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John1956PA

(4,986 posts)

33. Begala: The left thinks it is intellectually superior and the right thinks it is morally superior.

Sun Sep 21, 2014, 07:26 PM

Sep 2014

In 2004, Robert Samuelson wrote the following about Paul Begala's comment:

"Every liberal {thinks he's} intellectually superior to conservatives," Paul Begala, a former Clinton administration official, remarked on CNN. "Every conservative I know wants to think of himself as morally superior." Though these are generalizations (as Begala admitted), they represent real psychological imperatives. Politics increasingly strives to feed these self-images. The easiest way to make your people feel better is to cast their people as immoral, stupid, evil, corrupt or greedy. Politics, news and entertainment merge, because all seek to satisfy psychological needs.

Full column at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38244-2004Nov9.html

That commentary aside, I believe that, on the whole, liberals are more intellectually curious and more compassionate than right-wingers.

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ARE LIBERALS SMARTER THAN CONSERVATIVES? [View all] JEFF9K Sep 2014 OP

Yes...nt SidDithers Sep 2014 #1

/thread NuclearDem Sep 2014 #2

Heheh... SidDithers Sep 2014 #3

Most liberals are clocks that have stopped at an approximately correct time, that's all. Donald Ian Rankin Sep 2014 #4

excellent point. n/t marym625 Sep 2014 #46

Actually perhaps lazier. Too much work to be educated and always learning on point Sep 2014 #5

And as someone once said, "It's easier to give people a single finger than a whole hand." Gidney N Cloyd Sep 2014 #14

it's a pointless, silly argument. n/t cali Sep 2014 #6

it's actually a self-defeating argument hfojvt Sep 2014 #16

yep, that's true. cali Sep 2014 #17

The absolute undeniable proof to the question is: If Conservatives were smart, they'd be Liberals. BlueJazz Sep 2014 #7

Right on! Louisiana1976 Sep 2014 #40

Remove the word "smart" and replace it "informed"... Cooley Hurd Sep 2014 #8

Rush Limbaugh calls Democrats "low-information voters" ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #26

An interesting read on the issue jambo101 Sep 2014 #9

Good article. Thanks for the link. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #29

Obviously not... I am sure quite a few conservatives whistler162 Sep 2014 #10

How so? JEFF9K Sep 2014 #20

Not only smarter but better looking damnedifIknow Sep 2014 #11

Having rich parents ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #31

There are some smart conservatives Turbineguy Sep 2014 #12

Some smart people are economic conservatives. ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #28

I think we're able to see the moving parts better than conservatives. Baitball Blogger Sep 2014 #13

So all you people who aren't scientists out there, you must be dumb. hughee99 Sep 2014 #15

"Scientist" is one example, and a clear one. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #19

Not really. While scientists are interested in facts, that really depends on the amount of data hughee99 Sep 2014 #23

Data-gathering is part of the job. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #32

Yes, but as scientists, "data gathering" on politics is not part of their job. hughee99 Sep 2014 #37

If they are not politically engaged ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #39

I know many people (some scientists) who aren't politically engaged but would describe hughee99 Sep 2014 #47

I didn't say, or even suggest, that only scientists are smart. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #51

Your title is "ARE LIBERALS SMARTER THAN CONSERVATIVES?" hughee99 Sep 2014 #52

The study is signifcant and is widely cited. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #54

Significant and widely cited are not relevant hughee99 Sep 2014 #67

All scientists are smart? Ever met Dr Ben Carson? SomethingFishy Sep 2014 #68

Yes, liberals are smarter than conservatives Gothmog Sep 2014 #18

Define "smarter" YoungDemCA Sep 2014 #21

I'm using the term "liberal" interchangeably with "Democrat" ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #25

Doesn't matter. Voter turnout matters. JHB Sep 2014 #22

Those who vote rule. We can call them stupid, but we let them rule us. Who's really stupid? freshwest Sep 2014 #24

Smartness doesn't win elections. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #34

Absolutely true. Louisiana1976 Sep 2014 #41

'cept Georgie didn't win, his team stole it davekriss Sep 2014 #43

No- deathrind Sep 2014 #27

Conservatives do indeed seem to lack empathy. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #30

Begala: The left thinks it is intellectually superior and the right thinks it is morally superior. John1956PA Sep 2014 #33

Another thing is that, regardless of intelligence, ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #35

ignernt enid602 Sep 2014 #36

Most 1%ers aren't any smarter than the rest of us YoungDemCA Sep 2014 #38

Lots of them inherited their money, or just got lucky. ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #42

The thread isn't meant to conclusively answer the question, but.. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #44

You don't have to be "smart" to be right bhikkhu Sep 2014 #45

We also have one thing that conservatives don't: empathy. Initech Sep 2014 #48

My belief Jamaal510 Sep 2014 #49

The GOP lives in the land of confusion. Rex Sep 2014 #50

Liberals are more adept at seeing the big picture Zambero Sep 2014 #53

Well said! JEFF9K Sep 2014 #55

Sorry, this is a worthless premise. delete_bush Sep 2014 #56

YOU seem proud of your comment. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #57

If I say person A is as smart as person B, delete_bush Sep 2014 #59

9 is 6 more than 3 ... JEFF9K Sep 2014 #61

Just more open-minded about who we consider people. n/t Orsino Sep 2014 #58

Liberals are better in lots of ways. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #62

Ask Karl Rove Orrex Sep 2014 #60

Sounds like Karl got one right! JEFF9K Sep 2014 #63

That Buffoon Would Say Something Like That ProfessorGAC Sep 2014 #64

Nonsense Lurker Deluxe Sep 2014 #65

You and your father sound like cool people. JEFF9K Sep 2014 #66