Blind Loyalty

I am amazed at the number of Americans who identify themselves as Democrats despite the fact their values, beliefs and convictions more closely align with conservative rather than liberal values. How can we explain this phenomenon? The following should help.


First, I believe humans have a natural tendency to misplace their loyalties. They mistakenly put it in people rather than the principles of their ideology. There are those today whose affection for Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton make it difficult if not impossible to vote for the other party. These loyalties become an integral part of their identity and thus they cannot allow themselves to even consider any choice that suggests a betrayal of their heroes and mentors.

Second, humans desire to be seen as rational, stable, and predictable creatures. These virtues suggest intellect, emotional maturity, and reliability. Measures of these virtues are rooted in our preferences, choices, and allegiances. If we display inconsistency in our behaviors, we believe this detracts from how we want to be perceived and it betrays who we thought we were. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to abandon our loyalties and follow our instincts unless the object of our loyalty has publicly or dramatically violated the relationship.

Third, as political parties tend to evolve over time tracking the cultural shifts in the fabric of our society, the disparity between who they were and who they have become is very subtle and often unnoticeable. And if your loyalties are secured more by the humans than the ideology, then the changes are even less apparent and the relationship hasn’t been violated.

The fact is, if more people recognized the Democrat Party has abandoned its traditional values, they would see the Republican Party in a different light, not the caricature created by the liberal movement. They would understand and accept that supporting a Republican ticket is not their betrayal but a betrayal of the leadership to the values and principles upon which the Party was founded.