Rooting Against a Policy?

Since Barack Obama became president, a number of conservative politicians and pundits have publicly stated that they want President Obama’s policies to fail. Now, I can understand why they would want President Obama to fail - that is the surest way back to political power. But why would anyone want a “policy” to fail?

It is one thing to believe that a policy is wrongheaded and will, indeed, fail. It is quite another thing to want that same policy to fail. Wanting a policy to fail reveals one’s love of an ideology, irrespective of its truth. If a conservative government enacts a policy that I, as a liberal, hope fails, I am declaring that I am not interested in the truth. I am so attached to my current beliefs that I am rooting for them, literally. I am rooting against alternative beliefs.

This is a very interesting phenomenon. Rooting for a belief to be true instead of wondering if it actually is true.

This can’t be a good development.

Joe H.