Post-election leaks have revealed that Republican Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin isn't aware of basic civics, political, and geographical facts. But her popularity among Alaskans remains high. Meanwhile, her colleague - senior Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens - was re-elected after being convicted of corruption. These picks express important value preferences.

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The Stanton Peele Addiction Website, November 7, 2008. This blog post also appeared on Stanton's Addiction in Society blog at PsychologyToday.com.

Surprising Things I Learned in the Election: Values Voters Like Dopes and Crooks!

Post-election leaks have revealed that Republican Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin isn't aware of basic civics, political, and geographical facts. But her popularity among Alaskans remains high. Meanwhile, her colleague - senior Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens - was re-elected after being convicted of corruption. These picks express important value preferences.

During the presidential race, Sarah Palin was unable to name a single publication she read when interviewed by Katie Couric. In another interview, she declared that the vice president runs the Senate.

Now Fox News, the New York Times, and Newsweek have disclosed the full extent of Palin's ignorance. She didn't know which countries comprise North America, she thought Africa was a country and South Africa a section of it (like South Philadelphia or South Boston are sections of those cities), and she had to have the competing forces and nations in Iraq explained to her at length.

From time to time, surveys are published revealing just how dumb Americans are - for example, they can't locate key countries in the world. I thought the purpose of such exercises was to shame us into upgrading our educational system. After all, Americans seem to favor better schools and want their children to be smart.

But it turns out Americans like dopey people - they're like themselves! (Have you ever seen Jay Leno quizzing people he picks out on the street?) That Sarah Palin doesn't know shoot from Shinola in no way has discouraged Alaskans from embracing her, and won't prevent many from urging her to run for president.

When Bill O'Reilly interviewed the Fox correspondent who found that McCain campaign aides were shocked at how empty Palin's head was, O'Reilly dismissed his findings. Palin could learn these things, O'Reilly maintained.

I beg to differ. Of course, Palin is capable of learning. Rather, when a college graduate in her mid-forties - moreover one who seeks higher political office - doesn't know key information, it is a statement of her values. Such knowledge is simply not important to her - like it isn't for many Americans, especially young ones.

In another Alaskan drama, Senator Ted Stevens was locked in a close race that was rated a toss-up. Indeed, several polls showed Stevens was trailing his Democratic opponent entering the day of reckoning. In the meantime, Stevens insisted on proceeding with a corruption trial accusing him of accepting home improvements from a builder in return for political favors. He was convicted of seven counts of failing to declare such gifts.

But a strange thing happened! Many pundits assumed the convictions spelled the end of Stevens' career, since no felon has ever been elected to the United States Senate. But Stevens squeaked by, his support seemingly enhanced by his convictions.

We can only conclude that Alaskans admire ignorance and dishonesty - at least when these traits occur with attractive politicians, like Palin, and old, familiar ones, like Stevens. Yet the same voters despise gays and non-Christians -- so that only Christians can hold higher office in the U.S. while gay-suppresion ballot initiatives passed around the country. The question is not whether there are values voters, but what their values are.