Bobo Brooks on why we have such fact-free politics these days

We had what surely will be a signature moment in the history of Boboism today (Shields and Brooks on high stakes for debate moderators, a dead heat in the polls PBS Newshour 09/09/2016):

Bobo:

And the final point to be made, just in terms of cognitive science, the idea that when you correct a fact, you erase that fact from people’s memories is the reverse of the truth. When you correct a fact, what you do is you further lodge that fact into people’s minds, and they remember the error.

And we have had all these fact-checking services on TV in the print, three Pinocchios, liar, liar, pants on fire award, and we have not entered a more factual era of American politics. We have entered a less factual era. So, there’s just that blunt fact that it doesn’t work.

Fact-checking is the reason the Republican Party runs on fact-free fantasy. Awesome! Because all this here fact-checkin' don't really mean nothin' nohow.

Bobo's specialty is making ridiculous Republican proposals and slogans sound respectable. Or at least harmlessly boring.

But his explanation today of how fact-free nonsense became common currency in American politics may be a classic moment in Boboism. It's all the fault of journalists doing what they call "fact-checking," you see.

I'm in awe! All these silly hippies grumbling about how we need better "journalism" should just stop their whining, amirite?