The Enduring Mommy-Daddy Political Divide

Real Clear Politics ^ | March 2, 2010 | David Paul Kuhn

[2ndDivisionVet]

Tufts University psychologists showed people headshots of white Democrats and Republicans. Participants guessed the political affiliation significantly above chance, about 55 to 60 percent. That's better than the house advantage in blackjack. The key difference? The study, published this January, found that Democrats projected "warmth" and Republicans projected "power."

This contrast between "warmth" and "power" characterizes our politics. The health care debate appears mired in innumerable details. But it has always concerned a far deeper debate over two competing ideas of government – to nurture or to safeguard. The dynamic is so intimately familiar to us because it is conventionally familial. The health care clash, like American politics, remains rooted in our mommy and daddy parties.

In January, the Pew Research Center asked Americans to prioritize 21 issues. Americans were most concerned about the economy. But the greatest partisan gap, like the year before, was over "providing health insurance to the uninsured." It was a "top priority" to one quarter of Republicans. It was a "top priority" to three quarters of Democrats.

Democrats five most partisan issues: health care, the environment, aiding the poor, education and securing Medicare. In short, maternal.

Republicans five most partisan issues: strengthening the military, illegal immigration, influence of lobbyists, terrorism and the moral breakdown. In short, paternal.

This mother and father schema came to define our politics in the sixties. Debates over culture, crime, race and war began to re-sort the electorate. The political right stressed law and order. The political left stressed societal welfare. And not much has changed since.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Comments?

[JIM O]

Nancy Pelosi = warmth

Olympia J. Snowe = Power

[GOP Poet]

In my experience conservatives don’t project anything but balls, gonads, and are a lot of fun to be around. :=)—male and female. Demmies and RINOs radiate bland, salacious, limpness times a thousand.

[GOP Poet]

yes I just want to cuddle with Nancy! lol! NOT!!

[In veno, veritas]

With two options, they have a 50% chance. Is 55 - 60% really all that significant? I mean, I guess if the person was clean-cut, I’d guess conservative. If the person had dread locks, liberal. This of course is stereotype, but that tends to give me a few percentage points.

[Nat Turner]

Yes San Nan is a mommy... Mommy Dearest!!!

[Le Chien Rouge]

Rather than a paternal/maternal divide, maybe the focus should be on personal choices.

The left believe choices are mandated by what the STATE grants, regardless of persons wants or desires, which guarantees security and minimizes risk.

Conservatives believe choices are an individual right that one is born with which also include the person risk and monetary responsibility which occur with such choices.

[KarlInOhio]

Toss on top of that the women and young people are more likely to be Democrats and men and older people are more likely to be Republicans. Unless the pictures were preselected to evenly divide each major grouping (age, sex, race) among the parties, you should get better than that just with age, sex and race and nothing else.

[Pessimist]

“I guess if the person was clean-cut, I’d guess conservative. If the person had dread locks, liberal. “

Not to mention race.

[Obadiah]

Walking down the street, I'll bet most would rightly guess, "screaming liberal".

[South Hawthorne]

But the greatest partisan gap, like the year before, was over "providing health insurance to the uninsured." It was a "top priority" to one quarter of Republicans. It was a "top priority" to three quarters of Democrats.

Good, then let them pay for it. Better get to starting up a charity, dems.

[In veno, veritas]

With the plastic bottle? She's killing mother earth! Obviously an evil capitalist pig. Oh wait, those rules only apply to someone else.

[Cyber Ninja]

I'm think'in power hungry, ill-tempered, mean, Republican...

I could be wrong...

[little jeremiah]

Haoles with dreadlocks look even more disgusting than black people with dreadlocks. I’ve seen plenty of white people with the matted hair look. Liberals to a man/whatever, I’m sure.

[little jeremiah]

“Warmth”? As in “Brain is fried”?

[FelixFelicis]

>>In my experience conservatives don’t project anything but balls, gonads, and are a lot of fun to be around. :=)—male and female. Demmies and RINOs radiate bland, salacious, limpness times a thousand.<<

It’s true, and you can see it in conservative and liberal writing too. I’m an avid reader of National Review and find the articles to be full of intellectual vigor and sharp-edged wit. But occasionally I check out Slate or Salon in search of some intelligent political commentary from the other side. Nine times out of ten, I’m disappointed. The typical article from either of those mags is whiny, flaccid, and sort of pained, as if the author is really longing to apologize for writing it.

[RobinOfKingston]

... found that Democrats projected "warmth" and Republicans projected "power."

It is possible to pick out liberals from a crowd. It is not "projected warmth," however. It is their, for lack of a better word weaselly facial appearance. And I say that with a lot of respect and admiration for real weasels.

[eclecticEel]

The “researchers” in this case merely selected images that fit into common stereotypes of what dems/reps should look like and went from there. Their research is only as valid as the validity of the stereotypes to which they were ascribing.