Republicans basically believe we can have a bright future ahead of us so long as we do not get in its way. Technology will continue to transform our lives in positive ways. Success and opportunity will improve our cities. Entrepreneurialism and free trade will help us succeed globally.
Democrats have a tendency to be pessimistic and to believe that the world is going to end if the government does not step in. In the 70s, the Democrats were worried about global cooling and expected -- I am referring to Democratic leaders like Ted Kennedy, Tip O’Neil and Howard Metzenbaum here as well as thinkers like Paul Ehrlich -- that American cities were in permanent decline, Japan was going to take over the business world and we had to back down militarily in the face of the all powerful Soviet Union. These were all wrong and we should all learn from the fact that the Democratic Party made bad, overly pessimistic predictions for so long.
I cannot explain why these tendencies of mind exist but they are very real. I think it is best to have optimistic leaders who believe we can do well. If you don’t think you can do well, you can’t.
As a postlude, it's interesting to note that Republicans are happier than Democrats. See the Pew Survey data here. :)
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