The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll had some good news and some bad news for Obamacare. The good news was that a plurality of Americans know the law signed up 8 million people. The bad news is that a majority of Americans nevertheless think the law fell way […] Read more »
How politics makes us stupid
There’s a simple theory underlying much of American politics. It sits hopefully at the base of almost every speech, every op-ed, every article, and every panel discussion. It courses through the Constitution and is a constant in President Obama’s most stirring addresses. It’s what we might call the More Information […] Read more »
Common Core: The Obamacare of Education Policy
… It seems quite possible that “Obamacare” will continue to be unpopular even as the provisions of the ACA gain in use and acceptance. So it is with the Common Core, which many on the right will continue to associate with Obama’s perceived socialist agenda at least until he leaves […] Read more »
‘Motivated Numeracy’: What’s the Point?
… The “Motivated Numeracy” study is the latest (more or less) installment in a series intended to make sense of and maybe help solve the science communication problem. The “science communication problem” refers to the failure of valid, compelling, and widely accessible scientific evidence to dispel public controversy over risks […] Read more »
Are We Smart Enough for Obamacare?
Leaving aside the perceptions of Obamacare that prove so vexing to conservatives, there’s a huge problem with the current conception of the Affordable Care Act: It requires Americans to determine something complex on their own. This is not a criticism of the Health Insurance Marketplace websites like healthcare.gov, which look […] Read more »
Want to Win a Political Debate? Try Making a Weaker Argument
If all of American politics could be epitomized by a single emotion, it would be the frustration of watching an ignorant politician maniacally disregard the proof that your own position is correct. … There could be an entire book of syndicated newspaper columns that discuss “motivated reasoning”—the tendency to interpret […] Read more »