Comments on: THE DELUSIONS OF CROWDS

By: BlogBites. Like sound bites. But without the sound. » Blog Archive » Voters don’t actually know anything. This is widely understood and constitutes one of the few points on which political science research is nearly unanimous.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:44 +0000

[...] and constitutes one of the few points on which political science research is nearly unanimous. ginandtacos.com » Blog Archive » THE DELUSIONS OF CROWDS « “History has shown than when people listen to my music, money tends to flow to [...]

By: jazzbumpa

jazzbumpa — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:38:12 +0000

rifle -

What is an extreme tax increase? How about going back to the tax rates of the first Reagan administration? Or the higher tax rates of the Nixon administration? Or the even higher tax rates of the Eisenhower administration, when this country had an expanding economy and real prosperity?

The great majority of all deficits in U.S. history come from two presidents: Reagan and Bush II. All of it for war and pseudo-war. The net result has been the funneling of national wealth into the hands of the already wealthy. Social programs have never made a significant contribution to deficits or the national debt. These facts will probably roll off you, reinforcing Ed's central point.

Julie -

Water is blue, baked earth is terra cotta red. Now I understand American politics. Thank you.

Shorter Ed. people do not arrive at their political beliefs through any kind of rational thought process. It comes from a person's comfort zone, which seldom involves thinking of any kind, let alone dealing with actual facts.

Shorter me: We are SO fucked!

By: rifleperson

rifleperson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:19:49 +0000

Interesting and often true political science analysis, but beyond that, not much use for anything else. And the same would apply to Democrats. It is so easy and so typical to use such an analysis to promote a partisan agenda. Yes, "destroying the deficit" is important, but when done through extreme tax increases, when the total and ongoing federal debt is greatly expanded, it is of little use. Yes, to improve people's lives can be politically rewarding, but when the cost to do so, drags down everyone else, the end result is not really desirable. The real goal should be, to do the actual right thing and to manage to make it politically profitable.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:06:43 +0000

@Mary

It's my experience people who live near water enjoy life a great deal more. Once away from the water, they dry out, start hating everything, and become republicans. Sad but true.

By: jbl

jbl — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:59:29 +0000

I think Krugman and Robert Reich are right on about implementing real fixes now and letting the deficit wait till we're out of trouble. I really don't understand why Obama let himself be led by the bankers and ex-bankers he has running things. (I've occasionally wondered if they had something on him, but since I'm not a conspiracy theorist I'll let that pass.)

I too just discovered this blog for the first time today – this is the first (and so far only) entry I've read, but I'm going exploring in a few minutes. Meanwhile, an interesting discourse on the values of Republicans and Democrats (or the right and left) is in another blog I just found posted nearly five years ago but still worth reading if you haven't seen it: "Red Family, Blue Family, Making sense of the values issue" at http://www.gurus.org/dougdeb/politics/209.html .

By: Dillon

Dillon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:00:33 +0000

"If Obama, like Clinton, destroys the deficit, Republicans and "independent" voters will not realize it."

About the only halfway sensible thing Dick Cheney ever said was that "deficits don't matter". Of course deficits matter in the long term, but Cheney's point was that the Bush Administration would not pay a political price for running deficits year after year. Republican voters believe the GOP is the party of fiscal responsibility, despite all evidence to the contrary.

By: moonbat

moonbat — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:59:01 +0000

To my regret, I never took a single poli-sci class as a undergrad (I hope to remedy this now that I'm in my 50s, when I can find the time, at the local university). This little tidbit is what I imagine sitting in on a lecture would be like, and I appreciate it.

By: Mary (High Blood Pressure Remedy)

Mary (High Blood Pressure Remedy) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:52:45 +0000

I enjoyed your article, however as a previous resident of Madison allow me to say that once out of the little strip of land btwn Menona and Mendota lakes, the "liberalism" radically changes. It is more racisit than the south and Misogynistic than the Middle East.

By: Susan of Texas

Susan of Texas — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:36:13 +0000

I think the majority of us form what become our political ideals much earlier than that. After my kids participated in mock elections at their elementary school they all discussed their choices. Almost all the children voted for whomever their parents liked. Children listen to their parents talk about candidates and want to be like their parents, and like what their parents like. When the child has been raised by very authoritarian parents, questioning any authority is like questioning one's parents–absolutely forbidden. They will ignore or excuse away any information that threatens their world view, and they will avoid any opinions that might get them expelled from the tribe. He who eats of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge gets tosses out of the Garden.