http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/Report10_21_04.pdf

""It is normal during elections for supporters of presidential candidates to have 
fundamental disagreements about values (such as
the proper role of the government) or strategies (such as how best to defend US 
interests). As we have seen, the current election is
unique in that Bush supporters and Kerry supporters have profoundly different 
perceptions of reality. So why is this the case? And,
more specifically, why are Bush supporters holding so clinging so tightly to beliefs 
that have been so visibly refuted? As
discussed, one key possible explanation for why Bush supporters continue to believe 
that Iraq had WMD or a major WMD program, and
supported al Qaeda is that they continue to hear the Bush administration confirming 
these beliefs.

Another possible explanation is that Bush supporters cling to these beliefs because 
they are necessary for their support for the
decision to go to war with Iraq. Asked whether the US should have gone to war with 
Iraq if US intelligence had concluded that Iraq
was not making WMD or providing support to al Qaeda, 58% of Bush supporters said the 
US should not have, and 61% assume that in this
case the president would not have. To support the president and to accept that he took 
the US to war based on mistaken assumptions
is difficult to bear, especially in light of the continuing costs in terms of lives and
money. Apparently, to avoid this cognitive dissonance, Bush supporters suppress 
awareness of unsettling information."

The article goes into details the questions asked and the responses to those 
questions. I found it quite interesting. And it's
unfortunate that the Democrats weren't able to see what was happening, and find better 
ways to respond to the situation.

-Gel


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