REPUBLICANS ARE SUBMISSIVE TO AUTHORITY. DEMOCRATS THINK FOR THEMSELVES.

[JEFF9K]

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is one of the few political pundits with a strong history of being correct. He explains why Republicans stick together, while Democrats don't.

“The difference has to do with the kind of personalities the two parties attract. People who respect authority, follow orders, want clear answers, obey commands, and prefer precise organization and control, tend to gravitate toward Republicans.

On the other hand, people who don't much like authority, recoil from orders, don't believe in clear answers, often disobey commands, and prefer things a bit undefined, tend to gravitate to the Democrats.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/republican-party-discipline_b_3646393.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

[Scuba]

1. All generalizations are wrong.

[McPops]

2. Too many counterexamples to make those characteristics stick.

I think the term is "stereotyping"

[JEFF9K]

7. think

Think "tendencies" not "100% across the boards."

[RobertEarl]

3. I agree

That has been my experience in life.

The most conservative are those who are afraid of things they do not understand or can control. They suck up to liars and con men.

Liberals are willing to try different things and experiment. They are not afraid of the unknown. They question everything, and with that questioning usually come to the correct conclusions about life.

[Igel]

5. It absolutely works.

It fully explains why they (R) adore Obama's use of executive power. Why the Tea Party is such a loyal, pro-government group. It explains the high voter turnout by (R) when they were asked to do so for "their guy" and why, in the '70s, the "Religious Right" so supported the Republican authoritarian leaders of the day and amounted to "steady on, old chap" with no change whatsoever in their party. It explains why in the House, the more conservative you are the more you absolutely yield to Boehner's authority.

It also explains perfectly why they're the party of "big government" and just love having authority--whether it's health care or environmental regulations or additional reporting for taxation--exert an influence in their lives.

Then again, by that logic your uncritically following Reich's authority on this matter would leave no recourse but to say that you are a conservative republican.

(This bit of cognitive dissonance brought to you over morning coffee.)

[freshwest]

4. Reich should know. I heard his personal story of a childhood friend who stood up for him.

That is part of being a member of the Democratic Party. It can be a lonely and very dangerous place for those who fight for the disenfranchised.

Like his friend, Reich dedicated his life to fighting against what was wrong and standing up for others against the powerful.

Standing up for the powerless is not the same as standing up for the powerful. ~ Keith Olbermann (11/01/2010)

The GOP stand for the rich and powerful, which isn't really 'standing up' for anything, but submitting to them. They kick people down. Always easier. So I like Robert Reich:

Robert Reich’s Fourth of July Facebook Comment

...Patriotism isn’t about the superiority of one’s country or the dangers lurking inside and outside its borders, about braggadocio and exclusion. True patriotism is about the responsibilities of citizenship, about the ideals that hold us together. It requires mutual sacrifice and inclusion. One of the most patriotic people I ever knew was a young man named Mickey, a friend from my childhood.

Mickey loved America so much that he went to Mississippi to register black voters when it was dangerous to do so. On June 21, 1964, Mickey — his full name was Michael Schwerner — and two other civil rights workers, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman, were tortured and murdered by local members of the Ku Klux Klan, including the county sheriff. The Klansmen held American flags and sang patriotic songs, but they had nothing to do with America. Mickey was and is the America I know. His love for this nation and its ideals is what I celebrate on days like today. Happy Fourth...

https://lacithedog.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/robert-reichs-fourth-of-july-facebook-comment/

[JEFF9K]

8. book

Reich wrote a great book called THE WORK OF NATIONS. It explains a lot about our economy and the bad effects of Reaganomics.

Ted Koppel called Reich "one of the smartest people I know."

[JoeyT]

6. I'm trying to figure out if this is satire or not.

Given the number of "ONLY TEABAGGERS DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT WITHOUT QUESTION!!! WHARGARBLE!!!" OPs and posts around here lately, if it isn't satire it's chock full of irony.