AP: Scientists Study Political-Genetic Link

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Politics-Genetics.html

Scientists Study Political-Genetic Link

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 2, 2006
Filed at 9:46 p.m. ET

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Politics may not be in the blood, but it could be in the genes. That's the theory a team of political scientists and geneticists is trying to prove with extensive studies of twins, genes and brain scans.

''I perfectly understand that some people are skeptical,'' said John R. Hibbing, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who is involved in the research.

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Genetic researchers are trying to prove that social attitudes can be inherited, and have discovered strong correlations between the two.

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Some scientists, however, are not ready to embrace the theory. ''The very idea that something like a political ideology could be heritable is incoherent,'' said Evan Charney, assistant professor of public policy and political science at Duke University. ''It doesn't make any sense, and it's historically inaccurate.''

Any similarities found in twins' political beliefs can be attributed to environment, not genetics, Charney said.

Charney's paper ''Genes and Ideologies,'' written to argue many of Hibbing and Alford's claims, is being considered for publication by the Review of Politics, Charney said. He recently presented the work to the American Political Science Association.

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[katsy]

1. hmmm... maybe this is more accurate:

greed/tax cut gene = gop

low iq/eq = gop

brimstone & fire crowd = gop

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30% total gop base