Article: People don't change their minds about their candidate

[cobalt1999]

Great article and it's right on from my experience too...


"Last week, I jokingly asked a health club acquaintance whether he would change his mind about his choice for president if presented with sufficient facts that contradicted his present beliefs. He responded with utter confidence. "Absolutely not," he said. "No new facts will change my mind because I know that these facts are correct."

I was floored. In his brief rebuttal, he blindly demonstrated overconfidence in his own ideas and the inability to consider how new facts might alter a presently cherished opinion. Worse, he seemed unaware of how irrational his response might appear to others. It's clear, I thought, that carefully constructed arguments and presentation of irrefutable evidence will not change this man's mind."

www.salon.com/env/mind_reader/2008/09/22/voter_choice/?source=yahoo

[ramapo]

1. Well I don't see how I could change my mind either

What could make me vote for McCain...torture?

[cobalt1999]

7. It just goes to show how futile it is to argue with people that have already made up

Save your energy for the undecideds.

[Eric J in MN]

2. I vote for the Democrat because...

...in 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush seemed to have similar positions, but I now know how much better the world would be if Al Gore had taken office.

I disagreed with Al Gore about some things and I disagree with Obama about some things, but I still donate to Obama and I will vote for Obama in November.

[Winterblues]

3. ...in 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush seemed to have similar positions,

Which positions were these? I have tried to recall any at all that were similar in any fashion and could not. Maybe you could tell which positions you might be referring to. :shrug:

[Eric J in MN]

5. George W. Bush claimed to share Gore's position on fighting global warming.

They were both in favor of increasing H1B visas.

Both in favor of NAFTA.

[Bobbieo]

6. Then why would some poeple - DUers, included - think a National

Enquirer expose about Palin's Alaska extended family would change anyone's mind about voting for McCain?

[Eric J in MN]

9. There are Undecideds. Most people are Decideds. NT

NT

[elocs]

10. I've always wondered what makes undecideds "undecided"?

They just cannot make up their minds between steak and baloney?

[elocs]

4. One of our greatest weaknesses as Democrats

is believing that people will be swayed and convinced by logical and rational arguments backed up by facts when it comes to their political choices. There are so many people whose choices are based upon their emotions and their feelings and this is especially true with Republicans which makes it very hard to change peoples' minds.

[cobalt1999]

8. You got it. that's the key point.

Rational arguments backed up with facts don't sway people.

[Indenturedebtor]

11. They sway some people. I've convinced my brother to vote Obama in this election

And he's been a life long puke. Of course I had to argue with him about everything from the nature of the economy to the creep of facism, etc first.

I do think that even if a person is decidedly in one camp or another politically you can still convince them to stay home. Our subconscious is less involved with our ego than our conscious minds are IMHO. Often times we do things "without thinking about them" that in truth our brains have been considering for us without involving our egos.

[MrsCorleone]

12. People can and do change their minds. My step-mother and

an evangelical acquaintance, two life-long republicans, are voting for Obama. They are voting their pocket books. Money, it's the best way to get through to republicans.