TYT: Study - Conservatives Ignore Facts When Making Political Decisions

[ihavenobias]

Run time: 07:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzUzR-ymS2U   Posted on YouTube: August 29, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 01, 2009 By DU Member: ihavenobias Views on DU: 3652

 
Note: After you watch this clip, check out this great interview:

Summary: Cenk discusses a that builds on the findings of a that helps explain why so many right wingers seem to be immune to logic and facts. Notice MSNBC's pathetic attempt at false equivalency in that first link. I say false equivalency because in the survey and study it was only conservatives that showed the outright rejection of facts. Granted, obviously this could apply to anyone regardless of political affiliation, but that's not what was shown in the study and survey.

Also Watch These 5 Clips You May Have Missed:

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PS---TYT is now on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheYoungTurks

[Brevard Activist]

1. Rep. Bill Posey To Host Health Care Town Hall

Rep. Bill Posey To Host Health Care Town Hall
U.S. Rep. Bill Posey will host a Health Care Town Hall Meeting Wednesday, September 2, 2009 6:30 - 8:30pm at The King Center, 3865 N Wickham Rd. Melbourne FL 32936

Presentations will be made by Rep. Bill Posey and Dennis Smith.

Rep. Posey's press release includes the following short bio about Mr. Smith.
"Dennis Smith, former Director of the federal Center for Medicaid and State Operation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For seven years Mr. Smith ran the Medicaid health care program which provides coverage for over 50 million Americans."


What Rep. Posey does not tell us is who Mr. Smith works for now.... Dennis Smith is the Senior Fellow in Health Care Reform at the Heritage Foundation.
What is the Heritage Foundation and why should you care? The Heritage Foundation is a New Right think tank. Its stated mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies.

What is a think tank?
A Think Tank is an organization that claims to serve as a center for research and analysis of important public issues. In reality think tanks are public relations fronts headquartered in state or national seats of government. They serve the advocacy goals of their industry sponsors.

Who funds The Heritage Foundation?
To name a few, Allstate Insurance, AIG, Philip Morris, Honda, Exxon Mobil, Drug and medical giants Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb Pfizer, and PhRMA.


Top Funding Foundations include:
The Bradley Foundation, Scaife Foundation and the John M. Olin Foundation. You can read the entire list of contributors here:
http://www.heritage.org/About/upload/AnnualReport06.pdf


According to Sorcewatch.org
The Heritage Foundation commissioned the controversial Lewin Group, a consulting firm whose research has been widely cited by opponents of a public insurance option.

The Washington Post reports, the Lewin Group often cited by top Republicans as an independent research firm " is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers. More specifically, the Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association, a physician's group, of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data."

I sincerely hope Rep. Posey's remaining undisclosed panel will offer a more objective view of health care reform which is free from the influences of special interests and corporations.

Rep. Posey's constituents deserve an honest informative dialog, not big med/pharm propaganda.

[NecklyTyler]

2. K&R

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Two thumbs up for The Young Turks

[MedfordTim]

3. K & R

[Kajsa]

4. Excellent!

Cenk nails it, again.

btw, When the astroturfers bring up that idiotic " death panels" " letting people die" garbage,

please remind them of Katrina hitting NOLA and the non-response of FIVE DAYS.
THAT was a clear cut case of letting people die!!

It was four years ago, this week.

:(


K&R.

[ScottLand]

5. This is no different than the logic the Christians use.

And I'm sure it applies to many religious people. You can show them something in their Bible in black and white, and they'll still disagree with you. "You gotta have faith", not facts.

Part of the reason people are so ready to believe Iraq was part of 911 is because we don't know our enemy. We still (after all these years) don't know who these people are, so we lump them all together and think they're all the same.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

7. I was about to say something along the same lines-

Many of the people who believe all this crap about Iraq being involved in 9/11 and other such things are the same ones who believe that there were dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden. Their minds are conditioned reject facts that contradict their beliefs, and to accept what they want to believe as unassailable truth.

[ScottLand]

8. Only two things I REALLY believe about religion:

1. If there was no god, people would still believe as they do (so they can think that good will triumph). 2. They will do what they want to do and use their religion to justify it, while still condemning the actions of others.

These are the same people Cenk is talking about because the Conservative Right are among the most extremist religious zealots on the face of the earth.

[Nostalgic]

16. Good point

kicked, recommended and bookmarked.

[mwb970]

19. They can always fall back on "it's God's mystery".

You point out obvious contradictions and logical flaws in their statements and they look at you like they feel sorry for you and say "Well, that's part of God's mystery".

Gee, it must be nice to have a permanent "Get Out Of Being Shown To Be Wrong" card like that.

[ScottLand]

23. Yes, but on the other hand, I feel lucky

not to have to consider myself accountable to their paper-thin version of God. I'm free to use my own brain.

[Seldona]

21. I was about to write the same thing.

The thinking seemed the same to me. I am used to hearing it called 'being full of shit,' though I suppose they had to come up with some nice sounding euphemism.

[ScottLand]

24. Probably just comes down to what

shit you wanna be full of. I have to live with myself and I couldn't if I went to church on Sunday knowing what I know.

I really do believe we (as a society) are growing away from the mindlessness that most religions have to offer. Studies show that their membership is waning.

[livingonearth]

33. I know what you're saying.

The scary part is that this type of "ignore the facts religious thinking" can, and has, led to things like terrorism, inquisitions, witch trials, clinic bombings, crusades, etc .

[OhioChick]

6. K&R n/t

[slay]

9. Thnx for posting this ihavenobias

I always enjoy your TYT posts as I often do not have time to check out the show every day. Still waiting to see Cenk get a show on MSNBC - would be sooo sweet. :hi:

[ihavenobias]

22. Thanks.

I appreciate that.

[GrimReefa]

10. Health Care as a Moral Imperative

By and large, the Democrats seemed to have abandoned the notion of a moral imperative. In doing so, they have allowed the Republicans to define morality. There is no reason for evangelical Christians to vote Republican, in the face of everything that Jesus said (as opposed to a few obscure passages out of the Old Testament). Except for the fact that Republicans have staked a claim to being the party of morality, while the Democrats have made no such claim.

And since our side IS actually morally correct, while their side is twisted and hateful, you'd think it would be an easy sell.

Health care for everyone = the RIGHT thing to do. Makes sense to me. Makes sense to a lot of people. Now if only the Dems in DC would give that message a try.

[ihavenobias]

34. I agree, very few of them are making that particular argument.

Makes you wonder...

[Stumbler]

11. Surprise, surprise...

I've had enough conversations with enough conservatives to arrive at the same conclusion this study has, but it's nice to hear it laid out in a straight=forward way that I'd fail to describe as effectively.

Going back to "the liberals are emotional and don't use logic" complaint, I too have heard Rush and others on the right throw this gem out from time to time. It's obviously hypocritical to see the right use 'fear,' 'anger,' and 'hatred' to motivate their base into action, without a reliance on 'facts' or 'logic.' But it seems those emotions are tolerable. What really gets under their skin is the left's usage of 'sympathy,' 'empathy,' 'compassion,' etc.

Somehow the right has come to believe the first set denotes strength, while the second set evokes weakness, when in fact the opposite tends to be true. I guess it's just another example of up = down, and war = peace...

[bigmonkey]

12. This is a pretty widespread phenomenon.

Methinks it extends further than just right wingers and religious types, although those are instructive, current examples. Any kind of fanaticism or denial, it seems to me, leads to this kind of behavior. I'm a Buddhist (mostly), and I recently had an argument with a follower of Richard Dawkins who was evidencing this stuff.

[democracy1st]

13. K & R

[Turborama]

14. K&R has this got anything to do with the cognitive dissonance links you sent him?

I can't remember when it was you said you'd send them in but he's definitely gone along the same lines as that conversation we had.

I was saying during the election that when it's over there's going to be a lot of deprogramming needed because these nutjobs have been brainwashed in exact the same way cult members have. Facts do not come into their thought processes at all, they believe what they WANT, and have been programmed, to believe.

It is also increasingly clear that these same people suffer from the neurological condition called sociopathy (or, as I http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=277516&mesg_id=278168">defined in more depth here, "Sociopathic/Misanthropic/Antisocial Personality Disorder":

Profile of the Sociopath

This website summarizes some of the common features of descriptions of the behavior of sociopaths.


Glibness and Superficial Charm

Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.

Grandiose Sense of Self
Feels entitled to certain things as "their right."

Pathological Lying
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.

Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.

Shallow Emotions
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.

Incapacity for Love

Need for Stimulation
Living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.

Callousness/Lack of Empathy
Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.

Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.

Early Behavior Problems/Juvenile Delinquency
Usually has a history of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning others. Problems in making and keeping friends; aberrant behaviors such as cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc.

Irresponsibility/Unreliability
Not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.

Promiscuous Sexual Behavior/Infidelity
Promiscuity, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual acting out of all sorts.

Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle
Tends to move around a lot or makes all encompassing promises for the future, poor work ethic but exploits others effectively.

Criminal or Entrepreneurial Versatility
Changes their image as needed to avoid prosecution. Changes life story readily.

Other Related Qualities:

Contemptuous of those who seek to understand them
Does not perceive that anything is wrong with them
Authoritarian
Secretive
Paranoid
Only rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out situations where their tyrannical behavior will be tolerated, condoned, or admired
Conventional appearance
Goal of enslavement of their victim(s)
Exercises despotic control over every aspect of the victim's life
Has an emotional need to justify their crimes and therefore needs their victim's affirmation (respect, gratitude and love)
Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim
Incapable of real human attachment to another
Unable to feel remorse or guilt
Extreme narcissism and grandiose
May state readily that their goal is to rule the world

(The above traits are based on the psychopathy checklists of H. Cleckley and R. Hare.)


NOTE: In the 1830's this disorder was called "moral insanity." By 1900 it was changed to "psychopathic personality." More recently it has been termed "antisocial personality disorder" in the DSM-III and DSM-IV. Some critics have complained that, in the attempt to rely only on 'objective' criteria, the DSM has broadened the concept to include too many individuals. The APD category includes people who commit illegal, immoral or self-serving acts for a variety of reasons and are not necessarily psychopaths.

http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html">More...

[mwb970]

20. Gosh, what a perfect description of modern conservatives!

Hammer, nail.

[ihavenobias]

28. That 20% is lost to us.

The good news is there are plenty of moderates who aren't so crazy and resistant to facts.

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. motivated reasoning is ALWAYS dangerous - the Republicans have made it a way of life

[yellerpup]

17. K&R!

:kick:

[pleah]

18. K&R

[Wetzelbill]

25. and the sky is blue....

K and R. :)

[autorank]

26. More of this - lay it on!!! k*r n/t

[Name removed]

27. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FiveGoodMen]

29. I agree with the points made here

but the conclusion I'm inclined to draw from it is that people are not smart enough to make a democracy work.

It would help, though, if they were not continually and deliberately misinformed. They wouldn't have to justify their own bad decisions if they hadn't been railroaded into making those decisions in the first place.

That would require, however, that we do something about the deliberate telling of lies to the public. Right now, everyone defends that as free speech. Which is funny: you can't yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater (when there is no fire) because someone might get hurt in the ensuing panic. But you can lie to start a war and that's just the American way according to many here at DU.

If the stupid doesn't kill us, the lying will. Just something to think about.

[rollingrock]

30. No duh, Cenk

and you think the democrats in Washington are any better? Most democrats ARE conservatives especially when it comes to economic and foreign policy issues. the only purpose of the democratic party is to serve as token, meaningless opposition.

[matthewf]

31. k&r

[onlyadream]

32. It's simple!!!

They watch faux and believe all the crap that is being fed to them. Plain and simple. Give them facts and they don't want to hear it.

[Overseas]

35. K&R

Wish we had a more accurate corporate media that didn't pretend all issues were 50/50, facts be damned.