If your household is anything like mine, over the past few days you've done nothing but discuss (not necessarily in this order): Bradley Manning, Barack Obama, the NSA and Glenn Greenwald.
If your household is anything like mine, over the past few days the following words to describe emotions have received prominent play:
Angry
Disappointed
Bewildered
Powerless
Frustrated
Confused
Pissed Off
Tense
Well, this morning, while making my coffee, I had a minor epiphany. Back on May 8, I had published a diary about Mark Sanford's election to the House and how the psychological concept of 'Cognitive Dissonance' might have played a role in explaining, among other matters, why Romney won the district by 18 points in 2012 but Sanford only won by 9 points:
Cognitive Dissonance, Mark Sanford and the Current Republican Electorate
That diary did not receive an overwhelming response and I'm not sure it should have, given the convincing rebuttals in the Comment section. But that does not mean that Cognitive Dissonance does not play a role in social psychology and might not be a useful tool to contribute to our understanding of other political events.
Ah-ha, I thought to myself this morning. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Might not Cognitive Dissonance also be at play here and might it not also explain the relentless sniping and circular firing-squad-ism on display these last few days at DailyKos, DemocraticUnderground and other progressive spots?
Continues below fold:
Read More