On the same day that Gallop put out this poll:
PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education.
The differences are quite significant, as can be seen. While Democrats
are slightly less likely to report excellent mental health than are
independents, the big distinctions in these data are the differences
between Republicans and everyone else.
A distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into a Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign office Friday and demanded to speak to the candidate during a hostage drama that dragged on for nearly six hours before he peacefully surrendered.
Shortly after releasing the last of at least four hostages unharmed, 47-year-old Leeland Eisenberg walked out of the storefront office, put down a homemade bomb-like package and was immediately surrounded by SWAT team with guns drawn. Clad in gray slacks, white dress shirt and a red tie, he was put on the ground and handcuffed.
~~~Divorce papers filed Tuesday indicated Eisenberg was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, domestic related, and violation of a protective order. In the papers, Eisenberg’s wife said the divorce was a result irreconcilable differences and complained that he suffered from “severe alcohol and drug abuse, several verbal abuse and threats.”
Eisenberg also was arrested at least twice earlier this year, once for allegedly driving under the influence and once on two counts of stalking. The status of those cases was not immediately clear.
No, I’m not saying the guy is a Democrat. He could be a Republican or hell, even a Paulbot. There is mental health issues in all walks of life from conservatives to liberals to anarchists. But the timing of the poll just seemed to be humorous.
As for the poll itself, Gallop tries to explain it:
What are the implications of these findings?
Correlation is no
proof of causation, of course. The reason the relationship exists
between being a Republican and more positive mental health is unknown,
and one cannot say whether something about being a Republican causes a
person to be more mentally healthy, or whether something about being
mentally healthy causes a person to choose to become a Republican (or
whether some third variable is responsible for causing both to be
parallel).
But I don’t buy it. Gagdad Bob at One Cosmos wrote a great post on this subject a few months back:
In The Symmetry of God,
Bomford cites a typical but fascinating example of how the the
symmetrical logic of the deep unconscious applies to three-term
propositions. Up to now, we have been discussing the symmetry of
two-term propositions, for example, how it is that the left can turn a
quintessential patriot such as General Petraeus into a traitor, while
transforming their own treasonous beliefs into patriotism.This
is nothing new. The left does the same thing with criminals. It makes
no sense to a psychologically healthy person, but to an unhealthy
person, liberal victimhood is psychologically empowering, because at
least it allows the self-proclaimed victim to externalize their
subjugation while secretly being responsible for it.A leftist
can be a typical loser whose failure is entirely self-generated. But
proclaiming yourself victim means never having to recognize that
painful truth. Perfect! You oppress yourself all the way to secular
godhood, for the victim is the sacred liberal you & I-con. In the
liberal world, you are not innocent until proven guilty, you are guilty
unless granted victim status.
Go check out DummiesU for awhile and you will see some very unhealthy people, mental-wise, posting non-stop. The complete and utter anger they have is unchecked, they seem to feel no happiness just anger. Anger at the injustice of it all and blah blah blah….hell, they have a whole Mental Health Support Group forum that is quite popular.
Lets put another twist on it and say that Republicans tend to be religious in some manner while Democrats tend to be agnostic or atheist. Note I put the “tend” in italics to enforce the point that I am not saying ALL Republicans are like that, or ALL Democrats are like this. But overall I would find it highly unlikely to find more religious people as registered Democrats.
Could that have anything to do with it?
See author page
O’Reilly interviewed Kucinich tonight, or was it Paul? I know it was some wierd little guy. Now I remember, it was ‘Alf’ from the old TV show. Those three are easy to mix up. I think I heard someone screaming for Murtha, ‘ET call home’.
Republicans tend to look at the glass as half full no matter what is going on or who is in office. Democrats constantly look at the glass as half empty.
Republicans seem to see the brighter side of events and episodes, unless we get attacked (The Country I mean) than the Democrats because the Democrats believe the Country and/or the World is falling apart around them.
Even when they have a majority in the Congress and/or a Democrat President in office they still get pissed off. Because the Democrat they elected cant possibly or refuses to do what thier consituents asked them to do if they got elected.
But that’s the way the Democrats are, tell the people what they want to hear, then do what you want!! Democrats make promises to the people they cant possibly keep. They LIE!!
And Republicans just seem to roll with the punches. Oh they get mad as hell but it doesnt last long. Not like the Bush Derangement Syndrome Wackos (Which is an excellent example), which have proven themselves to be in desperate need of medication.
Republicans tend to find ways around problems where the Democrats just sit back and whine and moan “How can I change this”? Instead of getting up off thier asses and doing something about it.
Then again more Republicans are working and working (Even though you hate it) makes people happier. Democrats tend to sit back on the Government entitlements that they started 60 years ago. So I think there lies the problem.
Democrats need to get up and do something besides whale and moan about every little damn thing and do something constructive. They could always be hired for counceling those that have Post Traumatic Bush Syndrome!
“…one cannot say whether something about being a Republican causes a person to be more mentally healthy, or whether something about being mentally healthy causes a person to choose to become a Republican…”
I love that line!