Deceptive Chart

The Atlantic has an interesting piece on twelve tribes of American votes, divided according to their views on religious issues. There is a chart, featured much more on-line than in print, which I think is deceptive. (Non-subscribers can see the chart, but not the article.) Consider the group, White-bread Protestants. This group is described as the heart of the old Republican Party, the country club Republicans who supported Republicans from McKinley to Ford. Some have gone to the left some to the right. They sure sound like center-right swing voters. The kinds of voters who are required for Democrats to win, but would normally default to Republicans.

Looking on the grid lines, they are on the mid-point of the economic values axis, perhaps a touch more conservative. However on cultural values, they are two grid lines to the left of the center line, only two grid lines from the edge of the chart. Another group described as "true moderates" are the Convertible Catholics who are one grid line to the left on both economic and social issues.

This chat deceptivly makes it look like moderates and leftists are clustered closely together, implying agreement, while the religious right ends up off in a corner by itself, impyling that its views are far from anyone elses.