Where else have we heard of this?

Thanks for the link, quite interesting. I also recall a study that showed conservatives almost always possess three specific personality characteristics:

1) Highly fearful (which you cite)

2) Propensity to over-romanticize the past

3) High degree of comfort with inequity

Sounds like every conservative I know.

You nailed it about the term elitist. God tell me that this was the handiwork of an editorial intern, and not Joan Walsh.

This is the typical tactic of the right wing, setting the frame that educated and thoughtful individuals somehow equate to a class of exclusive, pompous twits, out of touch with the common man, ready to exploit any and all. Meanwhile in the real world, who are the people who are actually doing ANYTHING on the political playing field for middle-class Americans? That Joan buys into this without question is sad day for Salon. Watch out, Joan says! Fuck that.

Really? Only 20% of the voting public voted for McCain/Palin? Only 20% has a favorable opinion of Sarah Palin right now? Only 20% has an unfavorable opinion of Chairman O and his Democratic congress? You better check your stats and maybe brush up a little on your math as well, sweetheart.

Who said anything about McCain, brilliant one? Although all you right wingers like to toss his favorability ratings into the mix whenever it suits you, we were talking about Palin alone. Stay with me here please. Here’s some math back at you: a Gallup poll today says her approval rating is teetering at just 40% --and that’s including the batshit crazy 20% I mentioned. The real kiss of death in this poll though is that a majority of independents do not like her.

So take away from that 40% the number of people who could possibly be dissuaded from voting for Palin with new information, and I stand by my 20% “sweetheart.” There’s only about 20% of the voting public who would pull the lever for her no matter what she does or what new information the voter is presented with. Because information doesn’t matter to these folks. That’s why we politely refer to these 20% as low-information voters. See, they vote from the gut. And that Sarah sure gives good gut.

Sorry for that last one, I don't want to make you confused in your lust. As another poster so aptly uncovered, you clearly have gender identification issues.

Best post of the day.

It's funny to hear liberals talk about poor, ignorant, uneducated conservatives in fly-over country as if they were some vanishing breed. Yet conservative/populist pundits consistently get higher ratings, sell more books, and have a more loyal base than the freaky beatniks who make up the Democrat Party.

You right wingers are always so endearingly hopeless with math. That faction you are referring to? About 20% of the voting public, and disappearing as a demographic more and more each year as the rest of us demand and embrace diversity. 20%. And I don’t care how many of them sit bug-eyed in from of Faux News, or how many drive around all day zoned out on Rush. That's more of a statement on how people with working brains choose NOT to spend their time.

The attacks on her are not on substance, but on her personality.

Naw, personality is the least of it. It’s the laundry list of other things: intellectual lightweight; attempts to ban books; 6 colleges in 5 years; not so good on that whole church, state separation; belief in creationism; global warming doubter; her will-of-God wars; and her complete and utter lack of curiosity regarding the world around her. Oh, did I mention being a quitter?

The women in this country have constantly taken a backseat to men. Sarah acknowledged this with her tribute to Hillary Clinton.

Yeah, would that be the tribute to Hillary where Palin called her a whiner?

She was ill prepared for debating international issues. It was a matter of preparation (and she is prepping in detail).

Do you remember how that McCain aide came out in her defense that her performance in the VP debate was remarkably better than it had been during the first session he spent with her? Can’t even imagine how bad she must have been. No amount of preparation will help this woman. Ever. You just can’t fix this kind of stupid.

You’ve just identified the top reason on a long list of reasons why I can’t stand this woman. Even beyond her absolute dedication to delusion, she is by any measure a nightmare of a mother. And as one, I cut mothers a lot of slack. She’s not just a special kind of nasty for exploiting Bristol and pulling her kids out of school for any one of her numerous freak shows. She’s also wins bad mommy for parading a special needs newborn as an anti-choice talking point. And how about when she used her small daughter as a human shield in front of a nasty hockey crowd when she was invited to drop the puck at that Philly’s game...remember that one? Despicable. Poor kids. What a bummer it must be to have a sociopath for a mother.

Staunch conservatives won both New Jersey and Virginia governor elections.

Except they didn’t. Both governors ran with their mouths shut on conservative pet issues, downplayed their pasts, and really stuck to regional issues. Moving to the center got both of these guys elected. To say otherwise is a lie.