A new Harvard Study (yes, that Harvard) concludes that patriotic events, like 4th of July parades, creates more Republicans.

Hey, it’s not often a Harvard Study supports conventional wisdom, so we must take the time to point it out.

Here’s the money quote:

“Our estimates are significant: one Fourth of July without rain before age 18 raises the likelihood of identifying as a Republican by 2 percent and voting for the Republican candidate by 4 percent. It also increases voter turnout by 0.9 percent and boosts political campaign contributions by 3 percent. Taken together, the evidence suggests that important childhood events can have persistent effects on political beliefs and participation and

that Fourth of July celebrations in the US affect the nation’s political landscape.”

Northwest Herald editor Dan McCaleb weighs in on the controversy over reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a recent Melissa Bean event. How dare the great unwashed wish to rise in praise of old glory, one they’re intent on recapturing and waving proudly in the modern day.

He, like Tate-Bradish, just recognizes that incivility masked as patriotism is, in fact, not patriotic at all.

Never was. Never will be.

McCaleb’s tongue clucking and putting on airs is bad enough. That it’s laced with such ignorance and condescension smack in the middle of a rejuvenated and rejuvenating Tea Party era in American politics only makes it worse. One might imagine this milquetoast of the American spirit standing on the docks in Boston circa 1773 with his hands up, yelling, careful boys, ya doesn’t wants to get your feets wet, mates!

McCaleb displays his ignorance in multiple ways.  He would have you believe that large numbers of American citizens riled up about and engaged in politics, many of them for the very first time, represent a decline into “pettiness,” to use his word. Bollocks!

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In an era when satellite imagery allows one to count cars from space, and in a country fascinated with numbers (weekly box office take, home runs, calorie counting, etc) the MSM is having a difficult time with the math on Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally held on the Mall in Washington yesterday.  By all reasonable estimates, nearly half a million people were in attendance, and yet, confusion (or perhaps subterfuge) rules the day.

CNN.com was reporting;  “large crowds” and “People filled the park by the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool. . .”  I have a question for the writers at CNN.  If Beck’s 500,000-plus is considered a large crowd, what term would you use for the Sharpton rally held across town?  Oddly enough, no mention of numbers or size was included in the description of Sharpton’s event.  Was this done to diminish one or to equate the much smaller march with the enormous rally?

MSNBC.com reported, “Tens of thousands flock to the capital for a rally that largely avoided politics.” After attacking and analyzing the event for a week before it happened, the NBC’s minor league team mostly avoided putting the story in the spotlight, instead favoring a position on the U.S. news page.  There was a mention on the homepage with a link to a video entitled “LaRussa, Pujols speak at Beck Rally” – huh? (more…)

And…

Boom!

Pop, pop, pop…

One more to come…

You can hear the seething on the left…

Turn out the lights…

No introduction necessary:

More to come…

Patriotism:

Turn out the lights…