Quote (Wakeskater77 @ Jul 3 2012 08:23am)
There's a reason why I said phds...I'm talking about the highly educated, not just people with BAs/BSs.
That being said, I think college graduates tend to be more left than right.
Are lawyers not highly educated? How about those who obtain an MBA? Why are Economists less relevant (or why aren't they more relevant) than many low paying academic positions in the humanities? Does obtaining a Phd in the Humanities (or many social sciences) qualify you to speak on the Economy or many of the political issues of the day?
Relatively low-paying academic positions (PhDs aren't normally obtained for the money) will always be hotbeds of leftist ideology, just as the business and economic professions are heavily skewed towards the right.
If you go back to Kerry vs Bush (I'd posit that Obama v McCain was an anomaly due to the political climate), 52% of college graduates voted Republican, at the very least I wouldn't say that they lean left, and Republicans often edge out Democrats in both the graduate and professional degree categories, just like they edge out the Democrats among the middle and upper-middle classes.
The Academic community is left-leaning in large part because the academic life appeals to values held by left-leaning individuals. I don't think you can divorce that from the equation.