Spending cuts and election losses
07/19/2023
Oblivious to decades of poll data and campaign experience, Speaker McCarthy is allowing the far-right Freedom Caucus to lead his Republican Conference like lemmings over the cliff into political oblivion.…
The economic recovery, perception and reality
07/12/2023
Pundits continue puzzling over the seeming disconnect between economic reality and public perception. The reality is simple: President Biden has presided over a uniquely successful economic recovery. Whether by comparison…
Pro Or Con On Affirmative Action?
06/28/2023
As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action in college admissions, pollsters, or at least journalists writing about polls, seem to be reaching diametrically opposed conclusions. A University…
Are we really suffering moral decline in this country?
06/21/2023
This week, in discussing a fascinating new paper, I want to bring together two ideas that have long animated this column. One of those ideas is that people have limited…
Is social conservatism rising? Depends on the issues
06/14/2023
It’s obvious to us Democrats that the GOP is the party of extremists and extremism. How extreme? On a recent CNN town hall, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, attempting…
Extremism is more bipartisan than Democrats want to believe
06/07/2023
It’s obvious to us Democrats —the GOP is the party of extremists and extremism. How extreme? On CNN’s town hall, Nikki Haley, attempting to exude moderation, argued there are elements…
Models on voter files can be useful, but they are all wrong
05/24/2023
Professor George Box, called “one of the great statistical minds of the 20th century,” put it this way, “All models are wrong. Some are useful.” As we increasingly rely on…
Good poll, bad numbers, accurate conclusion
05/17/2023
The ABC News/Washington Post poll is one of the very best public surveys available. The specific numbers reported in its most recent iteration are probably not correct. The broad conclusions…
Opportunities, challenges and uncertainties in campaign ’24
04/26/2023
The Governor wanted to talk urgently. I’d explained that with a positive job rating in the mid-30s, the right track for the state in the low 20s and the percentage…
Efficiency vs. sufficiency in political pampaigning
04/19/2023
Ever since economic thinking captured the public mind in the 18th century, efficiency has been a prime preoccupation of nearly every organization. As Americans were declaring their independence in 1776,…