It's as if they didn't read any of the polling that came out of MA or if they did guys like Rahm shot it down and shut down discussions. Are there any strong progressives in his cabinet that can open his eyes a little or has groupthink shut down the dissenters around him? I just don't get how they can be so far off in their interpretation of what occurred in MA, which was that Obama lost his base and of course a poor economy had an effect plus a poor candidate against a strong one. On top of that, now every decision they make is beyond reason even for many conservatives. Not even Bush and Cheney wanted to give Hoover's policies another try. It's the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Groupthink is what comes to mind because when it has taken control then bad decision making starts to occur. It has happened in many administrations causing things such as the Bay of Pigs and the Iraq war.
Simptoms of groupthink:
http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/groups/groupthink.htmlConditions Groupthink occurs when groups are highly cohesive and when they are under considerable pressure to make a quality decision.
Negative outcomes Some negative outcomes of groupthink include:
Examining few alternatives
Not being critical of each other's ideas
Not examining early alternatives
Not seeking expert opinion
Being highly selective in gathering information
Not having contingency plans
Symptoms Some symptoms of groupthink are:
Having an illusion of invulnerability
Rationalizing poor decisions
Believing in the group's morality
Sharing stereotypes which guide the decision
Exercising direct pressure on others
Not expressing your true feelings
Maintaining an illusion of unanimity
Using mindguards to protect the group from negative information
Solutions Some solutions include:
Using a policy-forming group which reports to the larger group
Having leaders remain impartial
Using different policy groups for different tasks
Dividing into groups and then discuss differences
Discussing within sub-groups and then report back
Using outside experts
Using a Devil's advocate to question all the group's ideas
Holding a "second-chance meeting" to offer one last opportunity to choose another course of action