Are Republicans insane?

Seriously.
The study from PIPA that came out this week, talking about how misinformed Republicans are, I think indicates a serious problem. It's not just that they're misinformed. It goes past that.
Let's say you get into an argument with the average rational person, about whether even numbers are divisible by 2, for example. You know they are; they don't believe you. So, you go get a math book and show them. This constitues proof, and they no longer have any argument. They may gripe about it, but they have very little choice in changing their mind. This is why arguments can be proven if they are based on facts-they are shown to be consistent with an agreed-upon reality.
Now, if you have that same argument with an irrational person, there is a chance that they will instead stick their fingers in their ears and yell "LALALALA" until you stop trying to prove to them that they are wrong. This is one reason why you can't argue with irrational people; they refuse to accept a common ground, and insist that the facts conform to their beliefs. In this case their reality has to dominate, and can't be agreed-upon (unless you want to join it!).
So, the PIPA study seems to indicate some of this behavior is going on with Republicans. There was argument room when the discussion was about whether Iraq had WMDs-could they be found, were they taken out of the country, were they well hidden, etc. Now a report comes out that conclusively states that Iraq didn't have WMD's, and the response from many Republicans is irrational: they believe that the report says the opposite of what it really does say. When shown that they are wrong about the report, they say the report must be wrong.
How is this any different than the case of someone arguing that even numbers aren't divisible by 2, and refusing to believe evidence to the contrary?
It isn't, really. This is delusional, plain and simple.
It is going to take a great deal of work to bring our fellow citizens back from this problem. We will have to find a way of getting rid of the corrupting influences of corporate media, otherwise all of our efforts to undo the damage done in the last 4 years will be futile. If we don't, it is guaranteed that they will totally ruin everything the US is supposed to stand for. Delusional nations don't last very long.

homophobic, fearful and shallow yes

insane? possibly

We tend to think our decisions and beliefs are guided by reason, but solid scientific research shows how deluded we can be. This is just as true of liberals and Democrats as it is for repukes.

For example, there are DUers who see Skull and Bones as being central to some world-wide conspiracy based on the lightest of evidence and innuendo.

then I think we are talking a sanity issue.
Also, I'm not talking about conspiracy theories. That's a whole other category IMO. There's always some facts that point to something in a conspiracy theory, and people will run with them. What I am talking about is specific denial of facts-that Republicans believe that the 9/11 report backs up their claims, and when they find out it doesn't, they dismiss the report rather than do any examination of their beliefs. IMO that is truly delusional. Facts can't be changed to fit beliefs.

You can try to make distinctions between delusion, sanity, denial of facts, etc, but they all are based on humans inability to base their thoughts solely on reason.

The conspiracy theorists have a tendency to deny facts that contradict their theory, or invent explanations that aren't based on fact but are accepted because they seem to eliminate a contradiction.

As far as the 9/11 report, there are plenty of DUers who will disbelieve what it says because the commission was larded with officials who had ties that would give them an interest in hiding the truth.

IMO that is truly delusional. Facts can't be changed to fit beliefs.

Au contraire! ANYONE can change the facts to fit their beliefs. It's one of the universals of human nature. That's my point. It's always easy to see how someone else is being irrational. People never think they're being irrational. If they did, they'd stop doing whatever it is that they think it's irrational for them to do.

For example, Nader is still running.

People never think they're being irrational. If they did, they'd stop doing whatever it is that they think it's irrational for them to do.

Instaed of re-evaluating their beliefs when presented with evidence to the contrary, they throw out the evidence. Rational people question their own beliefs when they are presented with evidence to the contrary. They don't.

Also, one other thing I was trying to get at is not just disagreeing with the 9/11 report, but 1) believing it says something entirely different than what it does, then 2) disregarding it because it doesn't say what they want it to say after all.

I agree with you on the conspiracy theory groups. The difference for me is that they have always been a small fringe element, whereas the PIPA report shows what appears to be a substantial number of people. Also, conspiracy theorists tend to make up facts, whereas the PIPa report indicates that Republicans simply ignore them. I don't know that one is worse than another, I'm simply saying that that's what they do and that they are different issues.

They're either ignorant or know exactly what the hell they're doing. The ignorant believe the mumbo-jumbo about tax cuts being the cure for everything, about how people around the world respect "resolve" and crap like that. The other kind of Republican knows exactly what he or she is voting for: a less tolerant, more financially divided America where those of their ilk prosper.

I am positive the ones at the top do not believe what they are saying, they are simply manipulating everyone to their own benefit in a Straussian fashion.

the rat bastards.

intellectual leaders such as Limbaugh paint 'libruls' as reacting emotionally to issues while they are the voice of logic and reason. We have to face up to the face that arguing issues alone is a losing battle with many voters. The notion of identity politics is very real and regardless of next weeks results is an area we need to explore.

Just believe every last thing "President" BUSHitler says, he's a xian, so he can't be lying! RIIIIIIIIIGHT!

Reminds me of what my 10th grade gov't teacher said, something that has stuck with me ever since, mainly since it was one of few things I actually LEARNED in high school! "Believe what you see, don't SEE what you BELIEVE."

Lu Cifer

or mentally ill

1. many are delusional (holding false belief even in the face of contrary evidence)

2. many are simply stupid

3. many are self destructive (hoping for a bad outcome--the doomsday Xtian cultists are like this in conjunction with #1)

4. many have a discontinuity between their politics and reality ("rooting" zealously for the "home team," with no regard to the consequences--this also works in conjuction with #1)

5. some are just purely sociopathic--they enjoy inflicting pain and discomfort on others (the neocon agenda that now dominates the repuke party is ideal for that)

6. a very few--perhaps as few as 25,000 people in the entire country--actually benefit from the neocon agenda

reasons for sheeple to side with ReThuglicans:
Greed
Fear
Ignorance

The greed part is pretty self-explanatory: what they perceive as being good for them, personally, in a financial sense. Fuck everyone else, as long as I am doing OK or think that I will do better with ReThugs in power.

Prior to 9/11, the Fear Factor was mostly fear of change or fear of those who are different from "us" (us being white Christian folk, naturally...everyone else is an 'other' and not truly 'Murkin.) The BIG 'other' group right now is of course GLBT, since it's not considered PC to think of African-American, Hispanic-Americans, etc. as 'other,' at least not publicly. But it seems perfectly OK to many to demonize those sinful evil heathen GLBT folks. And now of course, Muslim Americans and Arab Americans (Muslim or not) as 'other.'This ties in with the fear of Terraists in a post 9/11 mentality. (Never mind that one of the worst terrorist attacks in our history was supposedly pulled off by a pasty white midwestern Christian former military man...)

Ignorance is just as you say: either being truly ignorant (unknowing, ill-informed) or in some cases, really truly just plain stupid in that being factually unencumbered is not seen as a detriment but is worn as a badge of honor, particularly if paired with a self-image of 'moral clarity' or other such nonsense that the wrong-wingers like to spout.

"Liberalism is a mental disease" statement I hear from a lot of the extreme righties.

Why can't people realize that other people's who's opinions are different from their own are just that.. people who's opnions differ from their own?

Politics has just gone absolutely crazy this election season. The whole thing is starting to disgust me from the left all the way to the right.

Heyo

You must be new to politics <grin>

A thought:

Can it be boiled down to these two opposites?

One is Americanism. It holds that America is always correct and should never be questioned.

The opposite of that is what is *perceived* by the"America is always right" crowd as anti-American. We who question America are not seen as merely having questions, but as having an ill-will toward America.

An "America can do no wrong" proponent is always going to be defensive if you say anything bad about America.

Your idea is not so far off the wall, and there is some academic results that say Republicans do suffer from some types of neuroses.

Check out link at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1017546,00.html

This was the study that sent Republicans in a tailspin.