But upvotes on discussions there are literally 100 times what they used to be just half a year ago. No way that happens naturally.

It’s neither. It is wilful ignorance. All those studies sorting political affiliations by education, IQ and whatnot never show a difference that is nearly as large as these kind of comments suggest. There are small trends, but not more.

The average IQ of republicans isn’t much lower. They just choose to squander their potential. Never underestimate the potential often human beings to lie to themselves. It is one of our most honed skills.