Chapter Eight: The Conservative Advantage Summary and Analysis

Republicans have long understood the psychology of morality. They know that the emotional "elephant" is in charge of political behavior and they know how to reach the emotions of a people. The famous Willie Horton commercial that George H. W. Bush ran against Michael Dukakis during their race for the White House is a perfect example. A black man who was a murderer was shown leaving prison with a voice over warning the public that Dukakis was soft on crime. Democrats usually target their ads and appeals to the "rider" - to the reasoning part of human response. Bill Clinton was the exception to the rule. As a Democrat, he understood how to appeal to the emotional side of the people.

Haidt conducted research with several other colleagues and confirmed that liberals more...