The Daily Kos wingnut poll

I was just perusing the DK wingnut poll.

Republicans generally strongly (but hardly unanimously) dislike socialism, labor, immigrants, gays, abortion; and deeply love Christ and the death penalty (Ironic, love is).  On other issues, their uncertainty increases.  

Hardcore wingnuts are frequently the anus within the larger Republican ass, taking up around a third of the party.  While that is indeed large for an anus, what is it, about 15% of the country’s entire population?   Hardly representative of the country as a whole, and entirely over-represented in the media, but I guess we knew that also.

Men are slightly, but consistently wingnuttier than women; Southerners are significantly and consistently wingnuttier that non-Southerners; whites are significantly and consistently wingnuttier than non-whites; age-related differences in wingnuttiness do not stand out, except for some slightly, but consistently greater tolerance of sex and reproductive issues in younger groups (Both innovation and sex are typically more youthful phenomena).

Real Wingnuts:  whiter, Southerner, maler, somewhat older, and secessionister.  Old wounds, dawg.

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Wingnut political mobilization is little more than a clamorous alarm call spread by contagion, a primitive but effective hue and cry common to many animal species.  The over-representation of wingnut memes in the media is a huge problem.  However, that alarm call potentially cries in all directions.  A lot of Republicans appear to be significantly less immoderate and more uncertain than their hardcore base on many issues.  If anyone could ever sit them down to explain, for example, what Medicare, Social Security and socialism are, and who is really trying to steal it or privatize it, that would be meaningful.

I hope a subsequent poll asks some specific questions about these safety net issues, plus some further things about their beliefs on capitalism, free markets, small businesses, monopolies, bank bailouts, government-controlled mortgage industries, etc.