I Don’t Think That Word Means What You Think It Means…

 Posted by  2012 Election, Book Related, East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons  2 Responses »
Apr 132012
 

Can we please stop using the word “embolden” to describe American policies with respect to our enemies?

“Embolden” has become a buzz word to attack the foreign policy maneuvers of political enemies here in the United States.  President Bush used to say that withdrawing from Iraq would “embolden” the terrorists–and many Democrats pushed back by arguing that in fact the Iraq War itself had “emboldened” the terrorists.  Just today Mitt Romney attacked Obama for “emboldening” North Korea by trying to engage with them diplomatically.

But what does “embolden” actually mean?  The dictionary definition is to make bold, to give someone courage or confidence.  But in the context of a strategic environment, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense. Continue reading »

Meaningfully Meaningless Words

 Posted by  2008 Election, 2012 Election, Book Related, Bush Administration, U.S. Politics  No Responses »
Apr 052012
 

One of Rick Santorum’s favorite lines on the campaign trail lately has been a claim that every time the GOP nominates a moderate, they lose, whereas every time the GOP nominates a conservative, they win. Is that statement true? Well, it depends on what you mean by “moderate” and “conservative”. Here are the GOP nominees for president since 1976 (the election Santorum seems to believe started this trend):
Continue reading »

Likely Voters vs. Americans

 Posted by  2012 Election, Book Related, U.S. Politics  No Responses »
Apr 042012
 

In any given presidential election, about half of adult American citizens will vote. In a Gubernatorial, Congressional or Senatorial election, as few as 1/3 of eligible adult American citizens might vote.

Most often, you see those statistics used to decry the state of American democracy. And certainly, I believe that Democracy is stronger when more people participate (although there are many ways to participate in a democracy without voting–letter writing, protesting, etc.). But what you see less often is a look at how the people who vote (“likely voters”) differ from the population as a whole. In particular:
Continue reading »

How to Chose a Running Mate

 Posted by  2012 Election, Book Related, U.S. Politics  3 Responses »
Mar 302012
 

As the media increasingly coalesces around the idea that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for president this year, they have also increased their attention on the question of who Romney might choose as his running mate. I won’t get into the horse race–there are simply too many possibilities. But I thought it might be useful to discuss why a VP choice is important–and therefore, what Romney might be looking for in a potential nominee. Notice that many nominees fall in multiple categories, and Romney’s likely will as well.
Continue reading »

Don’t Punish The Messengers

 Posted by  2012 Election, Abuse of Power, Book Related, Education, U.S. Politics  No Responses »
Mar 272012
 

One of the things I’m most proud of about the book is that it is non-partisan. After all, the issues we discuss (including voter irrationality, voter ignorance, procedural justice, etc.) are not limited to Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives. As we note in the book “voters often are ignorant pawns of a system they don’t understand”, and that applies to all voters. And so, when discussing the book, I try both Danny and I try our best not to wade into partisan political debates. Sometimes in a particular Q&A, I will be forced to tip my hand somewhat about what I believe, but I do always try to be respectful of other political beliefs and to keep my own opinions about which particular politicians or policies are insane to myself.

That being said, Florida has now, officially, broken me. And I’m not even talking about the Stand Your Ground Law, which has gotten so much attention lately. No, the law that has raised my hackles, as far as the material in the book is concerned, is the recent restrictions on third-party voter registration.
Continue reading »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries
© 2012 leftfielder.org login Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha