Social dynamics in politics

Power Line draws attention to the penultimate paragraph of the WaPo story on the latest polls:

Nearly eight in 10 said Bush "takes a position and sticks with it." Four in 10 had that view of Kerry, who is being portrayed by Republicans as a flip-flopper on key issues such as the war in Iraq.

That could be the story of this election right there if Kerry doesn't do something to change the dynamic. The crazy thing about human psychology is that many of us tend to view a decisive decision maker as superior even if we judge the decisions they make to be the wrong ones. Basic insecurity leaves us wondering if we really have the ability to judge what is and is not right.

Bush is an abusive husband. However, like the wife of said abused husband, we may not like him, but leaving him may seem even more frightening.