Numbers make people feel intimidated, and threaten their ego with the potential that they might turn out to be wrong. That's why most people avoid them in political arguments.
This is another great example of an attempt to bring numbers into a political argument, this time about sustainable energy: http://www.withouthotair.com
Numbers make people feel intimidated, and threaten their ego
I'd argue its stronger the other way around: people in political arguments falsely insert (crap) data to intimidate other people and polish their own ego.
This is another great example of an attempt to bring numbers into a political argument, this time about sustainable energy: http://www.withouthotair.com