One amusing pasttime is to watch liberal Democrats puzzle about why they lose elections, especially those to George W. Bush.

Generally, their explanations boil down to:

  1. The election was rigged
  2. Voters are stupid
  3. Karl Rove is/was an evil genius

One even wrote a book, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” that pondered why Kansans voted “against their own interests” by voting Republican. (One simple answer: because they define their interests differently. Duh.)

One might ask why blacks vote heavily for Democrats, the party that smothers them in pity, undermines their sense of self-sufficiency and patronizes them worse than any racist ever could.

Now there’s a new theory of voter behavior, as covered in the latest issue of The New Republic, the liberal mag that was recently scandalized by publishing phony war diaries designed to make US soldiers look bad.

The theory? That fear of mortality makes people act differently (sparking something called worldview defense), and that Bush, by reminding voters of 9/11, induced them to vote against their own interests.

In the months after September 11, most Americans were caught up in the same reaction to the tragedy–and that included adulation for Bush, even among many Democrats. But over the next few years, faced with two elections, Bush had to maintain his popularity; and he did so by constantly reviving memories of that dark day.

Yes, but perhaps it was because Bush sees daily intelligence briefings and sees the threat as no one else can. Remember the failed attempt to hijack airliners in England and explode them over US cities two summers ago?

As the 2002 election approached, voters turned their attention to the recession, as well as Enron and other scandals–all to the Democrats’ favor. At that point, Bush, who had stood aside in the November 2001 gubernatorial elections that Democrats won, sought to base the 2002 election on terrorism. Bush and Karl Rove used the full arsenal of scare tactics to evoke fears of another September 11.

The Democrats want Americans to forget 9/11 so they can get busy redistributing citizens’ wealth to suit their “worldview.” Republicans believe that, of all things, the federal government must protect the lives of its citizens.

It’s really not that complicated.