Are Democrats Bad at Public Relations?

I frequently hear exasperated liberals ask how the Democrats could lose the PR war with the Republicans so badly and so often. For instance, a recent survey has shown that, among other things, a strong majority of Republicans either believe or are unsure whether Obama is a secret terrorist, a secret Muslim, was not born in America, etc. Other polls show that these types of beliefs extend to health care. None of these contain even a hint of truth, of course, which makes some ask: how could Democrats be so bad at setting the record straight?

I have been sympathetic with this line of reasoning in the past, although I have come to reject it. Here is the relevant fact: 40% of the nation defines itself as conservative, while only 21% defines itself as liberal. Consider two highly-skilled boxers fighting, but one weighs 100 lbs and one weighs 200 lbs. In this analogy, the rival boxers are the opposed politicians and media consultants, while the boxer’s weights correspond to the number of self-identified liberals and conservatives.

Now what should we expect from these boxers? Well, since the 100-lb boxer is well-trained, he is going to get his shots in, but in the long-run, the 200-pounder in going to win; this is why there are weight classes in boxing. I think that this analogy explains why Democrats can only get victories when the Republicans really mess things up, like with the invasion of Iraq. Under ordinary circumstances, the Democrat PR-machine just doesn’t have nearly enough sympathetic ears.

The simple truth is that as human beings, we are programmed to believe or disbelieve new information based on our previous beliefs. So, for example, I believe that Dick Cheney basically lacks a moral compass. So if I heard a rumor that Cheney had several affairs during his stint as vice president, I would say, “Ah ha! I knew it,” even if Cheney denied it and the evidence was ambiguous.

It is a fact that there are many people in the country who for whatever reason believe that nearly everything (or do I dare drop the modifier!) the government does is an attack on Christianity and/or freedom. So, for example, when these people hear even moderate senators (i.e. Charles Grassley) affirm that Obama’s health care plan is an attempt at some version of euthanasia, they say “Ah ha! I knew it!” And it is extremely difficult to get someone to reject any belief that they have acquired that fits well into their general view of things.