In this 2012 Presidential Election there are two candidates
which views are nearly polar opposite of each other. This has made the job of
voters who vote based on issues very easy. But strangely for some this has made
it oddly difficult. This is due to the tribal effect in politics. (For more on
this topic check out The Tribal Effect in Politics)
When we hear about the undecided voters, it's hard to
believe that they are independent voters, because with the two clear opposite choices we
have, anyone who cares would have been able to make up their mind
long ago. I find it more likely that the undecided voters that are talked about
in the media are actually rational Republicans struggling with the tribal
effect, they want to vote Republican but don't like the stance Republicans are
taking on issues. Republican voters not struggling with this issue are either
voting solely on the tribal effect so they can see the party they have always
identified with win or they are part of the 1% and want a system that is rigged
in their favor despite being unfair to the rest of America.
Republicans seem to think a different way than Democrats. Democrats tend to think for themselves
about issues and come to their own conclusion and then choose who to vote for.
Republicans seem to trust authority more and if they trust that authority the
will simply agree or buy into what they are saying since they assume they know
more about the issues than they do. While it may be true that authorities know
more about issues than others, it doesn't mean they are correct or that
they are right about what is the best for the country.
This way of thinking is similar to how religion works,
followers of any religion tend to trust their Priest, Pastor, Imam, Rabbi, etc.
simply because they are considered an authority on the subject. This is
intellectually lazy. And it's no coincidence that the Religious right is
strongly tied to the Republican Party. Both want to tell us how to think, and
don't encourage critical thinking. The Texas GOP has even come right out and
said, "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills, critical
thinking skills and similar programs…"
The good news is that there are rational Republicans
thinking for themselves, and they care more about the issues rather than just
staying loyal to their party. The Facebook page Republicans for Obama is good
evidence of this, which has over 22,600 likes.
Labels can be helpful, they give us an idea about what an individual or group stands for, but labels should be the beginning of our
inquiry not the end of it. No matter what party you identify with, if you can't
explain the position of your opposition you should question whether you fully
understand your own. After all, it's hard to disagree with something you don't
understand.