Study finds most Bush supporters do not live in reality.

[gravenewworld]

This report is mindblowing...

Bush Supporters Still Believe Iraq Had WMD or Major Program,
Supported al Qaeda

Agree with Kerry Supporters Bush Administration Still Saying This is the Case

Agree US Should Not Have Gone to War if No WMD or Support for al Qaeda

Bush Supporters Misperceive World Public as Not Opposed to Iraq War,
Favoring Bush Reelection

Even after the final report of Charles Duelfer to Congress saying that Iraq did not have a significant WMD program, 72% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had actual WMD (47%) or a major program for developing them (25%). Fifty-six percent assume that most experts believe Iraq had actual WMD and 57% also assume, incorrectly, that Duelfer concluded Iraq had at least a major WMD program. Kerry supporters hold opposite beliefs on all these points.

Similarly, 75% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, and 63% believe that clear evidence of this support has been found. Sixty percent of Bush supporters assume that this is also the conclusion of most experts, and 55% assume, incorrectly, that this was the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Here again, large majorities of Kerry supporters have exactly opposite perceptions.

(snip)

This tendency of Bush supporters to ignore dissonant information extends to other realms as well. Despite an abundance of evidence--including polls conducted by Gallup International in 38 countries, and more recently by a consortium of leading newspapers in 10 major countries--only 31% of Bush supporters recognize that the majority of people in the world oppose the US having gone to war with Iraq. Forty-two percent assume that views are evenly divided, and 26% assume that the majority approves. Among Kerry supporters, 74% assume that the majority of the world is opposed.

(snip)

Bush supporters also have numerous misperceptions about Bush's international policy positions. Majorities incorrectly assume that Bush supports multilateral approaches to various international issues--the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (69%), the treaty banning land mines (72%)--and for addressing the problem of global warming: 51% incorrectly assume he favors US participation in the Kyoto treaty. After he denounced the International Criminal Court in the debates, the perception that he favored it dropped from 66%, but still 53% continue to believe that he favors it. An overwhelming 74% incorrectly assumes that he favors including labor and environmental standards in trade agreements. In all these cases, majorities of Bush supporters favor the positions they impute to Bush. Kerry supporters are much more accurate in their perceptions of his positions on these issues.

"The roots of the Bush supporters' resistance to information," according to Steven Kull, "very likely lie in the traumatic experience of 9/11 and equally in the near pitch-perfect leadership that President Bush showed in its immediate wake. This appears to have created a powerful bond between Bush and his supporters--and an idealized image of the President that makes it difficult for his supporters to imagine that he could have made incorrect judgments before the war, that world public opinion could be critical of his policies or that the President could hold foreign policy positions that are at odds with his supporters."

Download the full report in pdf format http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/Report10_21_04.pdf

 

[PerennialII]

Yeah, I've always wondered what plane of existence they are populating.

 

[Stanley_Smith]

"Study finds most Bush supporters do not live in reality"

So what is reality then ? I wonder...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The one where we believe everything we're told.

I listened to an NPR show while driving last weekened. A big surprise: A five year study shows that people mostly believe what they want to believe. The Bush supporters that I know certainly know little to nothing of the facts.

One funny comment, according to an aquaintance whose wife is a member of Wicca, Bush got the pagan vote. Go figure!

There was also some woman from a think tank at MIT [I think]. She made the point that even though Bush does nothing to help mothers, he presents an image favorable to mothers, hence he got a large percentage of their votes. They truly had no idea for whom they were voting...but he sounded good on TV.

 

[motai]

One funny comment, according to an aquaintance whose wife is a member of Wicca, Bush got the pagan vote. Go figure!

... but how??!. With all of his god-praising, you would think that they would be thoroughly disgusted! I am aghast in disbelief!

Hmm... don't Pagans orient themselves with nature? Given Bush's stance on Environmentalism, this logically doesn't make sense (what did in this recent election?)

Here is a page about Bush and Environmentalism from the interest group Sierra Club: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200409/sins.asp

 

[GENIERE]

PIPA is funded by the listed organizations. With the possible exception of ATIF, they represent elite leftist thinking, in my terms the “loony left”. Let me devise the question, let me select the respondents, I’ll obtain the "facts" you need to support your agenda.


Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Tides Foundation
Ford Foundation
German Marshall Fund of the United States
Compton Foundation
Carnegie Corporation
Benton Foundation
Ben and Jerry's Foundation
Americans Talk Issues Foundation
Circle Foundation


...

 

[Smurf]

... but how??!. With all of his god-praising, you would think that they would be thoroughly disgusted! I am aghast in disbelief!

Hmm... don't Pagans orient themselves with nature? Given Bush's stance on Environmentalism, this logically doesn't make sense (what did in this recent election?)

The thing is, when you make people afraid, they tend to forget about 'other' issues, like the environment, and the fact that their great great great grand children will be paying off bush's debts.

 

[selfAdjoint]

PIPA is funded by the listed organizations. With the possible exception of ATIF, they represent elite leftist thinking, in my terms the “loony left”. Let me devise the question, let me select the respondents, I’ll obtain the "facts" you need to support your agenda.


Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Tides Foundation
Ford Foundation
German Marshall Fund of the United States
Compton Foundation
Carnegie Corporation
Benton Foundation
Ben and Jerry's Foundation
Americans Talk Issues Foundation
Circle Foundation


...

If faced with a study you don't like, never never deal with the facts, just call the Carnegie Corporation the loony left.

 

[GENIERE]

T

If faced with a study you don't like, never never deal with the facts, just call the Carnegie Corporation the loony left.

And to paraphrase: If faced with a study you like, never, never deal with the facts, just believe.

Kerry was on both sides of most major issues, (read important issues for the lefties); one can answer “yes” or “no” and be correct. Amusingly the PIPA analysis indicates Kerry’s inconsistency and offers this: “supports in principle but…” An issue that 89% of democratic voters got wrong but was scored as a correct answer.


...

 

[selfAdjoint]

Kerry's problem was that for him as for many well educated people, "support in principle" is quite a different kettle of fish from "Support". Not for the electorate though, and easy for people of ill will like yourself to caricature.

 

[schwarzchildradius]

It's not at all surprising that the support for Bush comes from the easily decieved. Most of them would vote for Ahnold as well. It's a celebrity worshipping culture that fits in with our lifestyle.

 

[Smurf]

It's also a big fear thing, I mean who's more 'manly' than arnold, and I don't remember seeing one picture of bush behind a desk, he's always out and about, holding a gun, or an axe, or standing and looking tough. He's protrayed as a 'real man' who can defend the nation from the 'terrorists' or enemies of Freedom, while the population is being kept afraid of them by the media which almost exclusively reports threats and danger.

 

[GENIERE]

Americans are concerned but absolutely do not fear terrorism.

Yamamoto said it best: “I can’t imagine anything that would infuriate the Americans more. I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

Historians should learn from history, terrorists should learn from history. “Don’t tread on me!”

 

[mattmns]

Yeah I agree, terrorism is the last thing I am worried about. I would say I have a better chance of dying while driving to school than being killed by a terrorist/s.

As for "who's more 'manly' than arnold." No one is, well maybe Jesse Ventura, that former wrestler and governor(still gov?) of Minnesota.

As for Bush supporters not living in reality. The report is before the election, so it is just propaganda to support Kerry.

 

[russ_watters]

As for "who's more 'manly' than arnold." No one is, well maybe Jesse Ventura, that former wrestler and governor(still gov?) of Minnesota.

Actually, Ventura is the real deal: he was a navy SEAL before he turned wrestler (actor). Arnold was a body-builder before being an actor. Strong, yes, but not a BA like Jesse.

 

[loseyourname]

Actually, Ventura is the real deal: he was a navy SEAL before he turned wrestler (actor). Arnold was a body-builder before being an actor. Strong, yes, but not a BA like Jesse.

Yeah, but Jesse Ventura was waxed by the predator pretty quickly, whereas Arnold was the only man to survive.