Black Republican
Member
id say a small gain for dems in house or a weak majority, obama reelected but looses senate 56-44
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US PoliGAF 2012 | The Romney VeepStakes: Waiting for Chris Christie to Sing
- Thread starter Invisible_Insane
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id say a small gain for dems in house or a weak majority, obama reelected but looses senate 56-44
speculawyer
Member
WTF? Oxymoron.
I'm an engineering student, and while I'm definitely far left (and I know others like me), my experience is that engineers definitely tend to lean right.
There's always a chance but without something huge happening I kind of doubt it. I think that Dems have a good chance to gain some seats, though.
I think somebody linked a blog that suggested that something needs to happen at the top of the ticket to either galvanize the Democratic base or depress the Republican base in order for there to be a shot at flipping the house. Something like, Newt being the top of the ticket, for example, because he is considered so vile by independents and Dems. Personally I don't think that would be enough, but that's the level of event that we would need to talk about for it to be in the realm of possibility.
Apparently, it's an actual term, though I have no idea what it means.
speculawyer
Member
No.
Engineers are on both sides of the spectrum. But if I had to guess, I'd say more lean left due to the fact that engineers are more willing to accept the scientific theory of evolution.
speculawyer
Member
I looked at the WIki and I still don't understand it.
No state and no private property . . . so who owns the means of production? That makes no sense at all.
speculawyer
Member
Where do you go to school?
Obviously so.
Quote from one of those ask-a-question sites: "No good engineer I know is a socialist".
Presumably randomised groups of citizens serving 1 year terms.
I know a lot of engineering students who are very religious and a significant amount of them do not believe in evolution. It might have to do with me being in Indiana, but it really seems like most engineers lean right. At least economically. Socially I'd say there's more of a divide, but they generally lean left.
Then again, this is all just anecdotal personal experience, which may mean nothing in larger context. I haven't been able to find any studies about it though with my quick google search.
Purdue
PhoenixDark
Banned
Why against Romney?
A27_StarWolf
Banned
Yeah I felt kind of bad, but some of them it was like to I click with agree or disagree, if I'm not sure or in the middle
RustyNails
Member
Demoralized base
There was a study that said that for science in general, the left has a majority, but it varies by science (life sciences overwhelmingly liberal, physical sciences more split down the middle but with a slight majority on the left). I'll see if I can find it.
Al-ibn Kermit
Junior Member
You all have to remember that democrats won a lot of congressional seats in 2006 on a wave of anti-bush sentiment. So any incumbent democrats running for reelection in purple/red-leaning states may have a harder time now then they did 6 years ago.
speculawyer
Member
Good school. But that explains it a bit. You would probably not have the same experience in MIT, RPI, Cal-Tech, Berkeley, etc.
Also what field of engineering?
Yeah, like I said, I think just being in Indiana has a lot to do with it. It's a pretty conservative state.
Also, I'm in aerospace. (I've been thinking of switching, but that's unrelated to this discussion)
empty vessel
Member
Probably depends on the field and region. Petroleum engineers in Texas lean hard right. As in, if you only tepidly supported GWB, you were considered a flaming liberal. I have a petroleum engineering degree and have family in the industry. Shit's crazy right now, politically speaking. But I suspect petroleum engineers are the most conservative of the bunch.
speculawyer
Member
I just fell over in my chair. What is it you do these days? Public interest law? Shouldn't you be in in North Dakota working a rig?
Byakuya769
Member
Engineers are notorious for being more likely to be fans of Ron Paul than other science majors. Oh, much more likely to be climate change skeptics too. Science is such a broad field with many highly narrow areas of study. Sometimes I wonder how many STEM majors some of you guys know. The scientific method is not some catch-all for disciplined and rational thought.
I frequent nicer cafés than they do.
http://www.people-press.org/2009/07/09/section-4-scientists-politics-and-religion/
has the highest % of republicans in by field as Chemistry with 9%, I seriously doubt any field of Science has anywhere close 50-50 split.
empty vessel
Member
Ha. Yeah, it turned out I didn't mesh well in the oil industry. (And my degree is from one of the top (and most conservative) petroleum engineering schools in the country.)
JCreasy
Member
So wait, WTH did Romney say today?
Second clip.
"Romney Affirms Obama's Economic Record"
Skip to 9:24
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/
Someone on Gaf back on 2008 said (and I'm paraphrasing) that Barack is so good at his shit, his opponents beat themselves first. Kinda reminds me of boxers who stepped in the ring with vintage Mike Tyson.
Second clip.
"Romney Affirms Obama's Economic Record"
Skip to 9:24
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/
Someone on Gaf back on 2008 said (and I'm paraphrasing) that Barack is so good at his shit, his opponents beat themselves first. Kinda reminds me of boxers who stepped in the ring with vintage Mike Tyson.
Aaron Strife
Banned
if democrats lose 9 seats in the senate, obama's probably getting his ass kicked. that means he's not winning VA, WI, NM, NV, etc. so he'd pretty much have no viable path to victory.
I think if the election were held today, Democrats would come close to reclaiming a majority but still about a half-dozen seats shy. And they'd hold onto the Senate at around the same margin. Obama would win over Romney by a small margin and Gingrich by a large (that would translate to downballot wins for Dems too).
speculawyer
Member
That is fucking wild man. You are probably one of the few that could make more with your undergrad degree than with your grad degree.
You should go into petroleum financing law. You could become super rich and then push your agenda hard. But somehow, I don't think that would work.
But I can kinda see where you far far left views come from. Oil is a commodity that exudes economic inequality parsed out in an arbitrary way. Some guy that randomly happens to own the right pieces of land can instantly become a zillionaire and that just isn't equitable.
speculawyer
Member
Our system is looking unsustainable . . . because we cannot sustain it, literally.
evil solrac v3.0
Member
Our system is looking unsustainable . . . because we cannot sustain it, literally.
we're broke, we have to make things last longer.....
Learn2read
Member
Mechanical Engineer in the oil and gas industry that's a pinko commie here, shrug
Learn2read
Member
Another thing to remember is that Engineering is sometimes called "Applied Science"...as in you take basic concepts and apply them to the problem at hand, and by necessity have to cast off variables that bog down your model.
Sound familar to how LOLbertarians approach anything? All the variables they want to cast off ARE the thing.
Sound familar to how LOLbertarians approach anything? All the variables they want to cast off ARE the thing.
jamesinclair
Banned
The thing is "2002" doesnt sound old.
If youre selling me a 2002 corolla, I wont think "shit thats 10 years old!" Ill think "2002? Thats pretty new!"
Now, a 98? Thats ancient.
This engineer leans pretty hard left... well, I suppose that's not a secret.
But yeah, I've seen no particular correspondence between engineering training and a firm grasp of the hard sciences beyond the particular disciplines used by that engineer. The biggest conspiracy nut* I know graduated with an engineering degree.
* I mean the tinfoil hat kind, not the Elders of Zion kind.
But yeah, I've seen no particular correspondence between engineering training and a firm grasp of the hard sciences beyond the particular disciplines used by that engineer. The biggest conspiracy nut* I know graduated with an engineering degree.
* I mean the tinfoil hat kind, not the Elders of Zion kind.
reggieandTFE
Member
I'm confused with this statement. Are you saying that sociologists lean to the right? I think that's patently wacky considering Karl Marx is hailed as one of the three most important sociologists.
Anthropologists also lean heavy left, we're pretty soft as a science. Not as soft as sociology or psychology, but pretty soft.
jamesinclair
Banned
I see someone recycles their posts on green autoblog.
Our system is looking unsustainable . . . because we cannot sustain it, literally.
Couldn't this be due in part to improvements in manufacturing and reliability?
A bit. For instance, GM had switched to a 10 year warranty back in 2006 or so, but that has more to do with a change in out of warranty repair costs rather than improvements in manufacturing techniques. It was cheaper to hold auto-repairs to in warranty costs than have customers call in for financial assistance at full costs.
I think the biggest contributing factor to people not buying new automobiles is that the class that did it in the past no longer has the buying power to do so, figured out that leasing is a waste of money, and loan rates are too steep.
Salvor.Hardin
Banned
As an Economics grad, I find that statement hard to grasp. Economics doesn't lean anywhere other than where your interpretation and data suggest. There's no inherent bias in the field just like there's no prevailing theory in Sociology.
Why would leaning to the left imply there is a bias? While I am no economics major, it seems to me that austrian theories, and trickle down are pretty bunk, and would usually be taught as such in economic courses - just like Frued is taught - an important contributor, but with too much pseudo-science that no longer fits the data.
Ya I would agree with this as well.
i_am_ben
running_here_and_there
read the dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Mortrialus
Banned
Edit: 80% of atheists voted for Obama compared to McCain's 20%. Atheists are more likely to be liberal.
Salvor.Hardin
Banned
That's not how economics is taught though. Different schools have a different emphasis depending on the history of their research. But the fundamental mechanisms have no direction. Economic policy depends on a whole slew of external factors such that any type of economic theory can work if the environment is suitable. Economists don't tend to call theories 'bunk' because as long as the fundamental mechanism is intact, the contention between theories comes from environmental and political suitability.
That's why you'll often read of American economists being quite wary of the implementation of a European model in the States. It's not that the European economic system doesn't work, it's just that the necessary factors for it to function in the US just aren't there. It would require a complete rethinking of financial philosophy from the average investor and a rehaul of the prevailing bureaucratic and political structures.
Mortrialus
Banned
Austrian economics is deliberately anti-research and anti-science. Anyone who knows anything about philosophy of science will look at a field of study rejecting empiricism and testing and call it for what it is: Worthless as an attempt at understanding the universe and anti-science.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
From all these tests that you guys are taking, you should be voting for Ralph Nader 
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