Recreational Poli Sci

Heads up, friends, it’s Census time. Yes, the Ye Olde...

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:33:51 -0500

Heads up, friends, it’s Census time. Yes, the Ye Olde Tradition from the first article of the Constitution says we must count heads to apportion congressional juice, but we also learn a lot about population changes from the form that folks fill out. I’m looking forward to learning what percent of Americans self-describe themselves with Scotch-Irish ancestry. That “ethnicity,” as you might describe it, is central to a particular senator’s identity without doubt (who sought to “redeem them from their redneck, hillbilly stereotype and place them at the center of American history and culture”).

Yet, there was a massive drop in the number of people identifying as Scotch-Irish between 1990 and 2000— according to the Census Bureau’s report on ancestry, from 5.6m to 4.3m, representing a 23% drop. So, if you’re S-I, fight your way to that census and make your belligerent presence felt!

Almost the anniversary of the start of my little tumblrblog, and...

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:17:00 -0500

Almost the anniversary of the start of my little tumblrblog, and I thought I’d ~~celebrate~~ bemoan visually how the number of entries appears like most folks’ gym membership usage patterns for their new year’s resolutions…

"The plan to cut $62.1 million in funding to the state’s public colleges and universities is..."

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:47:34 -0500

“The plan to cut $62.1 million in funding to the state’s public colleges and...

A late development in MA’s off-cycle senate race involves...

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:53:04 -0500

A late development in MA’s off-cycle senate race involves AG Martha Coakley, the Democrat, committing an unthinkable gaffe in Boston: referring to Curt Schilling as a Yankee fan. Oops. Maybe Coakley should take heart from John Kerry, though. As ‘Sconis can remember, John Kerry referred to the hallowed ground in Green Bay as “Lambert Field,” and still carried the state (if only by a whisker) two months later despite mangling Curly Lambeau’s name.

"We see vast untapped grounds in our home base and we believe there are still plenty of prizes to be claimed by the best players."

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:06:00 -0500

In all this Google / Beijing dust-up, I wanted to see what this “Baidu” engine was...

What is the North? What is the South? Does it matter where we...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:55:44 -0500

What is the North? What is the South? Does it matter where we draw our fuzzy lines defining groups? Turns out, this is a common question. The Brits do it. The Americans have the post-carnage Civil War legacy that will continue to bedevil us, but it’s good to remember that the M/D line is too far north and not extrapolatable westward. Try Zelinsky instead. But the most recent and most amusing one is North Jersey v. South Jersey. Ben Franklin called Jersey a barrel tapped at both ends, and it’s a suburban zone divided by its NYC and Philly sides (media markets too). The Yankees / Phillies world series made this even more evident. Turns out that someone has made a documentary about where this fuzzy barrier is in the Garden State (here’s their blog) (trailer). Maybe I’ll pop in in my netflix queue.

Extra credit goes to knowers of which side Jay and Silent Bob are on.

Sexy iPhone apps? Clever? Funny? Useful? YES! Political? NO!

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:46:00 -0400

Saw this via Engadget. Some eAdvocacy effort, in the form of “iSinglePayer,” can help...

What does the quantity of media coverage of returned fallen soldiers mean?

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:24:25 -0400

The Washington Examiner, via Drudge, reports today that media attention to returning caskets...

Overusing Obituaters of Omniquotism

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:43:57 -0400

Could someone please have a nice entry on Safire with mentioning the “nattering” line?...

Obama and "his" war.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:38:39 -0400

Obama and "his" war.: Obama faces heterogeneity in opinion on where to go from here in...

One of my grad school buddies understands Dixie pretty darn...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:34:06 -0400

One of my grad school buddies understands Dixie pretty darn well, but has never quite put his finger on the Midwest. I am a Midwesterner, and a low-intensity Green Bay fan, and I emailed him about the latest funny t-shirt worn in Wisconsin, pictured above. His reply cracked me up:

“Very nice. Funny, but in that not overly aggressive Midwestern way.”

Maybe he’s getting to know the Midwest better afterall.

I suggest auditioning Craig T. Nelson...

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:56:18 -0400

I’ve flown in and out of MSP a few times (got some kin and amigos up there on both sides of...

This General, Russel Honoré, fought in a much different kind of...

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:01:40 -0400

This General, Russel Honoré, fought in a much different kind of battle in New Orleans than the one Old Hickory used to catapult his political career upward. Will he challenge Vitter? Maybe, or maybe not.

Does presidential popularity influence voters’ perceptions...

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:09:01 -0400

Does presidential popularity influence voters’ perceptions of statewide candidates? One idea is here from DailyKos, via The Hill, asserting a “maybe” or even a “yes.” I asked a related question earlier this year, do presidential ballots predict gubernatorial ballots the year after? Kos was concerned about Virginia, but NJ also has a gov election this year. The graph above was an attempt to see if Obama’s 57ish% in NJ would buoy Corzine’s attempt to keep is job. The fact that the prediction lines are flat indicates to me an answer: no.

Blogging is not a waste of time

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:06:20 -0400

If you do it right. And by that John means stringing together quick reactions into something more...

Helping vets win elected office

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:59:24 -0400

Helping vets win elected office: From Thomas Ricks’ excellent blog (author of Fiasco): there...

Rick Perry is gay, at least in the metatags. Funny story in the...

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:10:11 -0400

Rick Perry is gay, at least in the metatags. Funny story in the Texas gubernatorial GOP run-up to next year’s intraparty grudge match between Kay Bailey and Rick. Apparently, the KBH website included some search engine bait, including “rick perry gay.” Not sure where this fits in the campaign effects literature, but I can see where it might fit in as probative regarding the the divisive primary question!

Link to the Statesman story. Link to the metatags! Photo credit: Gawker.

There are not many "George W. Bush" streets...

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:44:51 -0400

But, Biden just rode on the same one I have.

Clinton v. Obama: would the Democratic primary last year have...

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:46:08 -0400

Clinton v. Obama: would the Democratic primary last year have played out differently if the Party used the Republican primary rules? Brian Arbour, in a clever piece findable here, says “even closer, even longer.”

I like this graphic. For those who have been to my office and...

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:45:29 -0400

I like this graphic. For those who have been to my office and seen these, you’re probably not surprised by my notice.

Two suggestions for improvement: I would make the y-axis meaningful (poly-mono-theism variable? whatever.) and make the thickness of the lines meaningful (thickness could represent the proportion of the world population who count as adherents, say).