joftiusWhich Democrat can beat trump?It’s the eve of the Iowa caucus and many Democratic primary voters are still undecided. Defeating trump is a top priority, and (hence)…Feb 2, 2020Feb 2, 2020
joftiusA solution to fake news: random samplingDisclaimer: I might have no idea what I’m talking about because most of this area is not my expertise (with the possible exception of the…Oct 15, 2019Oct 15, 2019
joftiusBernie won’t win the 2020 primary, but we must support him anywayTo avoid a long term future as bad or worse than the present we can’t afford to accept anything less than real socialismSep 17, 2019Sep 17, 2019
joftiusSteven Pinker’s radical centrism and the “alt-right”A short video clip recently circulating on social media showed Steven Pinker talking about “the often highly literate, highly intelligent…Jan 11, 20185Jan 11, 20185
joftiusComment on “The Age of Outrage” by Jonathan HaidtThis is a response to the (transcript of) Jonathan Haidt’s recent lecture, which begins ominously: “What is happening to our country, and…Dec 18, 20172Dec 18, 20172
joftiusTrump’s election is a victory for the worst parts of the establishmentConsider the New York Times headline: “ESTABLISHMENT SHAKEN AFTER TRUMP VICTORY.” Given how consistently wrong media has been about almost…Nov 10, 2016Nov 10, 2016
joftiusThe 2016 election is just American politics as usualI have an alternative explanation for the entire 2016 election story. Consider the following two hypotheses:Oct 27, 2016Oct 27, 2016
joftiusElitist political scientists set out to prove voters are dumb.Meet Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, professors of political science at Princeton and Vanderbilt, respectively. In calling them…Oct 24, 20161Oct 24, 20161
joftiusOn balance: issues where young people are not progressive (enough)Looking at data from the Generation Forward surveys, leftists like myself may feel optimistic about the future of American politics. After…Oct 23, 20161Oct 23, 20161
joftiusJust how badly did the Democratic Party ignore young voters?The horserace polls dominating headlines these days contain very little actual information. Somewhat lost in all this noise are the highly…Oct 22, 2016Oct 22, 2016