Least aware republicans

http://www.editorandpublisher.com
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I recently heard that more and more students from accredited college campuses were "turning off" middle of the road democrats with their angry rhetoric. The gist of this radio news report was that middle class working voters had a harder time aligning themselves politically with war protesters and environmental chicken-littles, and there was thus hope for a centrist led Republican surge in 2007-08. The problem I have with that supposition is that it seems most politically savvy television viewers are watching The Daily Show and PBS's Lehrer News Hour (See Above) both left of center by a few inches to say the least. The same pew survey reports that while the upper echelons of those polled for the survey (otherwise known as the politically aware) were composed equally of Republicans and Democrats the bottom third was predominantly republican. Radical leftists aside, why are the average folk of this country unwilling to ally themselves with the clerisy? Is it still uncool to be informed and intelligent? I thought that sentiment died in the 80's.