The second time Putin got elected was due to pandering to the rural and less-developed areas of Russia. Conservatives don't realize what the like about Putin is the pro-rural propaganda and image he came up with. Particularly the part about "Russia first."

Conservatives in this country were fed a healthy diet of anti-Obama propaganda that convinced them all he was weak on foreign policy. Obama was full of contradictions and confused on FP (partly because Americans in general were)...but why specifically describe it over and over as weak?

Because macho-white-male-idiots like the word weak and it effectively mislead them into assuming its all about Obama not using the military enough. Which is ridicules because Obama loved using the military and didn't really cut defense. He was about as hard line as you could get without starting a new war (or three).

But this wasn't about reality -- it was about rhetoric. Obama is weak and naive -- like all Democrats. We need a big strong Republican like Trump who is not afraid to use the military to intimidate foreign leaders (like Putin) right? Except for that's pretty much the opposite of what's going on, isn't it? If you wanted someone to put foreign leaders in their place in a hard core American Imperialist sort of way -- you couldn't really have done better than Hilary Clinton. She certainly scared the shit out of Putin.

Putin is popular because Republicans and right-leaning Americans are way more susceptible to propaganda then they would like to think. They fancy themselves free thinkers because whatever bullshit AM radio/Info Wars style source they listen to tells them that they are free thinkers unlike those hive minded "Liberals."

Ironically of course, Putin is behind a lot of the news they are listening to. You know -- the old soviet spy guy that lamented the fall of communism. Yea you guys are real free in your thinking aren't you?

Fun Fact: Conservatives are Obese

http://i.imgur.com/NUBaebN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/c2ZPxOp.png

It's time for a fat tax. I'm sick of fat rednecks driving up my health insurance premiums with their diabetes.

this a good proposal. let's get this and parent licensing done then we can return to arguing about sex, fetuses and firearms.

Sorry, 13% of the population divided between North South and West don't skew it that much being only ~15% fatter than whites.

Elementary statistics.

Yes, Mississippi and Alabama are white

Mississippi and Alabama are 1/3 and 1/4 black respectively. So yea, I'd say they are mostly white.

Virginia is 20% black as well. It's almost as if the black population isn't fatter than the white population in a dramatic enough manner to make up for the fact that nationwide they are only 13% of the population.

You'd need to find statistics for "rednecks" to prove your point. Utah is the healthiest state in the union and overwhelmingly white and republican

Here's some more useful info for who is costing me more in healthcare. I say me since I'm confident you're in grad school and have never worked a day in your life

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/