One of the things that have been bothering me during the recent Heath Care debate has been how the conservatives have been able to manufacture false premises about the Heath Care bill, such as "death panels", and still be able to stick to these premises even in the face of direct evidence to the contrary. I recently came upon this article at phyorg.com which is based on research published in the journal Sociological Inquiry that I think shines a light on the health care situation as well as conservative rationalization and disregard for facts. The article can be found here.
The study covers the continued belief of many people to still believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the attack of 9/11. Please go over and read the full article. Here are a few excerpts from the article.
The study addresses what it refers to as a "serious challenge to democratic theory and practice that results when citizens with incorrect information cannot form appropriate preferences or evaluate the preferences of others."
The study demonstrates voters' ability to develop elaborate rationalizations based on faulty information.
People were basically making up justifications for the fact that we were at war.
I've been trying to figure out how this information can be used to improve the Health Care debate. Perhaps Barney Frank is correct in asking people "What planet do you spend your time on?"
Please excuse the erratic nature of this diary. I'm basically a researcher not a writer and creating a flowing narrative is very difficult.