Is it self-delusion or do people really not see the lies ?

[kentuck]

It has been said that people see and hear what they want to see and hear. Are there really that many people that do not see the lies of these criminals, masquerading as Christian leaders? Do all of them simply have it on "ignore" and just don't give a damn? And at the same time, they are quick to tell you how much they 'love their country'. But do they really? If they truly loved their country, would they not make an effort to find out if someone is screwing the country they "love"? Or are all of them too busy to educate themselves even just a tiny bit to know what is happening? Or are they self-deluded?

[saltpoint]

1. Josh Billings once wrote that "As scarce as Truth is, the supply is always

in excess of the demand."

I share your frustration that there is not an en masse fury by a unanimous electorate about the lies of this administration.

At the same time, I remember how I felt on election night 04 when I could NOT for the life of me understand why voters would prefer representation by Bush-Cheney over Kerry-Edwards. It was very disheartening.

But since that election poll, Dubya's numbers have plummeted. His approval ratings are in the toilet. He's done for as far as legislative initiatives are concerned. Done for. Finished. Kaput. Toast City.

Iraq is a stinking disaster, and even high-ranking generals are publicly calling for Don Rumsfeld's head. That is by no means the outcome BushCo expected or hoped for with this war. They coulda SWORE the Iraqis would throw flowers at us, etc. Turns out, Bush has lost Iraq, he fucked up the New Orleans disaster response, he's now widely perceived as incompetent and ineffective, not to mention a lying recalitrant.

It's for us at this point to take advantage of his situation and work and volunteer and donate to blue candidates. There's a lot of positive energy to tap into, and that would be a really good way to do it.

[kentuck]

4. But the Repubs have not panicked, although they are concerned...

because...

they know they have the power to "swift-boat" and to change perceptions overnight and they will find a way to defeat those evil liberals, they believe in their hearts. Unfortunately, with the assistance of the corporate media, they are always in the ballgame and they expect it to be much different on election day.

[saltpoint]

6. Yet even the hapless media has shown some vitality here lately, too.

Jack Cafferty on CNN has been blistering BushCo.

Even the ordinarily harmless Andy Rooney has gotten in a few strong shots.

And the advent of Helen Thomas with all those roses... just terrific. I think just one rose to Helen Thomas is worth a shitload of swiftboat ads.

I'm rolling up my sleeves and working for blue candidates in 06. I haven't made a choice yet about which candidate to support in 08 but no matter the nominee, the bluer the better.

Don't despair, Kentuck. We're on the rise here, and more than a few red butts will be booted by blue boots in November.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

2. Those are great questions

and there are a lot of answers. Some folks look at the bottom line: if it is good for them, they vote it. I think many people have so much going on that challenges them in their lives they have no time or inclination to worry about the big picture and they want, therefore, to believe that everything is okay. So they don't worry about it. I have had this conversation a few times with Republicans and a lot of them tell me they don't trust any news source and they figure they just don't know and can't know, and all the "research" in the world isn't going to help them because everybody sharing news has an agenda. And then there are a few who really truly believe the world was going to hell in a handbasket because of things like Columbine, 9/11, deterioration of "morals" and the Republicans are vocally against the things that scare them. They see in black and white. And a number of them are just not real smart.

That's my take on it.

[HereSince1628]

3. Those aren't lies, they are catapulted background knowledge

Essential information for making your way forward in the investment society.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, which for the purpose of cognitive dissonance theory can be defined as any element of knowledge, attitude, emotion, belief or value, as well as a goal, plan, or an interest. In brief, the theory of cognitive dissonance holds that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to minimize the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions. Experiments have attempted to quantify this hypothetical drive.

Cognitive dissonance is a condition first proposed by the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1956.

An example of cognitive dissonance is the phenomenon known as buyer's remorse, in which a consumer becomes conflicted, after the fact, with the issue of whether or not their decision to make a purchase was, indeed, a wise one. (I guess this also applies when one 'buys into' a bad President as well)
<snip>
This conflicted state of mind will, necessarily, seek to attain psychological consonance, i.e. a balance between competing cognitions.
<snip>
Festinger proposed that cognitive dissonance is a "negative drive state", a similar psychological tension to hunger and thirst and that people will seek to resolve this tension.

Reduction of cognitive dissonance may be good because one feels better, and because one can come closer to consonance by eliminating contradictions. On the other hand some of the ways of reduction of cognitive dissonance involve a distortion of the truth, which may cause wrong decisions.

When confronted with two belief cognitions that contradict each other, Festinger suggests the dissonance can be resolved by finding and adding a third piece of information relevant to the two beliefs.

more...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

[acmejack]

7. They totally consume the Right wing spin.

I can no more understand the phenomenon than you, they believe every word that Fred Barnes says is gospel, that all Democrats are liars, that they really did benefit from the tax cuts, all these lazy bums are sitting around luxuriating on welfare benefits instead of working because the benefits are so generous.

They live in an alternative reality, unaffected by facts, they won't accept global warming, peak oil, I'm sorry-they're just flat fucking stupid!

[Virginia Dare]

8. We are being brainwashed...

it's the only answer I can come up with. Some are more easily brainwashed than others.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I believe that those who still support Bush share his mindset in

some ways. To change their mind about him now would be to admit to making a mistake about him now and that is something they can't or are unwilling to do.

[bloom]

10. They believe O'Reilly, Savage, etc.

They think WE are the delusional ones.

[saltpoint]

13. Nicely put, bloom, and very timely.

[Bonhomme Richard]

11. For some, self-delusion, others pure hate, and then..........

some are just dummer than a box of rocks.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. There are, essentially, two 'information pipes' ..... and collectively ...

..... they reach enough people to keep a beleivable majority thinking RW.

RW Talk(Hate) radio reaches the unwashed.

RW Churches reach the washed.

Both of those milieus are lost to us ... for now.

Breaking up the media will go MILES toward getting things back to normal.

Taxing churchs that say the first thing in the way of polticial speech will fix the rest of it.

For that we need to get back in power and STAY there.

[Arugula Latte]

14. Let's face if, if you think Jesus is going to come back from the dead

and save us all, you'll believe just about anything.

[Odin2005]

15. It's the way history is taught to people when they are young.

Elementary school (and to some extent high school, but there it's mostly in civics, not history) history is basicaly propaganda. Kids get soaked with a message that says "bad things like dictatorships only happen in other countries, not the good 'ol Land of the Free" in elementary school, it's the same BS that makes people think we are the most free and the most well-off country on Earth.