W/41: So I asked myself why can’t some ’see’ what others can see? Is it bias, is it prejudice, or was it something else? Why the variance in cognition given the same facts?

I think it often comes down to a matter of personal will. Some are more willing to believe the truth while others are more willing to believe a lie. So what would make someone be more willing to believe a lie? Don’t we all want the truth? Well, the short answer to that is no, we don’t all want the truth. The truth can get in the way of something you want more. An extreme example would be the O.J. Simpson jurors who had no use whatsoever for the truth.

Often it is a case of, as Mongoose said, bias or socialization or indoctrination but often enough it’s due to some facet of egotism, just as the NYT article pointed out: Obama was one of the elite, an Ivy Leaguer, the intelligent choice; he was all these cool things that they prided themselves on as well.

This was not a case of a posteriori information. They knew the truth when they voted for him that he would raise taxes and increase regulation, but that didn’t matter as much as the ego thing. Now that they’ve been stung as “villains” (decidedly NOT good for their ego), they’re willing to broadcast the truth they knew all along; e.g., hedge fund manager Loeb circulates his letter quoting Jefferson and Reagan and lecturing, “As every student of American history knows, this country’s core founding principles included nonpunitive taxation, constitutionally guaranteed protections against persecution of the minority and an inexorable right of self-determination…” Only now are Mr. Loeb and his fellow Wall Street elitists willing to assert the truth. Only now are they willing to remind everyone of the country’s core founding principles. Only now are they crying about non-punitive taxation and self-determination. Back in 2008, when they were fundraising and donating and pulling the lever for Obama, these principles weren’t so important.

Wretchard, of the two, your second theory is the correct one. No new information came to light and there’s been a shift in perspective all right. The old perspective was, “We’re in like Flynn, we don’t need the truth.” The new perspective is, “We’re painted as villains, time to drag out the truth.”

It’s pathetic and venal, but there it is.

They knew the truth all along but were willing to ignore it in favor of something more flattering. I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that.