Can a Republican be a ....

[LeftishBrit]

21. You can be stupid AND decent

In any case, in this case I would use the term 'ignorant' rather than 'stupid'. These are not the same thing. Right-wingers like an ignorant populace, and often deliberately attempt to keep them so.

What I would say, however, is that if people in their personal relationships and everyday contacts are inclined to see weakness, disability or misfortune as a character flaw, or an 'excuse' for 'scrounging'; if they are constantly afraid that others may be getting help that they don't deserve; or if they generally take a harsh or snobbish approach to those who are 'unsuccessful', and especially if they think that such harshness will 'do them good' - then they are not very decent people. And there is some correlation, though far from a perfect correlation, between such attitudes and right-wing political views. There are certainly plenty of lifelong Tory/ Republican voters who are very compassionate toward people whom they know personally; and there are very harsh and mean-spirited left-wingers; indeed the most vicious person I've known personally to those in a weak position - regarded by some as a near-psychopath - was a generally left-wing voter. However, the political Right do attempt to appeal to the harsh, mean-spirited, and the plain greedy, in their attempts to win votes.