Is Opposition to ‘Obamacare’ an Indicator of Racism?
As the Supreme Court debates this week a case involving the constitutionality of President Obama's health care overhaul, social scientists are asking a disturbing — and controversial — question: Do the intense feelings about the health care overhaul among ordinary Americans stem from their philosophical views about the appropriate role of government, or from their racial attitudes about the signature policy of the country's first black president?
In a new paper published in the prestigious American Journal of Political Science, Michael Tesler, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brown University, presents survey and experimental data that suggest that the racial attitudes of ordinary Americans have shaped both how they feel about the health care overhaul, and how intense those feelings are.
The paper is one of many studies that examines how the views of voters on policy issues are shaped — at least in part — by factors unrelated to those subjects: Voters are more likely to back the policies of leaders with whom they share some core aspect of identity, such as race or religion.
Tesler finds that blacks have become increasingly supportive of health care under Obama's watch. Among whites, Tesler finds a sharp divide between whites who have a liberal outlook on racial issues compared with those who have a conservative outlook on racial issues.
In an experiment, Tesler presents a health care overhaul policy to whites, telling some that the policy is advocated by Bill Clinton and telling others that it's advocated by Barack Obama; Tesler finds that whites with liberal racial attitudes become more supportive of the policy when they think Obama is its chief advocate, while whites with a conservative attitude become less supportive of the policy when they think of health care as an Obama policy.
The study is part of a broad range of research projects that shows that issues such as race and religion play a powerful role in shaping how people feel about policies related to war, welfare and crime.
Lexi
6:54 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
Ah John, coming right out of the gates once again with another beauty. You would love us to all cower and shake in our boots once you and your non partisan professor from that bastion of political equality Brown University lay down the race card. Sorry John..... that's not happening here. Lets take a look at the fine professor's experiment shall we. Tesler finds that whites with liberal racial attitudes become more supportive of the policy when they think Obama is its chief advocate. Well I'll be damned John, you mean a liberal is supportive of a liberal idea. Now John, how about those conservative white males being less supportive of a policy that comes from a left wing president...go figure. Strange how you use the words liberal racial attitudes and then use conservative attitudes omitting the word racial. The first thing a true hard core leftist like yourself does is play that race card because quite frankly John it is easy for you to do. Can you at least try to accept that there are people out here who do not like the president because of his radical leftist policies, not the color of his skin. As I recall John, President Obama won the majority of white voters in this country in 2008. The anger with this president is his policies John not his color. So tell us John which side of the social scientists question do you fall on?
Mikbee
11:40 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Is it a radical leftist policy to address the humanitarian crises that exists in this country today because health insurance has become unaffordable for too many millions of Americans not to mention employers? I think you went a little too far with that comment.
Buzz
10:56 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tea Party blather...
Mark Chulsky
10:27 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thank you, John, for the explanation, I did not realize that my desire to take care of my health business without federal help makes me a racist.
Incidentally, I happen to think the Affirmative Action policies are racist because they presume the Obama's daughters are not smart enough and need white folks help to stay afloat. How would your prestigious professor psychoanalyze me on this ground?
Lexi
10:42 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thanks Mark, it's getting a little treacherous out here
David Whelan
10:57 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Both sides overdue the word "racist" to the point where its lost some of its meaning.
Mark Chulsky
11:00 am on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
You are welcome, Lexi.
It does get treacherous when you dare to think for yourself. :-)
And John, another question for you. In Nov.2008 I saw quite a few "Yes, we did it!" bumper stickers, mostly on expensive cars with white drivers. To me it sounded a bit racist, or maybe I missed the point. Didn't Prof.Tesler diagnose those drivers with racism?
John B Goode
2:39 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Once Pelosi announced you have to pass it to see what's in it, it was doomed no matter what was in it. Who would buy a car you couldn't test drive until you bought it.
So yes there are big content issues with the law but the mechanism it was implemented with should anyone associated with it voted out.
John B Goode
2:41 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
That should read ...should have anyone associated...