Partisanship: The Filter on Reality

Your vote is practically locked in before you even see a single campaign ad. Political science

shows that despite the billions spent on commercials and rallies, campaigns almost

never actually change anyone's mind. They aren't trying to persuade you; they are just trying

to activate the version of you that already picked a side years ago. It is all about

partisanship acting like a filter on your reality. The wildest part is that the entire

country acts like a giant thermostat. When the government turns up the heat with policy,

the public automatically cools down and shifts the other way to balance it out. So next time you

think you are analyzing the issues, realize you are probably just cheering for your team's