Russ Steele
Spend some time checking out the local blog-o-sphere and you will find a common thread coming from the self-described liberals and progressives in blog posts and the comment sections suggesting that the political right are ignoramuses. If you are a Tea Party Patriot, you are a special nutcase ignoramuses in the local left leaning blogs. Here are some representative examples from the Sierra Foothill Report and this blog’s comments:
• Curtis Walker at SFR:
“The only problem is when someone(s) [Tea Party] are so pig headed in their thinking this will not change them because facts have no meaning to them.”
• Kate Hancock at SFR:
“The great news about this election, is after the tea party happily jumped into bed with their corporatist and GOP masters, who are they going to call–an exorcist?”
• Douglas Keachie at SFR:
“TPP, Delusional Forever!”
• Steve Enos at SFR:
"The Tea Party is being used and is being bought and paid for...."
• Tom Grundy at SFR:
“It’s [Tea Party] a pyramid scheme – you can bet there are more than a few folks laughing all the way to the bank over the fact that undirected fear and anger, on a national scale, has been spun into a ‘political movement’. And you can bet the rest of the world is just plain laughing.”
• Jeff Pelline at NCMW:
"I remain embarrassed by some of the opinions that are expressed in our community — uneducated, uninformed and extremist."
• Pat Waynne at SFR:
"Tea Party: corporate puppets, as promoted by Dick Army, FOX and Rupert Murdock, Koch Bros. etc. If you like the corporate lifestyle, Big Boss sitting in your living room, telling you what to eat, drink, clothes to wear, how to brush your teeth, rise your kids, join the Tea Party."
• Sierra Foothill Report:
And finally, here is a really mean spirited post at the Sierra Foothill Report: Hi, I’m a Tea Partier
I think the above are representative of the local progressive thinking. However, for the purposes of discussion, let's just assume that local conservatives and Tea Party members are in fact ignoramuses. Even if that were the case, this would still be a losing electoral proposition as shown by this graph and the facts below:
Americans older than 18 registered to vote with a college degree represent only 32% of the voting population. Those with an advanced degree represent only 11% of the population registered to vote. In June 2010, 40% of American voters identify themselves as conservatives, 36% as moderates, and 22% as liberals. Here are some local registration numbers at Inside Nevada County Politics.
For those smart folks on the left there is no need to explain the corresponding electoral implications. November 2nd is just the starting point for those “ignoramuses” Tea Parters to exert their political mussel at the ballot box.
It should also be fairly obvious that when highly educated people tell those who are less educated that they are too stupid to know better, it probably does not lead to acceptance of claims to authority, much less reinforce trust in their lefty proclamations. In fact, it might even have the opposite effect.
For those on the left who spend a lot of time explaining how intelligent they are, their politics are not always as smart. A more evident fact is, if the left has to continually explain how intelligent they are, they aren't as intelligent as they think they are.
H/T to Roger Pielke Jr for suggesting this line of thought at: The simple man’s math. He was discussing the larger blogosphere and global warming. When reading his post, I was reminded of our local lefty elites and how they disparage the Tea Party and any conservative bloggers who defends Tea Party Principles: Fiscal responsibility, limited government, free markets, and respect for our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
H/Tip to WUWT for the link to the Pielke post.
