The Democrats in Congress almost all supported the stimulus bill recently signed by President Obama. The Congressional Republicans almost unanimously opposed it (despite their willingness to accept credit for money coming into their own districts). But the battle isn’t over just because the bill was passed. Obama and the National Republicans are still waging a public relations war over whether the stimulus bill is a good thing or a bad thing for America.

Obama calls the economic stimulus package he signed this week “the most sweeping economic recovery plan in history. Because of this plan, three and a half million Americans will now go to work doing the work that America needs done.” And, he says, “by April 1st, a typical family will begin taking home at least $65 more every month. Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans.”

Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., delivers the GOP address this week. “Congressional Democratic leaders’ track record on spending taxpayers’ money wisely this year is already lousy,” he says.

“Next week,” Camp adds, “we have a chance to hit ‘reset’ and try again to work in a transparent and bipartisan way to address our nations’ problems. On Monday, Members of Congress from both parties will join President Obama at the White House for a ‘Fiscal Responsibility Summit.’ … Republicans genuinely want to work with the president to solve these problems –- in a responsible way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt.”

It isn’t just that the public face of the two parties is vastly different, however (and since when did the Republicans suddenly get so concerned about fiscal responsibility, by the way?) The vast unwashed masses (i.e., those of us not in Congress or employed by one party or the other) also view the value of stimulus package through a partisan lens. Here’s a recent poll which shows just how far apart rank and file Democrats and Republicans are on the question:

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll sheds some interesting light on this subject. The survey found that 53 percent of respondents thought that the stimulus would improve economic conditions, while 44 percent thought it wouldn’t. Looking deeper, CNN’s polling director says, “Nearly nine in 10 Democrats favored the plan, while three-quarters of Republicans thought it was a bad idea.”

. . . The same CNN survey found that the president’s approval rating among Republicans “dropped from 50 percent in early February to 31 percent now.” (Democrats remain pleased with their man, giving him 92 percent approval).

We don’t have to wonder much as to why there is such a vast gulf between the two parties. I think we can look to where the two groups primarily look to become informed. Look at the results of this survey from 2007:

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted July 25-29 among 1,503 adults, finds a continuing pattern of deep partisan differences in public views of news organizations and their performance. Far more than twice as many Republicans as Democrats say news organizations are too critical of America (63% vs. 23%), and there is virtually no measure of press values or performance on which there is not a substantial gap in the views of partisans.

Republicans outnumber Democrats by two-to-one (43% to 21%) among the core Fox News Channel audience, while there are far more Democrats than Republicans among CNN’s viewers (43% Democrat, 22% Republican) and network news viewers (41% Democrat, 24% Republican).

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the demise of the Fairness Doctrine under President Reagan and the subsequent rise of politically conservative talk radio and, with Fox News, blatantly conservatively biased television news have had a lot to do with the hardening of attitudes along partisan lines. The Republican party today is far less moderate and far more radical than it was in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. It is also far more misinformed. No one needs to tell you people, I’m sure, but humor me as I remind you just how misinformed Fox viewers truly are:

A new study by the Pew Research Study shows that viewers of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have the highest knowledge of national and international affairs, while Fox News viewers rank nearly dead last …

The results about Fox News echo findings of previous surveys. In 2003, University of Maryland researchers studied the public’s belief in three false claims — that Iraq possessed WMD, that Iraq was involved in 9/11, and that there was international support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The researchers stated, “The extent of Americans’ misperceptions vary significantly depending on their source of news. Those who receive most of their news from Fox News are more likely than average to have misperceptions.” Fox News viewers were “three times more likely than the next nearest network to hold all three misperceptions.”

Which isn’t to say MsNBC, CNN and the network news shows are that much better at telling the truth, just that they are less likely to openly lie about current events in order to push an ultra-conservative and Republican agenda. Their faults lie with an overabundance of caution thanks to the conservative movement’s relentless assault on the “liberal media.” It’s the primary reason we have so much “balanced news coverage” which focuses more on making sure both sides of any issue are equally represented rather than any attempt to objectively determine where the truth of the matter lies.

In short we’ve become a nation of peoples who look to have our prejudices confirmed and our preconceived notions validated, rather than a nation of critical thinkers. And while conservatives lead the way in refusing to acknowledge any facts that don’t fit their version of reality, this can be as just as much of a flaw for Democratic partisans, as well. Just look at the hot button issues at nominally progressive websites (“Daily Kos” is a good example but not the only one) to get an idea of how even “liberals” can come to blows over issues such as the Palestinian conflict, racism, the need for election reform, etc. It’s human nature to cling to our personal belief systems despite all evidence to the contrary. That’s why evolution is still so “controversial” even though the data is overwhelmingly supportive of its claims.

Americans are, all too often, lazy thinkers. We look to authority figures to tell us what to think and what to believe. Our schools do a horrid job of developing analytical thinking skills. Nor are enough of us particularly open to listening to the views of others, assessing their claims logically, and modifying our own opinions when we find evidence that contradicts our beliefs. We like to imagine ourselves as rugged individuals, when in fact the vast majority of us are sheep. Perhaps it has always been so, but you have to believe the rise of consumerism, the influence of large corporations and, most of all, advances in media technology which favor the “sound bite” over reasoned debate have a lot to do with our present predicament. For whenever any group allows itself to be spoon fed what to think, what to believe, what to say and how to act it loses a part of its humanity.

We’ve seen this happen to many of our family, friends and neighbors who have uncritically adopted the ideology (and the lies) of the radical right. All the more reason to exhibit caution in order to prevent the same virus from infecting those of us who didn’t buy the snake oil Fox News, Limbaugh & Company sold, and continue to sell, to far too many of our fellow citizens.