People get very passionate about their causes, their religion, their business. People are awesome that way.
Some passionate people are "sunny" and others are "angry". Not surprisingly, I've always gravitated toward those who are sunny.
There are sunny Republicans (Schwarzenegger) and angry Republicans (DeLay). There are sunny religious leaders (Rick Warren) and angry ones (Farrakhan). There are sunny technology blogs (TechCrunch) and angry ones (gossip blogs).
And while more optimists are sunny and more pessimists are angry, there ARE plenty of angry optimists and sunny pessimists. But sunny people are far more pleasant to be around. They may be just as passionate, just as intense, but they usually have a deeper love of humanity.
Sunny people are lovers. They enjoy the success of others ... in fact, they celebrate others' successes. They trust others. Innocent until proven guilty. People in Silicon Valley tend to lovers.
Angry people are haters. They can't stand the success of others and want to bring those people down. They're jealous of innovation and attention that isn't directed to them. They're suspicious that everyone is trying to screw them over and take them for a ride. Guilty until proven innocent. A lot of people in New York and L.A. are really angry.
Great American leaders are generally sunny. Great Russian leaders are generally angry.
Roosevelt (both of them), Reagan, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Clinton were sunny. Nixon and Johnson were angry. (Ford, Carter, and the Bushes are not entirely sunny nor angry). Mike Huckabee has ridden up in the polls because he is sunny while Sam Brownback (both with similar ideology) faltered because he wasn't perceived as a lover. John Kerrey was angry in 2004 (which is, my theory, why he lost when he should have won). John Edwards is an interesting candidate - he can be a lover and a hater both in the same day (and sometimes in the same debate).
If you're liberal, you are angry if you hate George W. Bush but you are sunny if you hate the war in Iraq. If you are conservative, you are angry if you hate Hilary Clinton but you are sunny if you hate her plan to raise taxes. Demonizing people - whether it be the President of the U.S. or an ethnic group is what haters do. Lovers debate ideas.
Are sunny people more successful that angry people? Not sure. They are certainly happier. Angry people have a real sad life.
If you have a choice, be a lover, not a hater.