Why are we so Conservative here?

[DocHoss]

Before y'all neg my sorry ass to Red Hell, this is not a complaint or criticism, merely an observation.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist (apology to Mslman71 and any other real rocket scientists out there) to know that support for Romney, the Republican party, and conservative politics is much more prevalent in this forum than in the rest of the country. I don't know about the regular misc as I don't go there. Obama beat Romney 50.5% to 48.0% in the popular vote, a margin of 2.5%, while the O35 exit poll had Romney winning 55.7% to 22.9%, a margin of nearly 32%, with 12.9% voting "other," compared to 1.5% in the real election.

So my query is why are we so much to the right of the country as a whole? (Try to avoid the snarky temptation of "We're smarter"). I have a couple of ideas and look for further input.

1. We're all from Oklahoma or Utah.
Doubt that.

2. Random chance, a statistical fluke.
Doubt that too.

3. We're primarily white, middle-aged men.
It's no secret that the prime demographic of the Republican party is white, older voters. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians overwhelmingly voted Democratic. And this forum is overwhelmingly white and primarily male. I can think of very few regular posters here who are not obviously white - NorwichGrad and I presume paolo59 are two that come to mind. But I think they are both on the Romney side. Also, women here seem to be well below half the membership. So that's a possibility.

4. Bodybuilders are more self-reliant than the general population.
We push hard to better ourselves, to get stronger and bigger than the average person. We work hard in the gym when the average person would give up. I think there has been a common attitude among the more successful of us that those who have been less successful have poor diet and/or training at best, a bunch of whining, lazy ****s at worst. "I built myself up; it's all your fault if you can't do what I did." (Please note I do not think this is a universal attitude; the best here tend to be the most supportive as well) Perhaps this carries over to life in general. "The only reason you're not successful in life is that you don't work hard. Like me." "Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated." (Yes, I have been called "obsessed;" I happen to think I'm dedicated)

Any other thoughts on this? I'm curious to know why we're so different as a whole from the rest of the country.

[Brackneyc]

Above average intelligence I guess.

[so-tex]

I am more than conservative. I am a right winged, whacko nut job. . On a serious note, I have always believed that a limited Government is the best Govenment. Paint me as a Libertarian, because that is what I am.

[nyckid20]

Having a minimum safety net for those who are in times of great need - whether you believe it should be on a state level or a federal one - does not mean that one must embrace laziness or reliance (as long as you ensure the safety net does not allow for those who use it to continue doing so after their "need" is over - I would agree our government has failed at this to a degree).
In fact, no matter how self-reliant you believe yourself to be, you still depend on others in more ways than you can count: to grow food, to ship it to your local supermarket, to keep the electricity flowing to your home, to actually BELIEVE your money is worth anything and therefore take it in exchange for goods, to bring oil to your local gas station so you can fill up your car, etc.,etc.
If you wish to put your self-reliance to a real test, go out in to the wilderness and spend a year fending for yourself.
Taking care of your body certainly demonstrates that you are more motivated, but there are people, like university professors, who are also extraordinarily motivated and tend to (statistically speaking) be democrats.

I am not weighing in on whether I prefer republicans or democrats, but rather pointing out that your arguments are not very solid.

[Al Shades]

Bodybuilding is a masculine pursuit which stresses self-reliance, self-discipline and self-learning.

Conservatism is a a masculine ideology which stresses self-reliance, self-discipline and self-learning.

Does that answer your question?

Every fitness forum I've ever been to, except aerobics forums, crossfit forums, and wimmin's forums, was predominantly conservative.

Manly men lift weights and manly men are conservative, by definition. There's no such thing as a masculine liberal.

[Gunite]

I don't have a clue why anyone would vote for a socialist like Obama, or any other Democrat for that matter.

[Gunite]

In fact, no matter how self-reliant you believe yourself to be, you still depend on others in more ways than you can count: to grow food, to ship it to your local supermarket, to keep the electricity flowing to your home, to actually BELIEVE your money is worth anything and therefore take it in exchange for goods, to bring oil to your local gas station so you can fill up your car, etc.,etc.

That's a really naive way of looking at the world. No one grows food for free and then just hands it over to me, nor does anyone just generate electricity for free and just provide it to me. I go to work and provide a service to the economy that has a set worth in the marketplace based on the rate of exchange of currency that I use. I then get paid in that currency. I use that earned currency to pay for the other services that other people work to provide.

That's called capitalism.

And it doesn't weaken the OP's statements at all.

[goranothos]

Here is your answer.

Most of us in this forum are used to working for results, be it financial or physical.

Most Obama supporters are moochers who want to have everything handed to them through "redistribution".

"Redistribution" means taking stuff away from those who have worked for it and giving it to those who have not worked for it.

The "old school" term for "redistribution" was "socialism" or "communism".

I hope this answers your question.

[theKurp]

No one else abhors lazy more than me. No one thinks less of people who rely on entitlements rather than self-reliance than me.

Romney is a f*cking idiot. My vote for Obama wasn't a pro vote for Obama, it was an anti-Romney vote.

[Karl_Hungus]

Men who vote lefty are usually effete, soy latte-sipping, hippy little wussies with no testosterone.

[Brackneyc]

Romney is a f*cking idiot.

I'll lay odds he is smarter than most guys here.

[mslman71]

Romney is a f*cking idiot.

Why? What makes him demonstrably an idiot - more than simply you don't generally agree with his politics or the politics of his party?

[theKurp]

Why? What makes him demonstrably an idiot - more than simply you don't generally agree with his politics or the politics of his party?

Seriously? It would be far easier to prove Romney an idiot than it would be for you to prove I don't agree with the conservative agenda. Starting with his flip-flops on numerous topics, to his inane 47% comment, to his debating Obama on foreign policy then later agreeing with him, to his Jeep Ad lies, and a whole lot in between that frankly, I don't want to waste time on documenting.

[goranothos]

Romney is a f*cking idiot.

No. Romney made a lot of money by being smart, unlike you.

My vote for Obama wasn't a pro vote for Obama, it was an anti-Romney vote.

No.

Your vote for Obama was a "pro moocher" vote.

Sorry bro, you are the idiot, unless you are a parasite sucking the blood out those of us who work for a living.

[paolo59]

I don't know, maybe something to do with living within your means? Having realized that Santa Claus is a childhood fantasy. He really doesn't exist! But for many, he does evidently. He flies around in his sleigh, pulled by leftwing democrats, steals from those who have, and deposits it on the doorstep of those who continually vote for his perpetual existence!

[theKurp]

No. Romney made a lot of money by being smart, unlike you.




No.

Your vote for Obama was a "pro moocher" vote.

Sorry bro, you are the idiot, unless you are a parasite sucking the blood out those of us who work for a living.

Right, I attack a candidate, who by his very candidacy makes him fair game, and you attack me. And I'm the idiot?

[theKurp]

No. Romney made a lot of money by being smart, unlike you.

Yeah, he's a smart one that Romney. So removed from reality that he didn't even prepare a concession speech. Never has the phrase "earth to Romney" been so apropos.

[taf1968]

Yeah, he's a smart one that Romney. So removed from reality that he didn't even prepare a concession speech. Never has the phrase "earth to Romney" been so apropos.

Do you know for a fact that Obama had a concession speech prepared? A presidential candidate needs to project confidence--part of that confidence is believing you will win.

[djflex]

Because i care about economic policy and the fiscal health.of this country

[Karl_Hungus]

Right, I attack a candidate, who by his very candidacy makes him fair game, and you attack me. And I'm the idiot?

Yes.

[mslman71]

Because I don't like to be told what to do and I don't believe in the interests of the collective over the rights of the individual.

[mslman71]

Seriously? It would be far easier to prove Romney an idiot than it would be for you to prove I don't agree with the conservative agenda. Starting with his flip-flops on numerous topics, to his inane 47% comment, to his debating Obama on foreign policy then later agreeing with him, to his Jeep Ad lies, and a whole lot in between that frankly, I don't want to wa ste time on documenting.

That doesn't make him an idiot anymore than it makes Obama an idiot for basically adopted each and every policy left behind by the Bush admin (GITMO, Patriot Act, etc.). Remember how hard liberals were wailing about the infringement of government on our personal liberties with the Patriot Act? One I happened to wholeheartedly agree with, by the way; GITMO, foreign interventionism, etc.? You guys seem all about it now. You are just like the Republicans and just like Romney. You change your position to whatever is relevant for your immediate political interests. You aren't worse, you aren't idiots for it (that doesn't define an idiot despite whatever it is you wish to believe), you are just self-serving like the other side despite all of your delusions of [self-righteous] grandeur.

[GuyJin]

Personally, I don't have a dog in the fight (I'm Canadian) but to offer my little thoughts on the political debate which has sprung up from the OP's question--and I don't really have an answer for him--here they are.

Romney, no, he's not an idiot, at least in the financial sense. Like it or not, he made his millions by working within the system, such as it is. Called it flawed, call it unjust, it is what it is until someone decides to change it. Fine, he can keep his money. He's entitled to it.

However, while he's no dummy when it comes to business, he proved himself to be an idiot in the political arena. I'll preface this by saying I'm not an Obama supporter at all. I found him very weak on foreign policy, did not really change things in America all that much vis-a-vis jobs, and Obamacare will have that good ol' sustainability problem. The costs will be staggering which will increase the US's debt all the more over the next four years.

But leaving that aside for the moment, a presidential candidate should be considered by the voters a person of the people and FOR the people. Romney blew it by tossing out the "47%" argument which was not only wrong, it's stupid. He blew it with women voters when his wife tossed out the fact that she didn't have to work. (Or maybe he did--I forget). This came off as being elitist, especially when many women not only choose to work in today's economic climate, they have to. (And yes, both Dem. and Rep. govt's have been responsible for this mess). Romney screwed himself by setting himself apart through his millions. JFK came from ill-gotten money through his moonshining daddy but, and this is a big BUT, he had an empathy with the people of that time, black and white, rich and poor. Mittens was always seen as being aloof and setting himself apart from those he wished to lead which did not resonate well with the voters, especially the minorities who will soon be the majority.

It's not Obama winning it, it was how Romney lost it.

[theKurp]

That doesn't make him an idiot anymore than it makes Obama an idiot for basically adopted each and every policy left behind by the Bush admin (GITMO, Patriot Act, etc.). Remember how hard liberals were wailing about the infringement of government on our personal liberties with the Patriot Act? One I happened to wholeheartedly agree with, by the way; GITMO, foreign interventionism, etc.? You guys seem all about it now. You are just like the Republicans and just like Romney. You change your position to whatever is relevant for your immediate political interests. You aren't worse, you aren't idiots for it (that doesn't define an idiot despite whatever it is you wish to believe), you are just self-serving like the other side despite all of your delusions of [self-righteous] grandeur.

Baffling how you seem to think you know me. Try this on for size. I work for the largest defense contractor in the world. The same company whose stock fell with the news of Obama's victory. The same company who stands to lose the most from a President who, along with the Democrats, wants to cut defense spending far more than the Republicans. The same company who undoubtedly will take a hard look at my employment status when the inevitable squeeze gets applied.

Yep, my vote for Obama was about as self-serving as it gets.

[LisaSkinnoble]

I don't know, maybe something to do with living within your means? Having realized that Santa Claus is a childhood fantasy. He really doesn't exist!

[Jcwiggy21]

Well I'm from oklahoma so....

[mslman71]

Baffling how you seem to think you know me. Try this on for size. I work for the largest defense contractor in the world. The same company whose stock fell with the news of Obama's victory. The same company who stands to lose the most from a President who, along with the Democrats, wants to cut defense spending far more than the Republicans. The same company who undoubtedly will take a hard look at my employment status when the inevitable squeeze gets applied.

Yep, my vote for Obama was about as self-serving as it gets.

Fair enough... My apologies. Replace the text 'you' with 'vocal advocates' if you like. I too work in the same fields (space & defense) and am willing to take budget cuts from either administration if that's what it takes. Truthfully you are I were going to take a hit no matter what. We are taking a hit and those hits were put in place well before the election though they will officially 'trickle down' to us next year. Im going to assume your budgets parallel ours. This still has little to do with why Romney is an idiot, at least notably more so than any of the others. They all do the same thing. For some reason unknown to me (since I know nothing about you - absolutely true) you seem to be making a distinction that I simply do not think exists.

[Iceman1800]

I don't have a clue why anyone would vote for a socialist like Obama, or any other Democrat for that matter.

But that's the beauty of our country. I'll never understand how a working man could vote republican and I will never, ever grasp how someone who calls themself a christian can vote republican. We all have our own opinions on the same issues.

[so-tex]

Baffling how you seem to think you know me. Try this on for size. I work for the largest defense contractor in the world. The same company whose stock fell with the news of Obama's victory. The same company who stands to lose the most from a President who, along with the Democrats, wants to cut defense spending far more than the Republicans. The same company who undoubtedly will take a hard look at my employment status when the inevitable squeeze gets applied.

Yep, my vote for Obama was about as self-serving as it gets.

Yet you voted for Obama anyway. You had to see this coming, and at what possible cost?

[paolo59]

I'm sorry. Someone had to say it!



At least when Santa's sleigh is pulled around by right wing Republicans he's dropping bombs! LMAO