Mindless Partisanship Gets in the Way of Fighting Big Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary

Mindless Partisanship Gets in the Way of Fighting Big Government | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In a 1988 survey, over half of self-identified 'strong Democrats' believed inflation had increased under President Reagan, when it had actually come down nearly 10 points. Half of the Republicans in a 1996 poll believed Bill Clinton had increased the deficit, though it dropped steadily during his tenure. Political scientist Adam J. Berinsky puts it starkly: 'In the battle between facts and partisanship, partisanship always wins.'

In 2004, psychologist Drew Westen took a look at the partisan mind through an MRI scanner. He presented 15 'strong Democrats' and 15 'strong Republicans' with negative statements about their favored candidates and watched which parts of their brains lit up.

'None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged,' Dr. Westen reported — it appeared 'as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want.'"