CT Blue

Umm, there are times when it appears that our “liberal media” bends over backwards to be “fair and balanced” to our red state brethren. A good example in today’s Times, in which David Leonhardt gives a boost to what we in the legal biz would call “results oriented” research by a sociology professor at the University of Virginia. The article begins:

W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociologist, has written two recent papers noting that children in conservative parts of the country are more likely to grow up with both parents than in liberal ones. In both articles, he challenged the view that blue states are more conducive to stable family life than red states.

Now Mr. Wilcox, a professor at the University of Virginia, has published an analysis of data about individual families rather than geographical areas. And he argues this data continues to support his case that the so-called blue-state family model is overrated.

Professor Wilcox bases his latest conclusions on self reports by self-identified Republicans and Democrats. Given the rather uneasy relationship between Republicans and the truth (great example here) one must question the methodology. Of course it is always possible that the high rate of divorce (which must, of necessity, translate into one parent households) in red states (see here, where researchers concluded that the rabid religiosity of the folks in the red states is to blame) and teen pregnancy in red states is confined to the minority Democratic population in said states, while the Republicans in said states live happy, contented lives characterized by two parent families with children born only in wedlock. That doesn’t explain the low rates of divorce and teen pregnancy in blue states though, since if it’s Democrats causing the high stats in the red states, we here in the blue would presumably be packed to bursting with precisely the kind of people that are producing one parent households and pregnant teens in the low IQ states.

And as for being happier, that seems improbable for another reason. You see, Republicans are different than you and me:

Peering inside the brain with MRI scans, researchers at University College London found that self-described conservative students had a larger amygdala (link is external) than liberals. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is active during states of fear and anxiety. Liberals had more gray matter at least in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain that helps people cope with complexity.

The results are not that surprising as they fit in with conclusions from other studies. Just a year ago, researchers from Harvard and UCLA San Diego reported finding a “liberal” gene. This gene had a tiny effect, however, and worked only for adolescents having many friends. The results also mesh with psychological studies on conflict monitoring.

Yes, fear and loathing certainly seems to characterize Republicans better than happy, “optimistic” or “charitable” (believe it or not, Wilcox uses the latter two words to describe Republicans). There are 16 Republicans running for president. Not a one of them is running a campaign that can be objectively characterized as “optimistic”, “charitable” or particularly designed to appeal to people who are happy. These politicians don’t know much, but they know their audience better than Wilcox.