Say Cheese

Be it sterotype or fact, I'm sure most would agree that there are fundamental differences between the "type" of person who identifies him or herself as a Republican, or a Democrat.  I won't speculate on what all of those those are right now (that will be another day), but I will just point this out:

Same poll, two sites:  Do you agree with Obama's decision not to release the pictures?

Fox News:

• Yes. We don't need to see a gruesome photo of a dead terrorist. - 34%
• No. We need to show the world that this madman is dead. - 55%
• Not sure. Some want proof, but it could incite violence and endanger Americans overseas. - 11%

MSNBC:

• Yes. The images could inflame and embolden our enemies, and no good purpose would be served by releasing them. - 66%
• No. We're mature enough to handle such images, and withholding them gives more fuel to conspiracy theorists. - 29%
• Maybe. I'd like to hear more about Obama's reasoning before I pass judgment. - 5%

Completely opposite results.


The wording of the options likely had an effect on the results, but is also very telling in and of itself (and I know that these are not technically partisan polls).  However, there seems to be something within the psyche of a Republican vs. that of a Democrat that would lead to these differences.

This is not an everyday political question - there is no "typical" Republican/Democratic answer to this question.  And yet there is still a clear split.

I heard Mark Levin on Fox News Radio today say that he wants to see the picture; that he "wants to revel in it" (and he said it like it was an issue of Hustler).  Do all Republicans feel the same way? Of course not.  Is it all tied in with Republicans' distrust of Obama? Maybe.  Or are most Republicans just fundamentally "show me the brains" type of people?