I wouldn’t blame you if you skipped reading the Begley article, but one more item merited attention:
In fact, an adult’s political leanings can be predicted with eerie
accuracy by how anxious he was in preschool: the most anxious children
grow into the most politically conservative adults. Their temperament
leads them to value predictability, protection and preserving what they
have rather than taking a chance on change.
The implication here is that anxious kids end up becoming Republicans. If there’s any truth in this passage (it’s hard to gauge the truth when Ms. Begley fails to cite any source to back up the claim), I doubt the words Ms. Begley chose for her story convey that truth accurately.
A “temperament” that leads voters to “value predictability, protection and preserving what they have rather than taking a chance on change” is almost diametrically opposed to the modern-day conservative ? in other words, classically liberal ? support for free markets, limited government, and individual initiative.
People who fear change and who value government protection more than individual freedom tend to support candidates who worship at the temple of statism.
