Social Scientists Are Better Than Journalists at Journalism

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 07, 2012 · 10:47 AM PST

2012/11/07 · 10:47

As you can tell from my handle, I'm an economist (although I no longer live in Virginia). As such, I see the world through the lens of social science. One of the great lessons from this election is that social scientists (and those like Nate Silver who use the tools of social science) are better at journalism than journalists. For journalism to be useful to the public, journalists need to adopt the tools of social science in their work. Follow me below the orange symbol for the details.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 01, 2011 · 9:32 AM PDT

2011/08/01 · 09:32

It looks like Congress has finally made a deal to raise the debt limit. I support the deal, and will strongly encourage my representatives and senators to vote for it. My reasons are below the fold.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday January 08, 2011 · 10:59 PM PST

2011/01/08 · 22:59

I was studying yesterday when my wife called me from the other room saying that a Congresswoman had been shot. I looked at DailyKos (and MSNBC) and found out the horror of yesterday's events.

I was afraid this might happen. For the last year-and-a-half, I've been concerned that some right-wing lunatic would go and shoot a Democratic member of Congress. On a phone call a while back, my mom told me her concern that someone's going to shoot President Obama. Most older African-Americans worry about the President, especially given the sordid history of assassinations in the 1960s. My response to her that night was that President Obama would be fine, but I was worried that someone might try to assassinate a member of Congress.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 17, 2010 · 6:03 PM PST

2010/02/17 · 18:03

Today, conservative leaders unveiled their "Mount Vernon Manifesto". It's a good document, but if conservatives really believed it they would support President Obama and the Democratic Party. My response is below.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 29, 2009 · 10:18 AM PST

2009/11/29 · 10:18

But they are wrong, and often willfully ignorant. There's a big difference.

There have been several diaries today either stating that conservatives are stupid, or alternatively, that we are fighting a class war. Neither is true. If conservatives were stupid, we'd see that Republicans are less likely to be educated. If we were fighting a class war, we'd expect Republicans to be less likely to be rich. Neither is true.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 23, 2008 · 11:09 AM PST

2008/11/23 · 11:09

Now that the election is (mostly) over, I've been thinking about how we decide who to vote for and why it matters. I've read a lot of articles about how we are now a center-left nation. Other articles state that we are a center-right nation and that the current Democratic victories are an aberration caused by economic distress and the unpopularity of the Bush Administration.

I believe that this nation has made huge progressive strides in recent years. We are now, and will continue to be, a center-left nation, but that is a very recent phenomena. Follow me below the fold, where I'll write more about how we decide who to vote for and what that means for the present and future of America.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 12, 2008 · 7:19 AM PST

2008/11/12 · 07:19

The other day, Obama went to the White House for a meeting with George W. Bush. One topic of the meeting was how to help the US auto manufacturers, General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler. In September, Congress passed a loan package worth $25 billion, but there is concern that the money won't get to the manufacturers, especially GM, soon enough to save them from bankruptcy.

I feel that giving the auto manufacturers loans is the wrong approach. Instead, our government should just nationalize (purchase outright) the automakers. I list four reasons why we should nationalize the automakers below.

Poll

90 votes Show Results

What should we do with the nearly bankrupt domestic automakers?

90 votes Vote Now!

What should we do with the nearly bankrupt domestic automakers?

Nationalize them!

57 votes

Give them lots of loans.

6 votes

Let them fail.

27 votes

The Death of the Modern Republican Party

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday October 14, 2008 · 6:13 AM PDT

2008/10/14 · 06:13

On November 4th, we Democrats are headed towards a huge win for both Obama and both houses of Congress. Current polls have Obama ahead by 7-8 percentage points and Democratic congressional candidates running well ahead of him. We will likely win 7 Senate seats and 20 House seats, and possibly more. The Republican Party will suffer for the multitude of their economic and moral failings. It will be a wonderful night.

Will Democrats be able to maintain these advantages in future elections? Are the Republicans well-situated to gain seats and power in 2010 and 2012? Or will Republicans be out of power for a generation? I feel that Republicans will most likely be out of power for a generation. Follow me below the fold for the reasons why.

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday June 20, 2007 · 10:25 AM PDT

2007/06/20 · 10:25

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I address you with this open letter to humbly request that you run for President of the United States of America in 2008. I should be honest, though – I’m a loyal Democrat and have no intention of voting for you. So, you may ask, why am I asking you to run for President?

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 24, 2007 · 8:18 AM PDT

2007/04/24 · 08:18

I volunteer for several progressive activist organizations (including .Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, of which I’m a board member). A while back, I spoke at a local church to get them energized against the death penalty. In that talk, I talked about how to build a modern progressive campaign. After reading so much about the Democratic primaries, I want to apply my thoughts to those (and past) campaigns, and make some predictions and suggestions about how the Democratic presidential campaigns should go forward

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 08, 2005 · 8:40 AM PDT

2005/07/08 · 08:40

This Monday, July 11th, at 9 PM, the Commonwealth of Virginia is scheduled to execute Robin Lovitt. We think that Robin Lovitt is innocent, but we will never know because the evidence from his trial has been destroyed, in violation of Virginia law. Please help save Robin Lovitt's life! Read More

Freep this poll (and help end the juvenile death penalty in Virginia)

econlibVA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 19, 2005 · 3:15 PM PST

2005/01/19 · 15:15

On Martin Luther King Day, the Virginia Alliance to End the Juvenile Death Penalty held a lobbying day and rally at the State Capitol in Richmond to get the General Assembly to raise the age of eligibility for the death penalty (it is currently 16 in Virginia). The Alliance is composed of 35 civil liberties, religious, and children's groups that oppose the execution of juveniles.

The Virginian-Pilot has a poll (http://home.hamptonroads.com/pollNews/poll2.cfm) on whether the Virginia General Assembly should raise the minimum age for the death penalty to 18. The poll is currently tied and we need to change those numbers! Vote in the poll!

If you want to know more about our fight against the death penalty in Virginia, read the following articles:

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=80712&ran=84593
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/012005/01182005/1640401

Let's join forces to defeat the death penalty, both in Virginia and throughout the USA!

Newer
Older

RSS

Social Scientists Are Better Than Journalists at Journalism

Why I Support the Debt Limit Deal

A piece of America died yesterday...

My response to the "Mount Vernon Manifesto"

Conservatives aren't stupid...

How We Decide Who to Vote for and Why It Matters

Let's Nationalize the Auto Manufacturers!

The Death of the Modern Republican Party

Run, Bloomberg, Run! (Please!)

Barack Obama and the Modern Progressive Campaign

Is Virginia About to Execute An Innocent Man?

Freep this poll (and help end the juvenile death penalty in Virginia)