Dan Walters: “blame Prop. 8 on the darkie”

Props to the good folks over at FiveThirtyEight.com.  Not only did they construct an incredibly accurate model of the 2008 election — they use their statistical acuity for good and not evil.

Here’s the latest example:  Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee wants to blame Latinos and black people for the passage of Proposition 8. 

two satires and a funeral

It’s time to for a good ol’ post-presidential election unwind.  Here’s three questions (and answers) to help y’all out:

“Yes WE Can.”

If you haven’t heard of Damali Ayo yet…you have now!

She wrote an amazing open letter to the People of the United States of America (the “other PotUS”) about how we, the people, need to STAY INVOLVED in order to push for the changes we need:  tax relief for normal folks, healthcare reform, energy independence, green-collar jobs, food security (or here to listen), universal access to higher education, etc.  It’s on us — all of us.  WE have work to do.  Let’s do it together.  The letter is below, in full.

WATCH: President-Elect Obama Press Conference [Video]

Watch President-Elect Barack Obama’s first press conference since his Tuesday, Nov. 4 Presidential campaign victory.  He opens with a discussion of economic priorities, surrounded by economic advisors, and then moves to a question and answer session with the press.  Here’s the complete transcript and another streaming video source.

living history, thinking strategically

The first official news announcing the historic occasion came to my email inbox:

News Alert 11:05 p.m. ET Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Barack Obama Wins the Presidency

Barack Obama defeats John McCain to become first African American to win the White House.

McCain’s concession speech was eloquent, full of high rhetoric about honor, integrity, devotion, and perhaps most importantly, unity.  In other words, the complete opposite of his campaign rhetoric.  I doubt it will be enough to overcome the fear and hatred his campaign tactics have fomented.  I hope I’m wrong.  At least it was a return to the McCain that I knew and respected when I supported him in 2000 against the disaster that has been George W. Bush.  I also hope Obama’s decisive victory means the death of the terrible, oppressive race-baiting tactics that Bush and Rove used against McCain during the 2000 Republican primary — tactics (along with the same advisors) that McCain ironically decided to use in 2008.  May they Rest In Hell.

the fundamentals of our economy are strong

Normally, I and others like to refer to neoclassical economics (NCE) as a “steaming heap of crap — frustratingly filled with untested assumptions, magical leaps in logic and completely unfounded conclusions — that universities are still dumping all over their students to indoctrinate them and inoculate them against logic, science and critical thought.”  However, one of the more coherent aspects of NCE macro theory strongly recommends progressive taxation:  the theory of marginal propensity, or consumption function.  Here’s why:

Any taxation regimen is a redistributive process.  The important questions are

1. Who gets the money? and
2. What they tend to do with it once they have it?

heads must roll

Easy Steps Toward a Better Economy

Obama’s top economic advisors are Bob Rubin and his understudy Jason Furman.  This is very bad.  If you haven’t heard of them, Bob Rubin is

“the NAFTA architect who gutted market regulations as Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary and who then tried to rustle up government favors for Enron as a $17-million-a-year executive at Citigroup, a bank embroiled in today’s implosion.”

The following is a quick guide to easy actions you can take to support sane economics and a bailout plan that reregulates Wall Street and protects ordinary people.

what a wonderful world

Sarah Palin is a poetic genius on the magnitude of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg.  The McCain camp is clairvoyent.  Barack and Michelle are in love.

don’t let facts get in the way of your opinions

Campaign Finance:  Obama vs McCain

Compare and Contrast

A bit ago, I stumbled across the blog of a young Republican McCain supporter.  Excuse me — make that Young Republican.  As in, College Republican.  Not sure about the deeply-seeded personal hypocrisy yet.  But this guy definitely has trouble connecting with reality to justify his support for McCain.

I took issue with the first paragraph [emphasis mine]: