From a reader:
Jonah,
I’m an undergrad at Miami University (in OH) and I’m spending my summer
studying the election and the “emerging Republican majority” and how it
will affect the country over the next few years. As soon as I started
delving into the studies and analyses done on the subject, I started to
realize what you just wrote your column about – the defining
characteristics of Republicans seem to be optimism and patriotism, not
wealth or class, and the reverse (pessimism and cynicism)best characterize
Democrats. The key factor binding each of the parties together is an
outlook on life and the country, not any demographic indicator. This is
not to say that cynicism is not sometimes warranted, just to share with
you my thoughts on what I think might be a coming sea change in American
politics.