Don't Like the Facts? Ignore Them.

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=01&year=2011&base_name=dont_like_the_facts_ignore_the

Don't Like the Facts? Ignore Them.


As a rule, ideologues are blinded by their devotion, but I'm continuously impressed by the GOP's ability to ignore all inconvenient facts, like the Congressional Budget Office's projections on health-care reform:

Rescinding the federal law to overhaul the health-care system, the first objective of House Republicans who ascended to power this week, would ratchet up the federal deficit by about $230 billion over the next decade and leave 32 million more Americans uninsured, according to congressional budget analysts.

With equal speed, Boehner and other House Republicans repudiated the forecast of the nonpartisan CBO, saying that its analysts had relied on flawed assumptions they had been provided by Democrats. "CBO is entitled to their opinion," Boehner declared at his first news conference as speaker.

So, there is no data and there are no facts, only opinion and belief. The nonpartisan budget office doesn't agree that health-care reform is a job-killing, deficit-busting monstrosity? Well, the GOP says, their "facts" are just Democratic spin.

Liberals are sometimes attacked for their supposed "moral relativism," but Republicans have cornered the market on postmodernism as political strategy. From health-care reform and global warming to immigration and the financial crisis (where poor minorities are still the official culprits), the Republican narrative has little room for facts or empirical data. Opinion reigns, and realities are purely subjective. As long as John Boehner believes that the Affordable Care Act will crush the budget and grind its bones into dust, then it must be true.

-- Jamelle Bouie

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

1. The problem is that there has been a concerted effort to discredit the CBO.

They cannot argue what's in the report, so what do they do? Demonize the CBO!

[jenmito]

2. K&R. Repubs. are pathetic liars.

[PurityOfEssence]

3. Simplicity will always beat complexity

That's why a scientist will always "lose" an argument with a fundamentalist: the former has theories, percentages, tendencies and levels of uncertainty, and the latter has FACTS that are beyond reproach.

A liberal accepts the existence of other political and social tastes, whereas a conservative has the answer and is enraged at the very idea of suffering someone who's trying to literally destroy civilization.

A moderate tries to seek common ground, whereas an extremist calls that place a no-man's land and will actively try to ruin any ally who makes even the slightest conciliation with someone not of the group.

You can't fight a battle without calling out your opponent as "wrong" in some way; the reactionaries have no problem with this at all, whereas the Clintons and Obamas of the world find that too combative. That's why we lose, and make no mistake about it: we lose repeatedly. We lose in the face of obvious wrongness of the policies of our opponents, and we lose badly.

There's another insidious tendency here: a need to be loved by everyone. That seems to be pathologically consistent with both of these men, and I think that it's a real personal need to somehow bridge the divide and be adored by all. Whether this is just my cynical personal flaw or not, the evidence seems pretty convincing. This is not necessarily the time for some transcendent godlike figure; our needs would be well served by determined, tactical brawlers. By this, I mean people who are REAL PRAGMATISTS, not appeasing molly-coddlers who claim that mantle, yet reallyl hide behind timid presumptions about what's "possible" to stomp out any populist moves from below.

Back to the basic point here, though: keep it simple, make it based on primal fear, make it repetitive and make it stick. Yes, one has to risk the wrath of big money, but SOMEONE has to.

[suzie blue]

4. i agree

Liberals want to be loved by everyone because they generally have more compassion - it's a gift and a curse. The Republicans are so successful because their machismo transcends reality. It's been said ad nauseum, but the Dems need to grow a pair. The complacency is getting to be criminal - Obama is a case in point.

[felinetta]

5. What a surprise - Boner called the CBO results an opinion. Wonder if the rest of the repigs will

start using the word "opinion" as a way to dismiss
inconvenient facts. 

[felinetta]

6. Boy, when absolutely anything doesn't go a Repig's way they scream like spoiled children. Wonder how

they were taught and behaved when they were actually children.