Perfect description of the right wing: INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE

The term "Invincible Ignorance" refers to a person's refusal to accept facts set in front of them that prove the erroneous nature of their belief system.  It could also be called "Unconvincible Ignorance."  One of my favorite quotes comes from Herbert Spencer, a British philosopher who died more than a century ago:  There is a principle which is proof against all information, which is proof against all arguments, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance; that principle is contempt, prior to investigation.

When you consider that many Republicans (including three of their candidates for President in 2008) still believe that Earth and humanity are 10,000 years old and were created by an old man with a white beard, it is astounding that the right wing candidates receive ANY votes. And yet, millions of Americans do vote for them--and believe as they do.  This, more than anything else, points to invincible ignorance in the Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh followers. I know several Republicans who are far more intelligent than that, but who are willing to overlook such basic flaws in their candidates because they think they are still in the Republican Party of their fathers and grandfathers.  If they would take a closer look, they would see that is far from the truth.  The Republican Party of today caters to the ignorance that helps get their candidates elected, rather than trying to enlighten their followers. They perpetuate hatred and racist attitudes in their flock, all the time proclaiming themselves to be "compassionate conservatives." The hierarchy of this Party proudly call themselves "Christians" while practicing few to none of the teachings of Christ.  And their voters don't seem to notice this at all.  Sad. Sad. Sad.   

December 15, 2010
From Paul Krugman's column

Invincible Ignorance

So Republican members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission are going to issue their own report, placing primary blame on the government — because it’s always the government’s fault.

And according to reporting at the Huffington Post,

all four Republicans voted in favor of banning the phrases “Wall Street” and “shadow banking” and the words “interconnection” and “deregulation” from the panel’s final report, according to a person familiar with the matter and confirmed by Brooksley E. Born, one of the six commissioners who voted against the proposal.

Yep. It was all Fannie and Freddie, which somehow managed to cause housing bubbles in Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, and Spain as well as the United States; and the repo market had nothing to do with it.

And bear in mind that this wasn’t one Republican; it was all of them.

I really do wonder how this country can remain governable, when one party insists on creating its own reality. Next thing you know they’re going to reject the theory of evolution. Oh, wait …