Belmont University student Taylor Smith offers an intriguing blend of a important psychological theory and politics:

…Cognitive Dissonance Theory, in addition to explaining why we devalue the information put forward by our opponents, also conversely explains how we react to information that we already agree with. When we encounter information that we agree with, we are likely to react in the following ways:

• We accept the validity of the statement on it’s face

• We revalue our initial beliefs and make them stronger

• We positively revalue the source of the consonant information

• We perceive the information as stronger than it really is

• We seek out similar information

This thought process can be detrimental: we naturally discourage ourselves from challenging information that fits our ideological perspective. …But this kind of mistake can be far more detrimental if you accept a political message in the same way, like President Obama’s assertion that “if you like your healthcare you can keep it, period.”

….Tough Love for Liberals

Healthcare: Forget calling this one the lie of the year, this is the lie of the past five years. Until it was actually implemented, opponents of the Affordable Care Act diligently pointed out that many Americans were not going to be allowed to keep their healthcare plans. Liberals, simply reading the actual bill, argued that this was a false assertion. According to St. Augustine, if someone believes a statement to be true then it is not a lie, but President Obama knew that this assertion was false back in 2010. To make the lie even more egregious, he campaigned for reelection on this unequivocal statement: “Period.”

Unfortunately, citizens who agreed ideologically with our President took his statement at face value and became victims of his lie.

The National Debt: Recently, Nancy Pelosi told her Democrat troops not to gloat over the Republicans “caving” on raising the debt limit without a fight. I can imagine liberals reading this and smirking without asking: why is this considered a “victory” for Democrats? Congratulations, you win! Our national debt will now rise to $18.2 trillion dollars over the course of 2014!

Liberals consider this a victory because government spending, and their programs, will continue without change for the time being. Dealing with our colossal debt is indeed a threat to heavy-spending liberal programs, but liberals cannot keep dismissing the fact that the United States of America will be in major trouble if the status quo is maintained…..