Conservatives Are Not the Only Ones Who Ignore “Facts and the Science”

“…this and countless other scientific findings led the President of the American Sociological Association—in his 2005 presidential address—to call upon members to, ‘Prepare to defend against the genomic data juggernaut heading their way down the pike.'”

Introduction

The 2020 presidential campaign, particularly on the Democratic side, has thus far placed the concept of “facts and the science” at center stage. When former president Barack Obama endorsed his former Vice President, Joe Biden, for President of the United States on April 14th, former President Obama asserted that Vice President Biden would—unlike conservatives—adhere to the “facts and the science” in running his administration. Then, on April 28th, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added her endorsement of Vice President Biden. Secretary Clinton indicated her view that it was necessary to have a president, who “listened to the science, put facts over fiction.” As such, she suggested that Vice President Biden—unlike President Donald Trump—would be that person.

Secretary Clinton’s endorsement of the former Vice President was followed almost immediately by The New York Times’ podcast “When Science Is Partisan” in which Frank Bruni stated: “From the very start of his administration President Trump has shrugged off expertise; he has outright mocked experts, and he has shown special disregard for science. Even more dangerous, he has frequently presented fiction as fact.” Again and again, Democrats have asserted that their Republican counterparts flagrantly ignore the research findings of experts, thereby regularly running afoul of reality. As I will argue, this Democratic line of argument is simply not correct, and I will trace each group’s actual willingness to follow the “facts and the science,” wherever they might lead.

Failings When It Comes to Science

Conservatives, admittedly, either ignore or reject the well-demonstrated theory of evolution. Simply stated our planet (and all of its many species) were not created in six days. Our Universe is approximately 13 billion years old, and the sphere on which we live congealed about 4.5 billion years ago. However, in 2013, roughly 48% of conservative voters believed that creation according to The Book of Genesis is factual. This is as compared to the 67% of Democrats and 65% of Independents who believe humans evolved over time. As such, rather than alienate this large segment of the Republican electoral base, if a reporter asks a conservative candidate if he or she believes in evolution, the candidate will frequently duck the question. This position is a violation of both the “facts and the science,” and these Republican politicians should be ashamed of themselves for not endorsing the truth. This is a well-known example of conservatives choosing to ignore the evidence.