A newly released poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) of Ohio Republican voters contains a rather surprising statistic: roughly one in seven Republicans in the state believe that Romney was responsible for killing Osama Bin Laden. It is not clear how the businessman accomplished this act (I was hoping for an article that Bain Capital simply transferred his job outside the country and downsized him out of existence). While I have been critical of the degree to which President Obama has virtually worn the corpse around his shoulders like a campaign shawl (and Biden’s equally ridiculous claims), the poll is the final showing that the EEG is flat on any brain activity in this election.
The results of the poll probably says more about the blind rage of some voters (who are unwilling to acknowledge a single positive thing about Obama) than it does a lack of actual knowledge. However, the credit given to Romney adds a truly otherworldly aspect to the mentality of these voters.
Here are the numbers: Of the “very” conservative voters polled, 15% credited Romney with the kill. (By the way, 4% of “very liberal” Ohioans also gave Romney the credit).
Overall, 1 in 3 Ohioans surveyed (31%) both liberal and conservative said they were not sure who was responsible for bin Laden’s death. Some 51 percent of conservatives expressed uncertainty.
Once again, I have serious qualms about presidents claiming heroic status on such operations as if they dropped into the compound with Seal Team Six. It is the same discomfort I felt with Bush prancing around on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln declaring victory in the war.
There is no question that Obama can be credited with authorizing the operation, though his suggestion that Romney would not have ordered the killing is equally absurd.
As noted earlier, I expect most candidates would have ordered the attack on the compound. However, the recent use of dead trophy terrorists as campaign props has only diminished the quality of our political discourse further. It often seems like politicians are playing tug-of-war with bodies like Bin Laden’s to “claim the kill.” The polled responses of these Republicans is obviously absurd, but only slightly more absurd than the fight to claim the kill in my view.
What do you think?
Source: Public Policy
The elite corporations, oil companies, bankers, Wall St, 180,000+ War Contractors, & CIA with mafia ties seem to be the ones in charge.
So arguing about who got Bin Laden isn’t going to change anything.
And like others I had always considered jobs & economy to be first priority, but I can see now that government corruption needs to be first, because until that is fixed NOTHING will change!
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Sounds like Rome. Artists, all.
We now know that Bush LIED about the WMD’s in Iraq, and sent OUR TROOPS to die in an illegal war.
We also now know all the top Bush officials approved torture of ‘enemy combatants’. Even as Bush was having robot Rice telling other countries that he did NOT support torture.
But then he is turning around and telling congress that he would veto anti-torture legislation.
So congress passes the bill with a ‘veto proof’ margin.
Bush then uses ‘signing statements’ to kill the intent of the bill. Which prompts congress to SUE Bush.
And then when pictures of torture are made public, Bush & company fakes outrage and sends OUR TROOPS to prison for HIS policies!!
HOW does this guy NOT be prosecuted as a war criminal??
So voters put in the Dems, but first thing Nancy Peloci says when she gets in is that impeachment is off the table!!
So now we have BOTH parties covering for these crimes.
And now after watching Obama run Bush’s third term, I can clearly see that these people are not running the country.
The elite corporations, oil companies, bankers, Wall St, 180,000+ War Contractors, & CIA with mafia ties seem to be the ones in charge.
So arguing about who got Bin Laden isn’t going to change anything.
And like others I had always considered jobs & economy to be first priority, but I can see now that government corruption needs to be first, because until that is fixed NOTHING will change!
SlingTrebuchet 1, September 12, 2012 at 8:47 am
Maybe condoms are a process with an absence of the conclusion.
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What is the conclusion?
SlingTrebuchet,
Inspired! (condoms comeback)
I am wondering if enhanced reasoning is the root cause inevitably leading to the motivated reasoning phenomena? Chicken/egg dilemma.
Maybe condoms are a process with an absence of the conclusion.
Matt, that was very subtle!…..elegant….
SlingTrebuchet 1, September 12, 2012 at 3:58 am
My (?) term describes arriving at a conclusion in the absence of a process.
I arrive at the term by starting with “XXX reasoning” – where “XXX” is a term indicating something appalling. Change the “XXX” to “enhanced” to make the entire term seem somehow less appalling.
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Is that what condoms are for?
I do not think one can conclude that other candidates would have ordered the attack on the compound, or using the same method. From what I have read, there was a complex decision making process with many options, and many risks, and multiple ways to proceed.
Matt: “Please explain what “motivated reasoning” and “enhanced reasoning” means.”
‘Motivated reasoning’ is a real term used in psychology.
One way of describing it would be a reasoning process where there is a very strong motivation to reach a certain conclusion. Overwhelming contradictory information is reasoned away or ignored.
‘Enhanced reasoning’ is a term that I probably coined.
Motivated reasoning generally implies that the reasoner has taken a number of factors into account – that there actually is a corrupted form of reasning going on.
My (?) term describes arriving at a conclusion in the absence of a process.
I arrive at the term by starting with “XXX reasoning” – where “XXX” is a term indicating something appalling. Change the “XXX” to “enhanced” to make the entire term seem somehow less appalling.