Coupled with authoritarianism, framing, and primate behavior, I think this gives us a useful description of voting behavior. Together, these may offer an effective description. As in, can we actually use this?
If you know anyone interested, please invite them to join in. Comments welcome.
“How Political Psychology Explains Bush’s Ghastly Success.
Death Grip
by John B. Judis
Post date 08.17.07 | Issue date 08.27.07
The New Republic
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20070827&s=judis082707
…experiments showed that the mere thought of one’s mortality can trigger a range of emotions–from disdain for other races, religions, and nations, to a preference for charismatic over pragmatic leaders, to a heightened attraction to traditional mores…

Based on political questionnaires… September 11 and mortality exercises “increased both conservatives’ and liberals’ liking for Bush.”
Then, in late September 2004, the psychologists… tested whether mortality exercises influenced whom voters would support… students who did the mortality exercises favored Bush by more than two to one…
In their experiments… mortality reminders from September 11 enhanced Bush’s popularity through November 2004… it is possible to draw even broader conclusions…”