Republicans really are more broad-minded (than Democrats)

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Maybe it’s that because at least starting in college, we have to confront the biases of our professors, listening to, engaging with and responding to their arguments that we develop the appreciation of opposing arguments.

Yesterday, Bruce alerted me to a poll (which I had also noticed) showing how (compared to Democrats) broad-minded Republicans are:

Yet another new survey shows that Republican supporters know more about politics and political history than Democrats.

On eight of 13 questions about politics, Republicans outscored Democrats by an average of 18 percentage points, according to a new Pew survey titled “Partisan Differences in Knowledge.”

The Pew survey adds to a wave of surveys and studies showing that GOP-sympathizers are better informed, more intellectually consistent, more open-minded, more empathetic and more receptive to criticism than their fellow Americans who support the Democratic Party.

. . . .

Pew’s new study echoes the results of many other reports and studies that show GOP supporters are better educated, more empathetic and more open to criticism than Democrats.

Emphasis added.  In addition, more than twice as many liberals as conservatives “deleted friends from their social networks after disagreeing with their politics.”

And yet the perception persists that conservatives are intolerant troglodytes, lacking the understanding of their arguments of their ideological adversaries or unwilling to associate with those holding views different from their own.

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First of all the most recent Pew poll is designed to test the participants “knowledge of the major political parties….” http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/?src=pp-report
Not other qualities, i.e., open-mindedness—I haven’t review the data by which any such conclusions was determined.

My explanation for the results of the most recent Pew poll—as specified above—is that Republicans are so bombarded with one-sided information, composed of catch words and phrases, that they absorb, like subliminal messages, that they can regurgitate upon demand, when subjected to the appropriate stimulus. For example, “Oil drilling anywhere = good = support”.

Democrats, on the other hand, have to think about their responses. For example, the question, “Which party is more supportive of creating a way for immigrants who are in the country illegally to eventually become citizens?” can be subject to two distinct considerations, if you think about it: 1) Republicans feel that illegals can go back to Mexico and follow the rules as a path to citizenship; 2) Democrats ‘may’ believe in amnesty (like Reagan)—or they may not. This ambiguity may have an effect on how they answer the question—depending on what one thinks it means—and consequently effect the results of the poll.

Pulling the same old trick again, are we Lib1? Accusing the other side of doing exactly what your side engages in all the time. Such as using “catch-words” and phrases, getting info from single sources, regurgitating “talking points” to supplied stimuli.

And then you proceed to tell us that liberals are the “thinking” people, who dwell upon the question and provide thoughtful analysis and answers.

That is just too funny, especially considering the canned responses we hear from liberal/progressives about every topic under the sun. And, what’s more, those “answers” can be found in any number of liberal/progressive publications and websites, such as Huffpo, DU, and DailyKos, and originate from the “answers” that MediaMatters promulgates to you all.

You liberal/progressives are about as “open-minded” as a buck during rutting season.