Thursday, October 02, 2008

IQ and Politics

Check this out: the average IQ of each state and how they voted in the 2004 election.



Draw your own conclusions.

In other news, McCain's still being a pain in the ass.

16 comments:

Brian Mongold said...

Holy crap, is that accurate? That is crazy.

I'm happy to see that my home state of WV is higher than I thought it would be. Sorry Mississippi.

Brian

Thomas said...

Brian, the IQ data was based on SAT/ACT scores.

On my walk this afternoon, I was thinking what it'd be like to live in Mississippi. Maybe next lifetime...

Rocketstar said...

Nice, makes sense.

Timothy Smith said...

lol, the entire south was blue not to long ago. Even the states that are red almost half of the electorate voted Democrat (yet you group them based on geographical location).

No offense but the real stupidity here is grouping so many together based false truths and misrepresentations of facts.

Many of the red states last time will be blue states this time without any change in ACT/SAT scores (which has NOTHING to do with IQ).

Sorry guys but you cant claim Democrats do not act like elitists or are smart when you judge entire states as being stupid based on a few percentage of votes against "your guy" If anything it shows a lack of intelligence.

Your better then that.

BTW, Mississippi is a fine state. It is an American state and deserves as much respect as Minnesota does.

How many of you remember 1988? These states change color and it has nothing to do with intelligence. To think otherwise shows a lack of intelligence on your part.

Just saying...

Timothy Smith said...

One could say most of America is republican by using the following logic:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap.htm

It would be as flawed as your logic however. Manipulating numbers is easy. I can show another that shows the areas with the highest concentrations of welfare recipients vote Democrat but that would also be misleading.

I can take the same numbers to show STATES that vote Republican have more welfare per capita.

Let me know the message you want to convey and I can work the numbers to prove your point.

Question is, are you someone that buys into it or not?

Sounds like the answer is yes.

Thomas said...

Tim, it’s hard to believe the South used to be blue, but you’re right, we’re really a purple nation since not everyone votes Republican in Oklahoma or Democratic in Minnesota. Plus like you mentioned, many states look to be turning blue this cycle.

It’s true that SAT scores can’t be directly correlated to IQ.

One thing I don’t understand is how Democrats can be called elitist when they are the party that, at least in theory, is more apt to help the less well-off. Obama has one house and one car, but he’s an elitist? What does that make McCain?

I love the “You’re better than that” line. It from Rocky 6. I referenced it in an old post. Have you been digging through my archives, Tim?

I’m sure Mississippi is a nice state. I loved the Kate Hudson movie “The Skeleton Key” where she lived with a couple in Louisiana. One could get used to the slower pace of life there. Turned out the old lady in the movie tried to use voodoo to exchange her own older body for that of Kate’s, but who wouldn’t?

I do recall 1988 and plan to post about it later this month in an entry about how I came to be a Democrat.

Now, what do you think of the way McCain is treating Obama (as shown in the first debate and the second link in this post)?

Will get to your second post after I have a bite.

lauren said...

Ohio has a fairly high average IQ but our state still went red. Turns out, it was a margin of approximately 10 votes per district that decided the winner of the state... which then decided the winner of the country. And they say, "My vote doesn't count."

I have proposed a drinking game for tonight's Vice Presidential debates. Drink every time Palin inserts her foot in her mouth, and so on. Should be an interesting night!

Timothy Smith said...

Elitist is not about what you have but how you perceive/treat others. If you think you are better then others that don't think like yourself I consider that elitist.

I never said Obama was an elitist, but many Democrat voters fall into this category (repubs too). You don't feel Republican voters are just different, you feel they are stupid (don't get me wrong, SOME are).

There are many reasons different areas of the country vote the way they do but I don't feel raw IQ is one of them. As voting patterns change SAT/ACT score remain high in areas with better education systems. That to me means SAT/ACT scores have more to do with education, financial ability to pay for such education than political affiliation.

Both Obama and McCain have done things on the campaign trail I do not agree with. Of course if you are a partisan democrat you forgive Obama and point out McCain. Remember, I am independent. Its also an election year, so far both are doing a lot better then others in the past. Maybe McCain is just bitter, he is not a dumb man so he must know this is over.

If you always point out others that vote different then you and acknowledge this is because they are not as smart, not as educated or not as refined as you are....that makes you an elitist.

Thats all I meant by "you are better then that". I know you don't think that way but sometimes partisan posts make it seem like you do.

This kind of talk hurt the Democrats last election cycle. Attacking voters and putting them down does not win them over.

Timothy Smith said...

Lauren, that sounds like a plan!

Both Palin and Biden should make for an interesting night. Palin will be trying so hard to look presidential and Biden will be restraining himself and thinking about every sentence so he doesn't say something stupid.

This should be pure comedy.

Thomas said...

Tim, I couldn't get that link you mentioned to work, but will proceed as if I did.

As far as if I buy into what the chart says, well, I did say "Draw your own conclusions". It's possible to manipulate data, but it does show at least a tenuous correlation between high test scores and liberal leanings which didn't surprise me. I actually found the chart on a movie website:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/09/hee-haw_1.php

As far as elitism, I wouldn't say that people who vote Republican are stupid, just that they may not be fully aware of what's is their own economic best interest (see "What's the Matter With Kansas?")

They seem so focused on issues like abortion and gay marriage that whatever Bush does as President (suspending habeas corpus, leading the country into war with a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, misleading America about the real cost of war, fostering an environment of torture at Abu Gharib and Guatanamo, lining Halliburton’s pockets in Afghanistan and Iraq with fat no-bid contracts, the killing of tens of thousands of innocents) is totally fine with them. That's the biggest problem I have with today's Reps and thankfully, they are finally starting to see the damage he's done (I saw today that his approval rating is at an all-time low of 22%).

If Obama pulls the shit that Bush has, I'll be on his ass faster than Sir Mix-A Lot on Jennifer Lopez.

I know you're tired of W, too, so let's be happy tonight that his time is winding down.

Lauren, I still wonder if W. won Ohio fairly, but I guess it doesn't matter at this point. Thanks for the suggestion. There may be more fireworks at the debate tonight than there were at Obama's nomination acceptance in Denver.

Timothy Smith said...

I doubt Bush won Ohio fair and square.

lauren said...

I don't think he did, but Kerry was too much of a gentleman (or a pansy) to demand a recount. There were a LOT of people who were completely confounded as to how it happened.

Thomas, what do you think of the debate so far?

Sarah said...

Looks like I live amongst idiots! It's actually nice to have that validated, I've been suspicious for years.

Timothy Smith said...

Biden won the debate just now, getting choked up about his kids and the statements directly after. Palin doesn't know what to do.

Unknown said...

Also, these blue states continue to invest more in public education. That's why you continue to hear Conservatives say, "Oh, those coastal elites." The difference when I moved to Georgia from other places I lived, Nebraska and Michigan, are night and day.

Another study revealed a few years ago divorce rates in these blue states were twice as low as those in red states. This reveals when people are pushed to their limits, they strive to succeed. Generally, this is where the question lies: What do you want to spend your taxes on?

Thomas said...

Lauren & Tim, in reference to Ohio, check this out (90-second YouTube video).

Lauren et al, I was riveted for the first 20 minutes of the debate. Even more so than last week's. Palin lost me when she gave a shout out to an elementary school class. I thought this was supposed to be a Presidential debate, not American Idol.

Palin did perform better than I expected, perform being the operative word. Man, I just can't resist these cheap shots.

The scariest part was when the moderator talked about the possible passing of McCain. I'm not afraid of much, but the idea of a President Palin caused me to release in my pants a bit (don't worry, I didn't "follow through").

Palin seems to think the answer to everything is tax cuts, but that ain't gonna work with the debt we have, the Iraq war, a decline in educational standards compared to the rest of the world, finding alternative energy sources, you name it.

Sarah, so succinct, so on-the-spot, in just under 20 words. Amazing. :)

Tim, I agree. The choking-up bit was unexpected and not a gaffe to be found...plus his wife is hot.

PJ, that is so true. Can you imagine what could be done if 5% of what is spent in Iraq were put into educating those in the Deep South? The mind reels.