There is a gross generalization that people (especially independents) often make out of politics: both sides are full of [insert negative property here.] You know, both are full of corruption, extremism, bull-headedness, you name it. I don't think that this overly symmetric view of politics is terribly accurate, but it persists. Often, however, it is true, though usually in a lop-sided sense. One such example is in science and technology.
On the political right, there are a great many Luddites. Let us consider opposition to stem cell research, the teaching of evolution and other natural historical sciences, and action on global warming, just to name a few. Sadly, the political left has its own problematic instances of resistance to scientific progress, opposition to nuclear energy and genetic engineering of useful organisms.
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