Author Archives: Kit Stolz

The Bigness of Our Problems; the Smallness of Our Character

Christopher Caldwell is that rare bird: a truly thoughtful conservative. His most recent column for the Financial Times reminds us that whoever wins the election tonight will have a huge economic problem to solve, and that we as a people in the West are in poor condition psychologically to face it: We should worry lessContinue reading “The Bigness of Our Problems; the Smallness of Our Character”

And Now for Something Completely Nonpolitical…

From a fascinating book to come out in January 2009 by Roger Deakin, called Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees: Two days into my first camp, on 26 April 1959, we heard the first cuckoo and entered it into the Tomes [his diaries]. Under the strong influence of Robert Frost, I was moved to write aContinue reading “And Now for Something Completely Nonpolitical…”

Could Bandwagon Effect Be Driving Obama’s Rise in the Polls?

Anyone with the slightest interest in the subject of polls this year has heard about The Bradley Effect, in which polls supposedly under-represented racist voters, so that black candidates were likely to fare more poorly than the polls indicated. My favorite statistical analyst, Nate Silver, argues cogently (here) that this effect did exist in particularContinue reading “Could Bandwagon Effect Be Driving Obama’s Rise in the Polls?”

Will the Right Ever Get Tired of Blaming the Media?

From Eleanor Clift's article on "Wal-Mart Women" in Newsweek, in which she explains why under-$60,000 a year women will not (contrary to McCain's pollster) save his flailing campaign (see here). What's shaping up is not comparable to '92, the last time a Democrat won the White House. "It's much more serious and devastating to Republicans,"Continue reading “Will the Right Ever Get Tired of Blaming the Media?”

Barack Obama: A President Who Can Understand

In his recent appearance in Florida with Obama, Bill Clinton explains why he thinks Obama will be a good President, as only he can: You know our current President said something that's really true. The President is the decider-in-chief. And in this election you've got a very unusual thing I've never seen happen before. YouContinue reading “Barack Obama: A President Who Can Understand”

The One-Stop Guide to Republican Politics

An anecdote from the campaign trail: A Republican financial expert recalls attending a dinner with McCain for the purpose of discussing with him domestic and international financial complexities that clearly did not fascinate the senator. As the dinner ended, McCain's question for his briefer was: "So, who is the villain?" from George Will's column todayContinue reading “The One-Stop Guide to Republican Politics”

Alaska Politicians: Still Not Ready for Prime Time

From Don Young, Alaska's notorious anti-environmentalist, also facing corruption charges, a strangely guilt-ridden defense (via Roll Call) of his pal Ted Stevens after his conviction on seven counts: “I can remember Richard Nixon, you know, his years of service, what he’s done, and everybody [was] ridiculing him, and he ended up being the greatest presidentContinue reading “Alaska Politicians: Still Not Ready for Prime Time”

Why the GOP has Lost the Elites: Michael Barone

Well-known political analyst Michael Barone looks closely at Pennsylvania, concludes Obama will win, and explains why McCain thinks he has a chance. More importantly, he explains (here) why centrist voters  around the country have turned against the Republicans. McCain is running even with or better than Bush in most of Pennsylvania but is running farContinue reading “Why the GOP has Lost the Elites: Michael Barone”