Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Read Stuff, You Should

Lots of good stuff stacked up, so I'll get right to it:

1. WH 2012. Mark Blumenthal on why current polling numbers don't predict next November's results. Jared Bernstein isn't impressed with Herman Cain's grasp of quantitative methodology, while Conor Friedersdorf isn't impressed with Cain's book. Matt Yglesias makes the good point that Romney and Perry will be similar presidents in many ways.

2. Institutions! Rule 22 has a new series that everyone should be reading; here's an opening post from Nate Birkhead, and then Jordan Ragusa on stability. Also, an excellent primer on OMB vs. the White House from Andrew Rudalevige, Matthew Dickinson on Obama and Daley, and Matt Glassman on leading both Chambers.

3. Dick Cheney shouldn't be on TV, says Fred Kaplin; more Cheney-bashing from Andrew Sullivan.

4. Moving from tragedy to farce...Mark Penn bashing from Jonathan Chait, and more Penn-bashing from Ed Kilgore.

5. Brendan Nyhan fights pseudo-science the NYT.

6. I'd like more empirical support, but I do believe that Friedersdorf is right about the costs (to conservatives) of talking only to a narrow audience.

7. Adam Serwer on Ali Soufan; obvious must-read.

8. The causal arrow of beliefs and actions, from Mike Konzal.

9. Mal Reynolds! And a couple of baseball links -- Joe Posnanski on Bill James, and Mike Fast on catchers framing pitches.

2 comments:

  1. RE: Daley.

    I wonder if FDR thought his most precious commodity was time. Or LBJ.

    I'd say he most precious commodity is power.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Framing pitches is now a bonafide skill, and catchers have to be recruited with that in mind. However, I think catchers are getting so quiet behind the plate that they're allowing more balls to get away from them. Years ago, the great catchers swelled up and blocked everything, even for the great splitters and sinkerballers. Today it seems like every game a ball or 2 is getting away from them.

    It's sorta like politics today. The object of the game is to trick voters into thinking you're throwing strikes, as opposed to just throwing strikes.

    ReplyDelete

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