Paul Krugman explains why he cant sympathize with Trump voters

[Hortensis]

9. It's not that. Many DO care about character, but

they know they have it and those they oppose don't. A basic frame of belief that doesn't need examining. And if they don't want to scrutinize Republican officials, that's just human, and in any case they know that at their worst they're still better for the country than Democrats.

Research has shown that a lot of these people are critically lacking in self awareness, the ability to scrutinize their own behaviors objectively. They're wearing the right labels, Republican, "independent," Christian, whatever, do the work of the one true god with the code words of those who are saved, etc., so they know they're on the side of right.

Hampering insight is also the little issue of ability to understand moral issues. Like IQ, it varies dramatically, but how many of us know that or imagine there's often, or even usually, something we're really not "getting?" Rarely I've bothered to wonder if there was something I was missing, but I was never able to imagine what it would be.