Is the Republican Party Really the Dumb Party?

When Mitt Romney lost the election last semester, it was needless to say that many people were not just surprised, but downright shocked. What were the reasons for this devastating loss? There were countless ones (his wealth, his hair, his awkwardness, his inability to evoke any sort of emotion, the fact that he won't let his dog ride in the car...take your pick). But with his loss, people started searching for answers on what the Republican Party must do to secure the presidential seat four years later. Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana and a Republican, offers us this piece of advice for future elections:

“Stop being the stupid party. It's time for a new Republican party that talks like adults. It's time for us to articulate our plans and visions for America in real terms. We had a number of Republicans damage the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments.”


Woah, that's a little harsh. “Stupid?” Can't “talk like adults?” It kind of feels being told by my parents to grow up when I'm throwing a temper fit (just kidding, I grew out of that ages ago). But is he right? Is the Republican Party the “dumb” party?


Lots of evidence point to the affirmative (but hold your horses until I’m done!). This seems to be the party of offensive and bizarre comments. Take Todd Akin, who believes that in cases of “legitimate rape” (as opposed to illegitimate rape?), “the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” All I can say is, I wish my vagina behaved that way. Or Richard Mourdock, who I believe thinks that in the situation of rape, pregnancies are a “gift from God.” Um, thanks for the gift, but I think I'll pass on this one. Other Republican candidates Linda McMahon, Tom Smith, and Josh Koster also deserve special mentions for their views on abortion too. These comments are strange, and strongly question the intelligence (and integrity) of these people.

These are arguably be the few cases of the extreme right on the views of abortion. We'll always have extremists on both sides. But when it comes to basic science, the majority of Republicans (58%) also believed that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years. Most Democrats and independents, on the other hand, did not agree.


Believing that humans were created 10,000 years is a downright contradiction of evolution, which is a concept in science which fuels our understanding of the world in every area, such as why we're lactose intolerant, how antibiotics work etc. Evolution is the basic building block of all scientific endeavors. Believing that the Earth wasn't created billions of years ago, but in recent times, also contradicts evolution. But Marco Rubio, the Senator of Florida and a member of the Tea Party explains his reluctance to accept that the Earth is around 4.5 billion years old like this: “I'm not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that's a dispute amongst theologians... I don't think I'm qualified to answer a question like that.”


Hey, man, I’m not a scientist either. But when people have dedicated thirty years of their lives to the pursuit of science, I am generally more inclined to agree with them than not, since they've probably replicated the data, verified it with other scientists and have all agreed to a consensus. And as for being qualified to answer a fact? I don't think I need to be a mathematician to be qualified to answer that 1 and 1 will equal 2. Sorry Rubio. I think you are qualified to answer a question like that.


It shouldn't be surprising then, that a research report found that only 6 percent of scientists identified as Republican and 9 percent identified as conservative. Furthermore, a 2005 study found that just 11 percent of college professors identified as Republican and 15 percent identified as conservative. With scientists and college professors predominantly Democratic or Independent, it would seem as though the Republican Party is lacking a strong based of academic power.

That is not to say there is no hope for the Party – there are undoubtedly bright people within the party. But their policies and words are being overshadowed by social policies intended to appease the extreme right. Before the Republican Party can regain its reputation, it needs to go back to its fundamental base, and fully separate religion from the state. No more talk about what God had intended (abortions, pregnancies, rapes). No more medically inaccurate facts about how a woman's vagina functions. Please, for the love of common sense, establish the significance of science, because it's what got us so far. Jindal was right – this is a party not associated with smartness. But it doesn't always have to be this way. With the right course, I sincerely believe that one day the Republican Party could someday be seen as the Smart Party.