2011

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Monday November 07, 2011 · 12:26 PM PST

2011/11/07 · 12:26

So this past weekend I posted two race prediction posts for either an Obama/Romney or Obama/Perry general election in 2012. Both showed President Obama doing fairly well in the face of strong head winds. As a result, I got some flack from certain commenters on the DailyKos for painting to 'rosy' of a picture. I want to state again that my race ratings and predictions are based on calculated averages of polling data based on the polls' recentness, sample size and the quality of the pollster. The results which I reported on my posts are a product of these calculations, so if you are to believe the predictions are 'too left' or biased, I say...look at the state polls.

Now for today's daily (or almost daily) polling up date...

chriscom

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Sunday November 06, 2011 · 2:10 PM PST

2011/11/06 · 14:10

Yesterday I laid out what is probably the most likely scenario for the 2012 general election for president, Obama v. Romney. Today I will focus on Rick Perry's chances against Obama as of today, November 6, 2011. Although Perry's numbers are low, many think he is the second most likely Republican nominee due to the amount of money he has on hand, and the establishment 'cred' he has in the GOP.

chriscom

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Saturday November 05, 2011 · 10:56 AM PDT

2011/11/05 · 10:56

The general election for the presidency of the United States in 2012 will be one of the most hotly contested races. The political cable news media is only getting more intense, and the bases on both sides will be very aggressive in terms of advocating for their candidate (probably). As of today, November 5, 2011, three scenarios seem most likely 1) Obama v. Romney, 2) Obama v. Perry, or 3) Obama v. Cain. I have compiled state polling data on each of these three races (among others) and as a result have the following race ratings/predictions for each scenario. Today I will focus on Obama v. Romney and the numbers.

chriscom

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Thursday November 03, 2011 · 10:51 AM PDT

2011/11/03 · 10:51

Today's polls once again are a great sign for the Obama campaign, the White House, and Congressional Democrats that the American people are starting to get sick of the Republican candidates already and taking another look at Obama and realizing the degree to which he is attempting to do right by the American people. State polls of PA and NY show even stronger uptick for Obama against all GOP contenders.

chriscom

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Wednesday November 02, 2011 · 10:29 AM PDT

2011/11/02 · 10:29

Today's polling data came fast and early with a flurry of both state and national polls from various organizations which help to both clarify and muddy the 2012 election picture.Obama's approval is significantly up in two polls today, what does it mean for his reelection chances? Also, several state polls out today in FL, NC, and SC for both the general and GOP primary, who's in the lead? Will they stay there? What do these polls mean? Here's my take, as usual.

chriscom

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Tuesday November 01, 2011 · 2:16 PM PDT

2011/11/01 · 14:16

Today's polls provide show us that Herman Cain's support may be a lot more widespread than we thought, and that Mitt Romney, while to most sensible choice is still having a tough time garnering support, even in his own neck of the woods.

chriscom

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Monday October 31, 2011 · 12:11 PM PDT

2011/10/31 · 12:11

Happy Halloween everybody!! I'll be dressing up a bit later, so I decided to get the daily polling update out of the way. We have a pretty rich polling update today, including the standard daily tracking polls, new state polls of Wisconsin, Texas and Washington, with some very mixed results for the President.

chriscom

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Sunday October 30, 2011 · 8:25 AM PDT

2011/10/30 · 08:25

The latest Iowa GOP poll shows that Herman Cain isn't going away, and I'm not convinced the Republican Primary will be a head to head battle between Romney and Perry. Yesterday, the Des Moines Register released a well respected poll of likely Republican Caucus goers in Iowa which showed that Herman Cain has not dropped in the polls yet, and it seems he may be more than just a "flavor of the month," a term coined by the increasingly insignificant Sarah Palin. The poll, done by Selzer & Co., showed Cain with 23% support among caucus goers, marginally leading Mitt Romney who has 22%, after that there is a ten percent drop of to Ron Paul at 12%.

Poll

14 votes Show Results

When do you think Cain's surge will end?

14 votes Vote Now!

When do you think Cain's surge will end?

Within two weeks

4 votes

Within a month

1 vote

Within two months

2 votes

He will last through the Caucus

6 votes

He will be the GOP nominee

1 vote

What do we teach in Social Studies?

chriscom

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Saturday October 29, 2011 · 11:24 AM PDT

2011/10/29 · 11:24

Do we as teachers take the path of least resistance or do we struggle for something more? This question I think is essential for all teachers, future and current, to wrestle with as it will really determine the effectiveness of their teaching and the meaningfulness of what lesson they are completing with their class. Below I will lay out a brief analysis on this question, and how to go about implementing such practices in class. Comment your suggestions, thoughts, opinions below!!

chriscom

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Friday October 28, 2011 · 10:49 AM PDT

2011/10/28 · 10:49

President Barack Obama will have a net neutral approval rating by December, and here's why.

It has been a rough almost three years for Barack Obama. There's no doubt that Obama has faced a great deal of scrutiny, from all angles, since the beginning of his presidency. Additionally, since the GOP took control of the House of Representatives, it has been increasingly difficult for him to get any of his bills, initiatives, or policy plans passed in Congress. Not surprisingly, as a consequence of this barrage of negative attention, Obama's approval ratings have suffered greatly.

According to Gallup, from July to September, President Obama's average approval rating stood at a very weak 41%. This was most likely a result of relatively high and stagnant unemployment, media hyped fears of a double dip recession, continual reports of low economic growth, and a Republican field taking up all of the oxygen on the news, using most of their time to denigrate the president in any way they could. Of course, additionally, there is the constant anti-Obama/anti-government chatter that you will here wherever you go.

However, things are starting to look up for the president. Taking a look at the current polling data on the approval of Barack Obama's job as president, beginning in October, and extrapolating the current trend line of the these polls there is a lot of hope that these 'underwater' numbers will reverse themselves, and it will not take relatively long for this to happen.

Poll

97 votes Show Results

When do you think Obama will get net neutral approval?

97 votes Vote Now!

When do you think Obama will get net neutral approval?

Before December

27 votes

December

25 votes

After December

26 votes

Never

19 votes

Ideas on Textbooks in Education

chriscom

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Tuesday May 24, 2011 · 9:44 AM PDT

2011/05/24 · 09:44

A lot has been made about the role of textbooks in the classroom, particularly with regard to Social Studies. Many say that they are a good resource that has helped to educate generations of students and has been successful in several ways. Others could not disagree more, claiming that textbooks hamstring teachers and promote meaningless education. Here is my brief take on this question, and as always it is important to understand that these issues are not always as black and white as they may seem.

Poll

10 votes Show Results

How should textbooks be used in the classroom?

10 votes Vote Now!

How should textbooks be used in the classroom?

Should be the most significant resource

0 votes

Should be one of many resources

8 votes

Shouldn't be used at all

2 votes

Other...explain in comments

0 votes

Columbus, History, and Teaching: Avoiding the Path of Least Resistance

chriscom

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Sunday March 06, 2011 · 12:28 PM PST

2011/03/06 · 12:28

Just a little background here...I am currently a student at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and will be receiving my M.Ed. in Social Studies Ed in May 2011. For one of my classes I had to read a book on what we might call the "Columbian Exchange" and two other articles on the story of Christopher Columbus and its impact on education, specifically SS Ed in America. It lead me to believe that often times, when teaching and in other areas of life, we choose to take the path of least resistance instead of making the hard decisions and fight the battles to change people's understandings of issues which have long been discussed. Below is my take on this issue and my critical interpretation of how 'we' teach "Columbus" in the United States today.

Poll

0 votes Show Results

0 votes Vote Now!

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RSS

The Iowa GOP Not Giving Up on Cain ~ 11/7/2011

Predictions: Obama v. Perry 2012

Predictions: Obama v. Romney 2012

Good Polling for Obama Continues ~ 11/3/11

Obama's Up and Cain Surviving - 11/2/11

11/1/11 - Tuesday Polling Update - Cain Continues to Ride High

10/31/11 Happy Halloween Polling Update

Looks Like Herm Has Some Staying Power...at least more than Perry!

What do we teach in Social Studies?

Obama's Approval by December

Ideas on Textbooks in Education

Columbus, History, and Teaching: Avoiding the Path of Least Resistance