Ziegler interview gets its own post
Posted by Michael.
I mentioned the interview of John Ziegler by Nate Silver (of BP and FiveThirtyEight.com fame) in my previous neuropsych post, but it really deserves more attention.
First, the interview itself : It is because of men like this that Bush got re-elected, and it is because of men like this that the GOP got crushed two short weeks ago. Living in San Diego, I now live among more Republicans than ever (even when I lived in rural Indiana) and many of them are very troubled by the way in which “their” party has been hijacked by crazies – either rabid partisans with a “for us or against us mentality” or far-right religious crazies. When the GOP is in the hands of rational conservatives then the country will be in a better place, but in the mean-time the Democrats are our only hope.
sorry for that tangent. Here’s Nate’s follow-up post, and also check out Carl Bialik’s assessment of the Zogby poll – very informative, and what I would call an un-biased observer.
December 1st, 2008 at 1:25 pm Using
It’s always been my feeling that the Republican party isn’t a horrible thing. The underlying ideas aren’t bad… limited regulation, limited government spending, a strong reliance on people working hard. Throw in a little bit of regulation to ensure that people are treated fairly and you have a system that should work just as well as any democratic platform.
That said, it’s also open to corruption, cronyism, and the constant pandering to the religious right. That’s what’s dragging our country down. Giving the squeaky wheel all the grease and not leaving any for anyone else.