Matt Yglesias

15 Responses to “Interesting Reading”

1. Robert Waldmann Says:
   November 22nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm

   “Interesting reading” I’ll say. In contrast this comment is boring as hell. I will try to get the relatively interesting stuff up here at the top.

   When asserting the bogosity of the center right nation claim, I have repeatedly found myself wasting time scrolling past irrelevant data at pollingreport.com looking for the relevant poll which shows that adult Americans have progressive views on the key issue under dispute. The report, which I just hotlisted, is a precious resource getting the relevant data in one place and not mixing it with ten times as many polls on whether you approve of how George Bush is handling an issue.

   However the mass of data presented is considerable less than the mass of relevant data. In particular, media matters has cherry picked. On abortion, for example, there is a huge amount of polling data. Polls on “If a woman should be allowed to have an abortion if chooses to have one for the following reason (list of reasons) show only a minority saying yes for all reasons. This shows that there are people who must have contradictory views — who support Roe vs Wade in the abstract but disagree with it when the questions get specific http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm.

   I think what is needed is for conservatives with integrity (not as rare as flying pigs) to attempt a counter-report following the outline of the media matters report, but picking different polls with slightly different wording for each issue heading. Then, comparing the reports, interested readers could decide who had made a more convincing case. I don’t doubt that I personally would conclude that media matters is right and if the center is half way between Dems and Reps the US is a center left to left nation. But, you know, debate is really useful. Pity there are so few reality based conservatives with whom mediamatters et al can debate.

   As a regular reader of pollingreport.com and also of liberal blogs, I can’t say I was generally surprised by the data reported by mediamatters. I was surprised by the results on crime and punishment.

   Nor am I generally surprised by pundits making claims about what Americans think which are inconsistent with polling data, although I thought everyone knew that a majority supports gun control (which majority loses to the minority which includes many people who care passionately and are organized by the NRA as well as reality based critics claims for the effectiveness of gun control such as you and … birds chirp … well you must know some others).

   I did object to the text above the data on protectionism. I was going to comment dilating on the theme “What’s progressive about nationalist xenophobic hostility to the interests of workers in poor countries” until I got to the paragraph after the data which noted that opposition to free trade is not necessarily based on progressive motives. I am still pissed that one of those ideology self tests said I was socially liberal but not egalitarian, because my views on trade are based on concern for the interests of the poorest people in the world who sure aren’t US workers.

2. Gaius Sempronius Gracchus Says:
   November 23rd, 2008 at 7:43 am

   Interesting data, but concerning exactly what?

   Actual voter opinion, registered voter opinion, all adults?

   Were illegals represented among the respondents, or somehow excluded from the pools?

   Etc.

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