The Philly cheese steak is serious business. Ordering etiquette must be adhered to. Customers must state their preferred type of cheese and whether onions will or will not (“wit” or “witout”) be added. John Kerry, when campaigning for president in 2004 in Philadelphia, botched it badly, asking for Swiss cheese instead of the more traditional Cheez Whiz, a processed cheese spread. Even provolone or American cheese would have been better. George Bush ordered “Whiz wit” like a local.
Great Example of “Citizen Journalism”
Amazon Patent Reform Timeline and Jeff Bezo’s interaction with Tim O’Reilly.
A Word on Exit Polls
Yes, the television networks will be conducting exit polls today. But if you are looking for the leaked exit poll estimates that typically appear online on Election Day, you are probably out of luck at least until later tonight. More on that below. But as long as you are here, let me tell you a little bit about how exit polls are conducted, how they will be different this year, and why it is probably best to try to ignore the exit poll estimates that will inevitably leak later tonight.
I have always been a fan of exit polls. Despite their shortcomings and the inevitable controversies, the final network exit polls remain our best source of data on who voted and why. Having said that, exit polls are still just random sample surveys, possessing the usual limitations plus some that are unique to exit polling.
Election Litigation Website
As lawyers look for close races to contest, it is important to remember that just because the result of an election is challenged in court, it does not necessarily mean that the public should view the result as tainted or the electoral process broken. Instead, if the litigation ends with the losing side acknowledging that ultimately the votes weren’t there, then this kind of delayed concession speech should be accepted as evidence of the system working successfully, just as if the concession speech is delivered tonight.
Election Day Links
- Dane County Fall Election Results
- WisPolitics Election Blog
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Election Page
- Wall Street Journal on “Wisconsin’s Cheesy Reformers“
- Pollster.com
- Channel3000.com
- WKOW-TV
- Wisconsin Public Radio
- Mankiw on “Why Some People Shouldn’t Vote“
I had a conversation with a young 4th grader this morning while queueing up at the poll. We clearly need to improve our civics awareness and interest.
Kristian Knutsen is live blogging today’s election.
Dane County Register of Deeds Race
I’m happy that we actually have a choice in tomorrow’s Dane County Register of Deeds race. This is unusual. I contacted both candidates recently and asked them for their views on Open Records and the Register of Deeds office.
I’ve been concerned over the years that some government agencies don’t follow (ignore?) the Open Records laws. Rather, they take the opportunity to charge taxpayers twice, once via taxes and a second time via various access fees for public information. There are no shortage of arguments over these questions.
Peter Ellestad responded via email (I’ve not heard from his opponent, Kristi Chlebowski). Peter’s response follows:
Sorry to take so long in responding — I’ve been driving around the county a great deal. Regarding my philosophy about records: I think priority should be given to maintaining and enhancing free access to all real estate records. At present, anyone who comes in to the register of deeds office may search all of these records at no charge, and will receive help from staff to find what they are looking for. I’ve been startled when I’ve been helping someone find something to be asked “Is there a charge for that?” and I think they’ve been surprised to hear “No, anyone can search these records for free.” I think that free access is appropriate and is the responsibility of our office to provide.
Election Day Essay
In politics the stakes are not small, except in the sense that the arguments exceed by far any differences in what the two established parties actually do when they have the opportunity to govern. Republicans, as Evelyn Waugh is said to have complained about the British Tories, don’t seem to turn back the clock by a single minute. But Democrats don’t seem to push it forward either.
Recent elections have seen the rise of self-styled militant moderates, following the flag of white-horse candidates starting with the businessman Ross Perot and continuing, so far, through Gen. Wesley K. Clark. Business and the military are two fertile breeders of excessive self-confidence, but the only essential qualification for a white-horse candidate is a total lack of experience in running for or holding elective office. And the only essential requirement for white-horse voters is to be, like Howard Beale in Paddy Chayefsky’s movie “Network,” “mad as hell” and “not going to take this anymore.” It is not essential to know why you are so mad, or what exactly you’re not going to take.
Kinsley is correct on governing practices.
Franklin’s Latest Poll Summaries: “Dem Wave Crested, Advantage Shrinks”
Across the board, in Senate, House and Governor’s races, the wave boosting the Democrats crested about 10 days ago. Since then the advantage Democrats have built throughout the year has been reduced by from 1.5 to 3.5 percentage points. While forces are still a net positive to the Democrats, these forces are weaker than they were during the week before Halloween. This implies that the most competitive races will now be harder for Democrats to win and easier for Republicans to hold. This implies that the anticipation of a major surge to Democrats now needs to be reconsidered. While race-by-race estimates still show an 18 seat Democratic gain, and 27 seats as tossups (see our scorecard at Pollster.com here), this reduction in national forces makes it less likely the Democrats sweep the large majority of the tossup seats and could result in total gains in the 20s rather than the 30s or even 40s that looked plausible 10 days ago.
Five Best Weather Books
1. The Elements Rage by Frank W. Lane (Chilton, 1965).
What interests most people about weather (as opposed to climate–“Climate lasts all the time and weather only a few days,” as Mark Twain put it) is its extremes and curious phenomena. Frank Lane clearly had that in mind in the early 1960s when he undertook writing “The Elements Rage.” Even if the science here is out of date, the drama of the stories never grows old. The book offers dozens of extraordinary black-and-white photographs and a fact-packed text, rich in anecdotes on matters well beyond meteorology–earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, volcanoes. As an inspiration toward appreciating how strange the natural world can be, the book set a standard that others, including myself, have attempted to emulate.
A Chat with JetBlue’s David Neelman
With Washington often, umm, unable to focus–“It took 10 years to get an energy bill passed that has had little effect,” Mr. Neeleman interjects–he sought counsel on the capital’s ways. As a result, he got professional help on the bill’s language and learned about the legislative process. “The advice I got was to go get RAND and other thinkers to write about it–those are the guys that they listen to,” Mr. Neeleman says. He has spoken with RAND about doing an economic impact study, but has not commissioned one. And, as he put it, “I got a couple professors”–names of people he might enlist in the cause. Who?–I ask. “From the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution,” is his reply.
Mr. Neeleman has also visited the White House seeking support. “They’re looking at it,” he says, but were noncommittal. He believes “it should sail through Congress,” and would be happy to “testify for my country and for our industry.” This earnestness, along with his resolve, is obvious throughout the interview. As I’m leaving, Mr. Neeleman stops me to point out–no, to declaim–a framed quote on the wall outside his office. It’s from Teddy Roosevelt, and reads, in part: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . who–at the worst–if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.