Well I don’t know what the Pew leanings are either. But looking at the site, there is a bias that leaps off the page at me. It labels staunch republicans as anti this and anti that. When one looks at the democratic side, it is devoid of the same language. If one end of the spectrum can be called anti-environment, then the other end can fairly be called anti-business or anti-property rights. It also labels staunch republicans as extremely partisan. And a Liberal Democrat is not? That is laughably absurd.
And I would object to the use of the ‘anti’ label regardless. In the modern lexicon, anti means hate, proactive action against, discrimination etc. Take as an example anti-environment. Placing that label on a staunch republican grossly mis-characterizes the position. The staunch republican position on the environment can be accurately described as a backlash against the environmental extremist’s environment uber ales position, which completely disregards human concern and property rights. You won’t find a republican of any stripe that is for dirty air and dirty water, (although that is what the left wants the public to believe).
And when was the last time you have seen a republican protesting at a gay rights gathering or a Green Peace meeting ? You may see some protesters at an abortion clinic, but they are primarily there on religious grounds. Besides, the reality is that almost 40% of democrats are pro-life. On the other hand, what party do you think the protestors at GATT or WTO are more likely to be affiliated with?
Yes there are extremists on both sides of any issue. But republicans would no more associate themselves with Tim McVeigh than Democrats would associate themselves with Ted Kaczynski.
And to get to the heart of the question…
Although positions vary widely on issues, the compromise on stem cell research by President Bush is revealing. Although I suspect some grumbling from one or two on the right, there was general support. The left on the other hand, had a cyber hissy fit. |
