Political Decisions

A new scientific study shows that party loyalists -- be they Dem or Repub -- rarely let facts get in the way of decision making.

"The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted," said the study, continuing, "The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making."

"None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged," Westen said. "Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want, and then they get massively reinforced for it, with the elimination of negative emotional states and activation of positive ones."

That could explain a lot.