Good Comment from Nate Silver's Blog: Addresses the Electorate's Dismal Grasp of Rational, Factual

[amborin]

Analysis:

"Rather than cheer for Nate because we all like his Obama forecasts, how about cheering for him because he might believe in a world where numbers and rational analysis are vital to how we make decisions, even in those cases where we don't like what the numbers imply?

Much of what hurts Obama and Democrats is based the willingness of so many Americans to base important policy decisions on what is in their gut or their sense of "truthiness".

Some of the best illustrations of this are the lack of a basic understanding of wealth inequality in this country or what global warming means or what healthcare really costs this country. In the campaign, it meant using the unemployment rate when he took office rather than starting 6 - 12 months later.

To be balanced, paying attention to numbers also applies to tax policy, the funding of social benefit programs, the low US savings rate, and dealing with the national debt.

Without a basic understanding of facts by the population in at least a basic quantitative way, we really are doomed. It's not about hoping you will win at Vegas. It's about understanding how the Vegas game works."

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/live-blog-the-2012-presidential-election/#postComment

[valerief]

1. That kind of thinking negates the "power of prayer" and there wouldn't be Republicans without faith.