Fear of Death Wins Minds and Votes, Study Finds

[buycitgo]

is this their MAIN campaign tactic, not to mention ruling trope?

President Bush (news - web sites) may be tapping into solid human psychology when he invokes the Sept. 11 attacks while campaigning for the next election, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Talking about death can raise people's need for psychological security, the researchers report in studies to be published in the December issue of the journal Psychological Science and the September issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.


"There are people all over who are claiming every time Bush is in trouble he generates fear by declaring an imminent threat," said Sheldon Solomon of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, who worked on the study. "We are saying this is psychologically useful."


Jeff Greenberg, a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said generating fear was a common tactic. "A lot of leaders gain their appeal by helping people feel they are heroic, particularly in a fight against evil," Greenberg said in a telephone interview from Hawaii, where he presented the findings to a meeting of the American Psychological Association.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040729/pl_nm/campaign_fear_dc&cid=615&ncid=1963&sid=96378800

[ashling]

1. same principle as soap operas

[ashling]

2. That and "supressing the vote"

Was listening to a talk show from Seattle today. Some Repub. from Louisiana called in .

When asked who he thought would win Louisiana he says "Bush . . . especially if it rains"

Why.

"People don't vote when it rains."

[regnaD kciN]

3. Let's see...fear of death wins votes...fear of Hell raises productivity...

It's obvious -- in order to turn this country around, all we need to do is convince people that anyone who votes for Bush will die and go to Hell!

:evilgrin:

[buycitgo]

4. yep........that's what I thought this article was about, too

isn't it amazing how obvious the appeal to all the baser instincts the pugparty relies? does that make sense?

just like Nixon

fear

xenophobia

paranoia

racism

jingoism/chauvinism

pettiness

selfishness

ignorance

self-righteous religious indignation

what POSITIVES are they going to put out, besides their ridiculous fight em there so we don't have to fight em here meme, and the equally ridiculous best economy in 20 years BS?

[flordehinojos]

5. To play with people and their fears is not only immoral, it is evil!

But when the people stand up to to fear and face it, it is the evil one who will be squashed.

John Kerry is standing up to GWB and to the evil and fear he seeds all over this country.

John Kerry may become a great tsunami which will wash GWB away from the White House and return it to the people and to a time of hope, enlightenment and growth for all.

Me thinks that George and Jebbie and all the rest of the Bushes had a lot of fear instilled in them by Mommy and Poppy and consequently they are trying to seed and instill fear in all of us.

Boo Georgie Boy! Be gone on Nov. 2 --oour voootes wiiill cooouuunt!
:bounce:

[no_hypocrisy]

6. If Dems were to respond to that, they'd ask: who'd you want to run into a

burning building to save your life: John Kerry or *? John Kerry is a proven, veteran firefighter, who has saved several lives of his colleagues. * is still at the firehouse, drinking beer and making bad jokes, and never attended a fire.

I think the metaphor is apt.

[Moderator]

7. Duplicate

Please continue here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=715646