The only question is (elections...)

[cilla4progress]

why do voters keep voting in these Republican idiots?

Are voters that easily bullshitted?

Are environmental toxins dumbing down everyone to the point of lack of discernment?

Is defunding of public education causing Americans to be unable to connect the dots?

What? WHAT? Help me understand, please?

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/18/3605076/climate-hoax-politifact-lie-of-the-year/

<snip>

Earlier this year, readers of the Tampa Bay Times’ fact-checking project PolitiFact were asked to vote on what they believe was the year’s biggest lie. And as of Wednesday, the results are in: “Climate change is a hoax” was the overwhelming choice.

Over nine other options, almost 32 percent of the PolitiFact’s 14,467 poll voters chose the “hoax” claim, which was the title of a video released this summer by failed congressional candidate Lenar Whitney. Whitney, who proclaimed herself as one of the most conservative members of Louisiana’s state Legislature, released a 5-minute tirade against climate scientists and the existence of global warming. To prove her point, Whitney stated that the earth is getting colder, that there is a record amount of sea ice in the Arctic, and that climate scientists have been proven to actively falsify their data.

Shortly after the video was released, PolitiFact rated the claims within it as “Pants on Fire” — the site’s highest possible rating of fabrication. It noted NASA data which shows that 12 of the past 15 years have been the hottest years on record; that Arctic sea ice has significantly decreased over the long-term despite a few short-term increases; and that the climate science “scam” she cited was proven false by several investigations.

[djean111]

1. I believe that most people just vote for their team now.

And - that is what is encouraged, plus any bad stuff that directly affects people is blamed on the other team.
Quite the well-engineered scam, IMO.

[SheilaT]

2. The vast majority of voters are of the low information kind.

Most of us here on DU are very high information types, even though there's a wide range of opinions on all topics. We care a lot, we pay attention to what's going on, and we post here. We also vote.

The other thing is that almost everyone owns a TV and watches several hours a day, so all political season they see political ad after political ad after political ad. And decide how to vote based on that.

Or, they've been -- their family has been -- Republican since the Civil War and they honestly don't get how much things have changed.

Or they watch Fox News, nothing but Fox News, and have not a clue how much of what they see there is completely untrue.

Or they're sincere Christians who do really believe the Gay has plans to destroy their marriage.

And on and on.

Even good public schools don't really teach critical thinking to kids, and so most people have no way of assessing what they hear or see. I forget what the exact numbers are supposed to be, but probably about half of all adults never read another book after they leave high school. Of those who read books, I think it's around half who read about one book a year. The rest of us read much more than that, but we're still in the minority.

So it comes down to the simple fact that most voters are unaware of the real issues, but vote on them and for candidates nonetheless.

[world wide wally]

3. The influence of Fox News goes way beyond the TV channel

[Agnosticsherbet]

4. (1) Ideology works like religon.

They accept it as faith, without question.

That is the reason why voters keep voting for Republicans.

[cilla4progress]

5. All very good points!

Thanks!