It may not be "better" but it is often much more effective.
Posted on 07/10/2007 7:25:10 AM PDT by Dick Bachert
I really think that this is one of the big stories of the day. Maybe because it is something I've been saying for years ... about liberals, that is.
It looks like we have a high-powered brain scientist serving as the latest advisor to the Democratic party. Drew Westen conducted research which leads to his conclusion that politicians – liberal politicians -- should try and appeal to people's emotions, rather than bogging them down with data and facts.
Where did we first find out about this research? Why, at the ultra-left wing "Take Back America" convention, that's where. The study was presented by researcher, Drew Westen, a psychologist and brain researcher at Emory University in my hometown of Atlanta.
Here's the ironic part of his study. It sounds to me like Dr. Westen is basically telling democrats that their constituents are stupid. He is telling democrats to appeal to constituents' emotions because "it doesn't make sense to argue an issue using facts and figures ... or to count on voters to make choices based on sophisticated understandings of policy differences or procedures." And there you have it. Avoid the facts, just go right for the heart!
Dr. Westen is suggesting that manipulating a voter's emotions is better than boring them to tears with sophisticated understandings. "Sophisticated understandings? What's that? Sounds to me like just a phrase denoting basic worldly knowledge, or being an educated citizen. Mr. Westen says, "[The brain] prefers conclusions that are emotionally satisfying rather than conclusions that match the data."
Message to Democrats. Don't bore your constituents with facts. Just tell them whatever makes them comfortable, warm, happy and all fuzzy.
Hmmmmm .... Not boring constituents with facts. Does that sound at all like the global warming cultists? But, I digress ......
So what's a good politician to do? How about just scrapping all of the data and research on global warming, socialized healthcare, voting rights, government education ... what's the point? If I want to be a good liberal, I should just get up here and appeal to your emotions. Forget trying to actually understand an issue ... that would just be too complicated.
You know why this works for democrats, don't you? Because if their voters actually did the research into any liberal platform issues, they would realize that the Democrats are wrong. I've been telling you for years that liberals (that means Democrats) like to argue from the position of emotion and feelings rather than fact and logic. You'll find it in my book "The Terrible Truth About Liberals," and that's more than 10 years old! So let's all just sit back and listen while the "progressives" offer us their preachy little sound bites that play on your emotions and not your intellect.
The sad reality here is that Dr. Westen probably has this thing figured out pretty well.
And, of course, that's a form of insanity if defined as doing the same things over and over while expecting a different result.
Something clearly isn't working in the American electorate and I fear it is their brains.
Democrats were dumb to begin with.
“Where there is emotion, there is no substance.”
For my money... if you are emotional, you are NOT credible.
The whole Dhimmicrat party has always operated on emotion instead of logic and reason, even back in the early 20th century. They play the heartstrings of Americans like a Stradivarius. Women, elderly, and the younger generation, are especially prone to emotion controls. That’s how they work and keep their fragmented base together. They know logic and reason will not keep their base together............
??
Seriously, hasn't this been the case all along? Class warfare, scaring old people, "don't kill Big Bird", etc., etc.?
Iraq being the clearest case in point.
If the American electorate had a brain in its collective head, Dingy Harry would have been tarred and feathered for his defeatism by stating that 'the war is lost'.
It may not be "better" but it is often much more effective.
“Dumbing down democrats”
That is an impossibility.
The Dems love to trumpet solutions that a child would appreciate.
I tried explaining to some people over dinner (Democrats) why cutting taxes can actually result in higher tax receipts for governments and raising taxes can actually result in lower tax receipts for government. They simply couldn’t grasp the concept! They are so bent on simple, appealing solutions (e.g, raise taxes to help the poor and give everyone health care benefits, save Social Security and Medicare, etc).
Naw, they are boldly going where stupidity has never gone before. Next Generation Stupidity. Deep Stupid Nine stupidity. Voyager stupidity - lost in space and no way to get home to sanity.
Yes, and if Republicans are elected, Black churches will burn, and slavery will be revived. I've been hearing if for 40 years. BUT, the Democrat's core constituency continues to fall for it.
Of course, come the next election, we won’t be reminded of that little tidbit by our electoral educators, the mainstream press.
It’s not just the Democrats that have been, or are being, dumbed down. It’s society as a whole. And we have our fabulous public school system to thank for that.
CA....
“Magic Poof Fairy”
*SPLORF!* A “poof fairy” is kinda - well - repetitive and redundant.
You can’t dumb down the DUmmies. Just as Ron White says, you can’t fix stupid.
The PR the DNC uses works, at lease in the temporary timeframe. We Conservatives use our brains to deal with a problem. I really think Americans who love this country and vote understand this. Democrats usually never address the problem because they have no plan on how to solve it. Their agenda has always been, vote together and gain the power. Follow the money!
The Magic Poof Fairy sounds exactly like what my classmates in grad school believed was going to solve all the funding problems in higher education. It didn’t matter what problem we discussed, they always believed it could be solved if the government would just give more money to colleges and universities. I used to call it the “Big Room Full of Money” theory.
At this point they can probably only be dumbed up.
We’re born with the ability to emote - babies prove that every day. You have to train your mind to think, to reason, to analyze. It’s harder than one might imagine - and this is my tip of the hat to you - because we natively operate on emotions in place of rational thought. Many (if not most) people have problems differentiating between the two.
I think this author is on to something. Anyone who has “argued” with a liberal readily sees that they prefer emotion-based tactics to fact-based debate. This used to be borne out by their actions when they were losing - they would “explode” the argument with insults and invectives. Nowadays this is their starting point ;’}
It’s a lie. Democrats can’t get any dumber. :)
Its true, Democrats for the most part are emotions oriented....and to hell with logic or reason.
But they have infected our schools and media....America is sliding down the slippery slope towards becomeing another EU
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