Americans Apparently Lacking Basic Reasoning Skills (per the GOP).

[TahitiNut]

I really shouldn't have to post this. For people with fundamental reasoning skills, this should be obvious. It's not rocket science. No person should be permitted to graduate high school without this basic skill. Even on DU, it seems such skills aren't at all ubiquitous, otherwise I'd see the words "strawman" and "fallacy" littering the threads. I don't.

The Republican leadership of the House (of ill repute) engaged in a fundamental abuse of their 'leadership' authority - a deliberate fallacy depicting their intellectual dishonesty and thereby perpetrated an assault on the basic principles of a representative democracy. They "cut and ran" from their duty: a responsible democratic debate on the merits of Rep. Murtha's proposed Joint Resolution, a Joint Resolution as required by Congress's own (unconstitutional) War Powers Act. Instead they foisted a lie and a fraud upon the People of this nation. In doing so, the House Republicans affirm and rely upon people lacking basic reasoning skills and fundamental intellectual honesty.

Let's review...

The Straw Man fallacy is committed when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position. This sort of "reasoning" has the following pattern:

1. Person A has position X.
2. Person B presents position Y (which is a distorted version of X).
3. Person B attacks position Y.
4. Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.

This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because attacking a distorted version of a position simply does not constitute an attack on the position itself. One might as well expect an attack on a poor drawing of a person to hurt the person.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html

Specifically...

1. Democratic Congressman John Murtha introduced his resolution (H.J.RES.73) "for redeployment of American troops in Iraq." (A Joint Resolution is required by the War Powers Act to exercise Congress's Constitutional authority regarding U.S. military activities in and occupation of Iraq.)
   The Republican leadership 'buried' this resolution in committee.
2. Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter introduced the GOP ('substitute') resolution (H.RES.571) "expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately." (As a 'Non-binding' Resolution, it does not meet the requirement of the War Powers Act.)
3. The Republicans of the House attacked H.RES.571. The 'vote' was 3 Yea, 403 Nay, 6 Present (Roll no. 608).
4. Republican supporters now claim Rep. Murtha's resolution was defeated. (This is a lie.)

Can there be any greater failure to perform the duty of a 'Representative' than to misrepresent and distort? Can there be any greater cowardice as an elected representative? I think not.


Advanced Citizenship

For those who have a somewhat greater comprehension of the machinations and Byzantine contortions of the U. S. House of Representatives, it should be noted that the closest thing to a 'vote' on Rep. Murtha's resolution was taken on H.RES.572 "providing for consideration of the resolution (H.RES.571) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately." The vote on this resolution (Roll no. 607) was 210 Yea, 202 Nay, and 22 Not Voting. Only five Republicans voted 'Nay': Gilchrest, Hostettler, Jones (NC), Leach, and Simpson.

This resolution (H.RES.572) is the manner in which the 'leadership' railroads their agenda through the House, not only in limiting debate and discussion but in evading their duty to the People under the Constitution. Such an approach offers cover and concealment for cowards of all stripes, both Republican and Democratic. Any Representative can easily (and cravenly) claim their vote on this resolution did not reflect their position regarding Rep. Murtha's proposed resolution. In so doing, they can continue to ensure that their actions and their words are forever separate.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Bush and Cheney Answer Critics: Majority of Americans are un-American

Sutton Impact
Bush and Cheney Answer Critics
'Majority of Americans are un-American'
by Ward Sutton
November 18th, 2005 5:21 PM

[sojourner]

2. You seem surprised....

abstract reasoning is a skill that many American adults lack. Scary but true.

Their worlds are governed by fallacy upon fallacy.

[MadisonProgressive]

4. You hit the nail on the head

I watched CSPAN call-in this morning and most of the callers were angry with the democrats - for what? - because they were too god-damned ignorant to shut off Rush and think for themselves. It's truly exasperating!

[MasonJar]

3. The Congressional Repugs broke the Constitution a long time

ago when they refused to let Democrats (who incidentally represent more people in this country) in on the discussions of important legislation. There time will come...in 2006, if we can get fair elections.

[tx_dem41]

5. You're making one wrong assumption....

and I don't mean to be flip when I say...logical reasoning and politics do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. It might have been logically irrational, but on a pure partisan level, it was brilliant politics.

[TahitiNut]

6. There is NOTHING admirable about deceit and misrepresentation.

I regard admiration for such ethically bankrupt, hypocritical, and cowardly behavior every bit the same as I regard admiration for a priest who sexually abuses children year after year without being caught. The morally reprehensible use of one organ (the brain) is every bit as 'bad' as the morally reprehensible use of another organ (the penis or vagina).

[tx_dem41]

10. I never said admirable, so please don't put words in my mouth. n/t

[TahitiNut]

12. Sure. As soon as you stop saying "you're making one wrong assumption."

:shrug: Even as a rhetorical flourish, it's offensive to make such condescending and pretentious remarks.

At least I never said that YOU were admiring such behavior. So who's putting words in whose mouth??? Understand?

[tx_dem41]

15. Wow....you took offense where none was intended, TN.

Sorry if you inferred any condescension in my post. Your OP implied that politics has ethics. Public policymaking might. Politics, IMO, doesn't.

Again, sorry I set you off.

[serryjw]

7. You get the governemnt leadership you deserve

This is all our faults. TODAY FDR could not get elected in a wheel chair. How many on DUers say DK can not get elected. When I was at the CO state Convention, activists dems would NOT sign the Petition for the Dept Of Peace.WTF? Either we walk the talk or we don't.

[TahitiNut]

8. Minor correction: "We get the government leadership we deserve."

We. The People. Half of us get 'better' than we deserve... and half of us get 'worse' than we deserve. That's "democracy" - even after it commits suicide. It's also the precursor for revolutions.

[serryjw]

11. The problem with this is

WE have done a lousy job of showing all buy 15% of the country they are voting against their interests. Today I love Al Gore but he did a lousy job of running for Prez( whether he won or not). ......Kerry did worse...ALL including Clinton are DLC and do not represent my interests..shall we debate Nafta? I will not do it again. I will support Clark in 2008, not Warner or Biden, or Clinton

[blm]

9. They insult their base every time they open their mouths.

They KNEW their base wouldn't understand how congressional voting works, so they pretended that Kerry flipflopped on the war with the voted for it before he voted against it attack.

They were COUNTING on Bush's audiences to not know that ALL Congressional votes are for one version of a bill or another.

So you can vote FOR an 87billion dollar defense bill that HAS accountability for the way the money is spent, and vote NO on the same money with NO ACCOUNTABILITY for the money spent just as BushInc wanted.

They really count on their audience's stupidity every step of the way.

[shanti]

13. i dunno about you

but there were NO reasoning classes when i went to high school. it was only when i continued on to college that i learned these, and of course, not everyone remembers what they took in college.

just saying :shrug:

[TahitiNut]

14. I got it in my Civics (& Social Studies) classes in 10th and 11th grades.

Public school. Blue collar community. Late 50's. :shrug:

In addition, I taught some of it as a part of high school mathematics in the 60's. Catholic school. Blue collar community.