As If There Was Ever Any Doubt

Andy Bromage for the New Haven Advocate reports on a study by Christopher Lohse, a social work master’s student at Southern Connecticut State University. [He] has proven what many progressives have probably suspected for years: a direct link between mental illness and support for President Bush. (…) The thesis draws on a survey of 69 psychiatric outpatients in three Connecticut locations during the 2004 presidential election. Lohse’s study, backed by SCSU Psychology professor Jaak Rakfeldt and statistician Misty Ginacola, found a correlation between the severity of a person’s psychosis and their preferences for president: The more psychotic the voter, the more likely they were to vote for Bush. (…) The study used Modified General Assessment Functioning, or MGAF, a 100-point scale that measures the functioning of disabled patients. A second scale, developed by Rakfeldt, was also used. Knowledge of current issues, government and politics were assessed on a 12-item scale devised by the study authors. “Bush supporters had significantly less knowledge about current issues, government and politics than those who supported Kerry,” the study says. Lohse says the trend isn’t unique to Bush: A 1977 study by Frumkin & Ibrahim found psychiatric patients preferred Nixon over McGovern in the 1972 election. via Tom Tomorrow via Hunter at dailykos