-in-rural-penn.php

Sad how far this country has fallen when a man gets bashed for telling people the truth, truly its a nation in decline that refuses to address its problems

Atleast everyone here knows you aren’t a partisan hack blogger trying to find a way to lessen McCains inevitable loss in Nov.

But I also still wonder if we would even want a “figurative” Howard Beale for president.

And by the way Jimmy, where are you getting this myth that Obama has had some sort of privileged life?

Because he has actually had a privileged life.

I gotta say though, those spin doctors really earned their paycheck this week. This nonsense that Obama really meant that people tend to ignore economic issues and vote values because the government won’t do enough for them is rather clever. But of course its utter B.S. These values that small-town americans vote for, like marraige/abortion, illegal immigration, gun control, ect… are the exact antithesis of everything Obama stands for.

Does he actually think he is going to change their minds and ignore social issues simply by raising taxes and creating a socialist welfare state? He can assuage their frustrations by using government to engineer a more robust economy and those people will no longer have to “cling” to those issues? Does he realize that these very same people value small government and low taxes? Of course he does. He’s just full of sh*%

By the way, I can tell Terrence C is not from a small town. But he knows why townies act the way they do, even if the townies don’t know it themselves. Townies are too poor, too uneducated, too racist and too stupid to know what motivates their own behavior, or what they really value in life. Did you go to Harvard with Barack?

People don’t “cling” to their religion and guns because they are bitter. These are basic american values and rights. Obama is out of touch and his facade is beginning to crumble. By november he will be as despised as Billary.

It doesn’t matter now who the democrats nominate now, their ineptness has handed McCain the presidency.

It’s too bad really. Many of us would like to vote for a democrat and the issues they stand for. But the democratic leadership is inept and full of obvious charlatans who use those issues for their own personal aggrandizement.

“She is still a free trader.”

Yet another reason to embrace Billary.

Do we really want Howard Beale for President? Just asking.

Do you really think I was being absolutely literal? Just asking.