It’s too bad this profile of Samantha Power got buried in the Sunday Styles section. She really is an incredible scholar and woman. (NY Times)
Sadly, it’s looking like Clinton has reversed much of Obama’s “momentum” with the press going into tonight’s primaries. Most predictions are that she’ll win Ohio and Rhode Island handily and at least tie in Texas, leaving only Vermont clearly in the Obama column. However, Obama’s lead in the delegate count is so high at this point, that even if Clinton wins every single primary from now until the convention, it’s extremely unlikely she’ll be able to make up the deficit.
Take a look at Slate’s Delegate Calculator. In order for Clinton to go into the convention with a delegate lead, she’ll need to win every single remaining primary (including heavy Obama states like Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oregon) by 58-42. In other words, it’s not enough for her to win, she has to win huge to even have a chance of squeaking out a slim delegate lead in the end.
I don’t know about anyone else, but that certainly makes me feel a little better about tonight.
The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors -
This article is a few days old now, but still a worthy read. Turns out people are happier when they let some of their options go. Even though letting go of options seems irrational, and it greatly pains people to do it, letting a door close is the rational choice if the goal is being most productive with the options we do leave open. (NYT)
~Amy
I can’t seem to resist this site! File under: people who are much more clever than me. (via garfieldminusgarfield)
~Amy
At 5:30 p.m. Eastern time today, all 7,100 Starbucks locations in the United States will close their doors for three hours.
~ Matt
argues that Obama’s policy team is all about real-world results rather than ideological purity:
For example, one key behavioral finding is that people often fail to set aside money for retirement even when their employers offer generous 401(k) plans. If, on the other hand, you automatically enroll workers in 401(k)s but allow them to opt out, most stick with it. Obama’s savings plan exploits this so-called “status quo” bias.And, yet, it’s not just the details of Obama’s policies that suggest a behavioral approach. In some respects, the sensibility behind the behaviorist critique of economics is one shared by all the Obama wonks, whether they’re domestic policy nerds or grizzled foreign policy hands. Despite Obama’s reputation for grandiose rhetoric and utopian hope-mongering, the Obamanauts aren’t radicals—far from it. They’re pragmatists—people who, when an existing paradigm clashes with reality, opt to tweak that paradigm rather than replace it wholesale. As Thaler puts it, “Physics with friction is not as beautiful. But you need it to get rockets off the ground.” It might as well be the motto for Obama’s entire policy shop.
Sounds good to me.
~ Matt
~ Matt
Oh, no -
Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Ralph Nader is running for president in 2008. Citing American disenchantment with the two-party system, Nader announced his third presidential run this morning on “Meet the Press.”
Sure, Americans may be disenchanted. But they’ll be no less so with another white “American hero” as their president. If Nader siphons off enough Democratic votes to swing the Nov. 2008 vote in favor of McCain, he will be effectively preventing any sort of change (and thereby prolonging disenchantment). His energy would be far better spent throwing his weight behind a candidate who can make a difference. (Time)
~Amy
Move Over, Oil, There’s Money in Texas Wind -
It is so exciting to see more investment in wind power! Apparently, the Times has been running a series on alternative energy… more on this when I’ve woken up! (NYT)
~Amy