Byron York is upset that people are upset that he thinks that the inclusion of African-Americans in American opinion polls skews the results. It’s not an original argument – it is just a slightly less-labored version of the thesis James Taranto deployed a few years ago to show that Americans love President Bush – and it proves now what it proves then: that you can be not at all bright and still be a successful conservative movement intellectual. If you remove a big chunk of data you don’t like, the remaining data will please you more. How interesting.
In response, of course, York has mounted the conservative counterculture’s official Victim of Anti-Racism Cross, located in the Calvary Estates gated community with a scenic view the country club golf course (closed indefinitely following court-ordered integration). It’s a hard knock life for professional conservatives these days – as we have previously observed – and getting called “foolish”, “innumerate”, or even “racist” everytime you try to dissappear your unpopularity can make you feel like you’re suffering the passion of our Savior. The difference is that Jesus suffered and died for our sins, while everyone hates you because you’re Rick with a silent ‘p’.
May 3, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I’m all psyched for the launch this fall of American Afro, the contest show where we vote for the best amateur Afro emulators.
The judges will be Bill Clinton, Don Imus, and Dave Chapelle.
Everyone wants their moment under the black lights.
May 3, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Well, of course he’s stunned–they always got away with this argument before.
It’s kind of like the whole George Will Lying About Global Warming affair. He was pulling exactly the same tricks he’d been pulling for many years, bothering nobody except a few science bloggers nobody listened to, but this time suddenly somebody had the nerve to complain to the Post about it! What gives?
May 4, 2009 at 5:09 am
Srsly. Ann Coulter’s been saying the same thing about women for six years or so and nobody turns a hair. What part of “original intent of the founders” is everyone having trouble with?
May be a small fuss when they get to the illiterate white males with no property, though.
May 4, 2009 at 9:18 am
I’m curious as to why you linked to a Thing Progress blog post about York’s statements rather than actually linking to the original source.
May 4, 2009 at 11:57 am
Because his idiot employers don’t care why you click on the page, just as long as you provide one more click they can show to advertisers.
I think the same philosophy should apply to any Politico.com link, because they’re so hackish about being all about the clicks.
May 4, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Because the original source is dumb and super boring.
May 4, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Although Uli’s answer is better.
May 4, 2009 at 10:06 am
That Young Ones video makes this the absolute awesomest web-log in the world.
May 4, 2009 at 11:49 am
I formally protest having my name stolen.
May 4, 2009 at 2:14 pm
That “Rick with a silent P” comment almost made me bust out laughing in the middle of a business meeting that I really should have been paying attention to.
May 4, 2009 at 7:14 pm
You actually read The Poor Man in the middle of business meetings? You’re the tits.
May 4, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Speaking of ricks with silent “p”s, Joe the Plumber on same-sex marriage, from the Christianity Today interview linked to at TPM:
“People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that.”
Nope, the term “queer” has never been used as a slur, no siree.
May 5, 2009 at 8:31 am
Golly gee thanks for the Joe the Plumber update. As for the topic at hand, I think Jeffrey Rosen is taking it to the next level by preemptively and prematurely sabotaging all qualified minority judges who would deign to take Souter’s place on the Supreme Court. We honkeys have worked hard for those 7.5 slots (thanks, Clarence!) through our systemic segregation of the legal profession and general societal oppression, and the new President seems intent on destroying that.
May 5, 2009 at 3:41 pm
“In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) said he hopes Norm Coleman (R) prevails in his Senate recount court fight against Al Franken (D) in Minnesota.
Said Specter: “There’s still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner.”
If Specter is looking for a Democratic primary opponent, this statement will certainly help him get one.
Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) told ABC News that while he hasn’t made up his mind, he’s closer to seeking the Democratic Senate nomination than he was before Specter’s party switch.”
Like OMG!
Also,
http://www.gqrr.com/index.php?ID=2348
RE: Resurgent Republic: Stan Greenberg’s Open Letter to Ed Gillespie, Founder of Resurgent Republic, on Their Initial National Survey
“Date: May 4, 2009
To: Ed Gillespie Founder, Resurgent Republic
From: Stan Greenberg Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
RE: RESURGENT REPUBLIC
Dear Ed,
Congratulations on forming Resurgent Republic with the goal of replicating “on the right the success Democracy Corps has enjoyed on the left.” Like Democracy Corps, you are promising to become a resource for groups and leaders, enhanced by the public release of credible surveys and focus groups and, indeed, your first survey has been widely discussed and already used by Republican leaders. Well done.
You would probably be surprised if I didn’t have some reactions and advice to offer, as you explicitly state, you are “modeled on Democracy Corps.” Given your goal, I am perplexed that your first poll would be so outside the mainstream on partisanship. Your poll gives the Democrats just a 2-point party identification advantage in the country, but other public polls in this period fell between +7 and +16 points – giving the Democrats an average advantage of 11 points. Virtually all your issue debates in the survey would have tilted quite differently had the poll been 9 points more Democratic.
One thing Democracy Corps has tried to do is be very “conservative” – watching very closely to make sure all our choices in survey design are well grounded or tilted against the Democrats, including the choice of “likely voters” that normally favors the Republicans. You have probably noticed that our job approval ratings for George Bush were almost always higher than the average of polls, just as our job approval ratings for Barack Obama are now somewhat lower.
If the Resurgent Republic poll is to be an outlier on partisanship, then I urge you to explain what about your methodology produces it – or simply to note the difference in your public release.
The problem of partisanship pales before the problem of self-deluding bias in question wording that might well contribute to Republicans digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole. ”
Totally Moded. More…http://www.gqrr.com/index.php?ID=2348
May 5, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today…
Haha, that wacky Obama, trying to bribe honest to god Journalists with hamburgers… Will never happen in media country ah guess…
http://www.freep.com/article/20090505/NEWS15/90505079
“While they waited, Obama offered to buy burgers for all the members of the press pool — the reporters, photographers and other journalists who travel with him wherever he goes. All but five of the dozen or so there declined.”
Wow, did they decline because that would be an ethics violation or a non-story? One wonders, but then one with no brain cells often wonders…
May 6, 2009 at 3:10 am
Who eats mustard burgers? Wtf?
May 6, 2009 at 3:11 am
Would you happen to have any Grey Poupon?
But of course.
May 5, 2009 at 10:47 pm
[...] his defense: you were totally screwing up the stats. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Sessions Takes Specter’s Judiciary Post [...]