Why scientists are seldom Republicans

[teach1st]

Why scientists are seldom Republicans
St. Petersburg Times, 8/15, by Robyn Blumner

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without scientists? Ask the Republican Party. It lives in such a world. Republicans have been so successful in driving out of their party anyone who endeavors in scientific inquiry that pretty soon there won't be anyone left who can distinguish a periodic table from a kitchen table.

It is no wonder the Republican throngs showing up to disrupt town hall meetings on health care reform are so gullible, willing to believe absurd claims like the coming of "death panels." Their party is nearly devoid of neuroscientists, astrophysicists, marine biologists or any other scientific professional who would insist on intellectual rigor, objective evidence and sound reasoning as the basis for public policy development. The people left don't have that kind of discipline and don't expect it from their leaders. They are willing to believe anything some right-wing demagogue with a cable show or pulpit tells them, no matter how outlandish.

Since the Sonia Sotomayor nomination we've been hearing about the GOP's Hispanic deficit. Only 26 percent of Latino registered voters now say they identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. But that's a full house compared with scientists. Only 12 percent of scientists in a poll issued last month by the Pew Research Center say they are Republican or lean toward the GOP, while fully 81 percent of scientists say they are Democrats or lean Democratic.

We shouldn't be surprised that people who are open to evidence-based thinking have abandoned the Republican Party. The GOP has proudly adopted the mantle of the "Terri Schiavo, global warming shwarming" party with the Bush administration helping cement the image by persistently subverting science to serve a religious agenda or corporate greed.

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[hobbit709]

1. Critical thinking and inquiring minds have never been the forte of the GOP.

[indepat]

2. 'pukes are eaten up with an extreme un-American mostly fascist ideology

that is flawed and false and appeals only to the uber-well-to-do who will benefit through their grossly unfair, regressive, and inequitable tax schemes and an assorted radical fringe group of nuts, be it guns, abortion, religious, you get the drift. See, that was easy. :P

[opihimoimoi]

3. They HATE Homework, hard courses, and science in general

Thinking/solving is not in their desires unless it behooves themselves...

[Doctor_J]

8. They hate school

because all teachers are Castro and Lenin-loving hippies who refuse to teach Creationism.

[Noorvik]

4. Repug Anti Science

The hard core base of the GOP is comprised of evangelical religious fanatics and people like
Sarah Palin who take smug pride in their ignorance. To them, science and critical thinking
are tools of Satan.

How can you expect people who believe all the utter nonsense in the Bible, literally, who cower
in fear of their vengeful mass murdering 'God', and his self appointed spokesmen, to have a
rational thought about anything, let alone science.

These people are religiously insane, ignorant beyond comprehension, and dangerous in a long
list of ways. Bring on the rapture and get these idiots out of here, so the rest of humanity can
live in peace.

[CanonRay]

5. Something to do with having a brain?

Just a wild guess

[Kaleko]

6. Same goes for the most talented artists in any field, natch.

[progressoid]

14. Um, excuse me but,

what about Ted Nugent or Chuck Norris or Scott Baio? They're super duper talented.




edited to add: :sarcasm:

[northernlights]

7. intellectual curiosity and GOP

are mutually exclusive concepts.

[troubledamerican]

9. Nazis had some serious scientists. Is GOP leadership anti-science, or just demagoguing

to use anti-science as a wedge issue?

If not, why were Nazis apparently not anti-science?

Otherwise, I detect zero difference between Nazism & U.S. Neoconservatism. That's not hyperbole. Do U.S. elites simply want to keep science for the "cultured classes" as they use the Christianists for their Silver Shirt footsoldiers?

[caraher]

12. But Nazi science was pretty poor for the most part

They did some fine engineering, of course, but in physics most of the best minds left, and the rest labored against the Nazi depiction of most of 20th century physics as intrinsically suspect "Jewish physics."

As for the GOP leadership (what - they have leadership? besides Rush?) there are individuals who will acknowledge at times that reality doesn't automatically conform to wishes. For instance, Newt Gingrich seems willing to accept that there is a global warming trend caused by human activity. Then there are bozoz like Inhofe - 'nuff said.

I think politicians of all stripes as group tend to look at science in a "what in it for me?" fashion rather than being intrinsically "pro" or "anti" science. They are interested in certain kinds of potential results, and may pay lip service to the idea of pursuing knowledge as an intrinsic good but would much rather be able to say that a researcher whose work was supported by an earmark they inserted somewhere cured cancer.

Scarier to me than the leadership are the mobs who don't want facts to mar their children's edumacation, let alone inform policy debates...

[hatrack]

10. I think part of the scientific worldview is learning that human beings AREN'T the crown of creation

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) that stance towards reality won't be terribly attractive to very many Palinites and Paultards reared on (A) Bronze Age bedtime stories or (B) blinkered Randroid ideology.

[WyoHiker]

11. The Great American Brain-Drain

If the Republicans do return to power in their current form, scientists will have little choice but to pursue their professions outside the country in places where their talents are valued.

[DeSwiss]

13. K&R

Inhofeosaurus Rex {Stupidus Ignoramus Oklahomus}

[Posteritatis]

15. It'd be interesting to see a breakdown by field, more specific than just "scientists." (nt)