Saving the Country from Socialism
The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on "fear" of President Barack Obama and a promise to "save the country from trending toward socialism." The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”
Let's have a coffee party
In just a few weeks, the movement to counter the Tea Party Movement has grown from an idea of a few progressive friends to a group of 28,000 members and chapters in major cities across the country. The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government.
The movement recognizes that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of the collective will, and that people must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that they face. As voters and grassroots volunteers, the movement will support leaders who work toward positive solutions.
Study: Liberals, Atheists Are Unnatural, Intelligent
Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on political and religious behaviors with IQ from a large US sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. Religion, the theory goes, did not help people survive or reproduce necessarily, but goes along the lines of helping people to be paranoid, Kanazawa said. "Because humans are paranoid, they become more religious, and they see the hands of god everywhere," Kanazawa said. Humans had a keen interest in the survival of their offspring. The conservative approach -- looking out for the people around you first -- fits with the evolutionary picture more than liberalism, Kanazawa said. "It is unnatural for humans to be concerned about total strangers." he said. George Washington University professor James Bailey said that these preferences may stem from a desire to show superiority or elitism, which also has to do with IQ. Aligning oneself with "unconventional" philosophies may be "ways to communicate that you are pretty smart," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/26/liberals.atheists.sex.intelligence/index.html
Knowledge Was Power
Francis Bacon was paraphrased as saying "knowledge is power." [In his time -- the late 16th century, --] the only people that had access to books and the literacy to unlock the wisdom within were the wealthy with the time and inclination to learn. Back then, the friction that held people back from learning was low literacy, a lack of access to books and very little time. Now, that friction is almost non-existent. Now, the only real friction that exists is our own desire for knowledge. Social networks may be encouraging younger people to get involved in politics. More and more people are getting involved in politics and are feeling they can make a difference. These are all signs of social media's growing influence in politics. We are no longer consumers of passive messages; we are active participants. We get news through the network we have created, and the news we pass to one another says something about us, what we are interested in, and what is important to us.
