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Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend's July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.
"Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation's political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party," said the report from Harvard.
"The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans," write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam.
Their findings also suggest that Democrats gain nothing from July 4th parades, likely a shocking result for all the Democratic politicians who march in them.
"There is no evidence of an increased likelihood of identifying as a Democrat, indicating that Fourth of July shifts preferences to the right rather than increasing political polarization," the two wrote.
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pineinthegrass wrote: So what parades are good for Democrats? lol
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SS109 wrote: Democrats tend to despise American history so it only makes sense that they wouldn't fit in well on those holidays that celebrate this country's past.
"We didn't tame the west, we committed genocide on the Indians."
"We didn't carve this country out of the wasteland, we despoiled the wilderness."
"We didn't take down Saddam, a vicious dictator, those American GI's died for nothing."
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Nobody that matters wrote:
pineinthegrass wrote: So what parades are good for Democrats? lol
Cinco De Mayo?
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bailey bud wrote: labor day (in the old days)
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Kate wrote:
SS109 wrote: Democrats tend to despise American history so it only makes sense that they wouldn't fit in well on those holidays that celebrate this country's past.
"We didn't tame the west, we committed genocide on the Indians."
"We didn't carve this country out of the wasteland, we despoiled the wilderness."
"We didn't take down Saddam, a vicious dictator, those American GI's died for nothing."
Really? Despise American history? You're serious?
Let me throw another broad brush insult back at you. Perhaps it is only conservatives who are so easily swayed by patriotic fervor and emotion that they forget their intellect to the degree where parades are able to convince them of a particular political persuasion.
There. Now you can respond to that broad brush statement.
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