Monday, October 23, 2006

The Savant vindicated

Thanks to the folks at NPR and the Pew Research Center, the Savant may be red-tribed but he is no longer red-faced. After taking the PRC's 2005 Political Typology survey, He weighed in as "Liberal" with a capital "L." This helped to ease some of the cognitive dissonance caused by the quiz mentioned in the previous post.

Having done a little research of my own in the past, it is clear to me that the questions you ask and the way that you ask them can greatly influence the outcome. That being said, I'm more likely to lend my confidence to the Pew crew when it comes to scholarly research.

You probably don't need a survey to tell you where you stand, but it is interesting to look at the results and conclusions that they draw from the above. And if you are thinking about not voting in November because "it's a foregone conclusion," take a look at their latest survey results.

Beyond Red vs. Blue: Redefining the Political Landscape
By Robert Siegel and Andrew Kohut
All Things Considered, NPR, 5/10/05

4 comments:

Annie said...

I liked this test and came out, like you, a liberal.

Cowtown Pattie said...

I didn't really need a test to tell me, but I would prefer to think of myself as non-sorted; a individual who dances to her own tune...

The Limerick Savant said...

I'm with you on that one, Pattie. I prefer not to be pigeon-holed but unfortunately it is happening to us all the time as the Pew research shows and the mass-marketers would have it. I sometimes like to know where they think I am just so I can defy expectations. I might jump at the chance to be a Nielsen family just for the opportunity to skew the sample.

I noticed an example of this group think mentality this morning on my way to work: a campaign sign that read "Enough is enough - Vote Democrat." Have these folks promoting the "throw the bums out!" mindset forgotten that, even in Ohio, there are still a few Democrats in office? It's disturbing to me to think how few people actually make decisions like this on the basis of their critical assessment of where the candidates stand on issues of importance to them. We might as well be voting for prom king and queen! And we learn nothing but "dirt" and hearsay from all the millions spent on political ads. I guess we get the system we collectively want. End rant.

The Limerick Savant said...

At least somebody around here is writing limericks!

Thanks, Rebecca. Forgiveness is a good thing. In fact, I might be willing to forgive a whole lot of sins if the Democrats win back Congress. I am worried that not all the Democrats hold the same sentiment. Over the weekend, I heard and interview with Bob Casey, who is running for Senator in PA. He as much said that, if the Democrats win Congress, he would support hearings into every little misstep of the administration.

I don't know about you, but I was kind of hoping that they would use the opportunity to pass some meaningful, and much needed, legislation on Social Security, health care, civil rights and the like. That's what I'm hiring them for, not spending my hard-earned tax dollars on political payback. Oh well, Le plus ca change...

BTW, I have been writing limericks, just not finding time to post them. Look for a flurry this week with elections approaching.