Thursday, June 30, 2011

Harvard and the 4th of July

4th of July. Birth of United States of America. (Well...traditionally. Actually I think the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2. But, still!)
From the US News & World Report, Harvard University says that July 4th parades are just a bunch of right-wing movements and Democrats don't even bother showing up. "Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend's July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day. 'Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation's political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party,' said the report from Harvard."

Finally they admit it, the Democrats don't care about the nation's founding. They admit it! They admit that celebrating the founding of this nation is a Republican event. It's a conservative event that liberals are not welcome, that liberals don't care, and that they don't show up.

"The three key findings of those attending July 4th celebrations: When done before the age of 18, it increases the likelihood of a youth identifying as a Republican by at least 2 percent. It raises the likelihood that parade watchers will vote for a Republican candidate by 4 percent. It boosts the likelihood a reveler will vote by about 1 percent and increases the chances they'll make a political contribution by 3 percent. What's more, the impact isn't fleeting. 'Surprisingly, the estimates show that the impact on political preferences is permanent, with no evidence of the effects depreciating as individuals become older,' said the Harvard report."

Is that not stunning? Or is it stunning? What does this say about the patriotism of liberals? What does this say? Fourth of July parades make people vote Republican. Fourth of July parades turn kids into Republicans. Fourth of July parades do all of this permanently.

"'The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans,' write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam. Their findings also suggest that Democrats gain nothing from July 4th parades, likely a shocking result for all the Democratic politicians who march in them. 'There is no evidence of an increased likelihood of identifying as a Democrat, indicating that Fourth of July shifts preferences to the right rather than increasing political polarization,' the two wrote."

Democrats gather to protest their handouts being cut. That's their celebration. That's their parade. The Democrats and the unions, they get together when they think their benefits are being cut, when their handouts are being cut, when their food stamps are about to be shut off, that's when they get patriotic, that's when they show up. When they fear the freebies are about to run out, that's when they parade, except theirs are not celebrations. Theirs are instances of rage.



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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

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