The War on Objectivity

New York Times ^ | 10/28/12 | Paul Krugman

[CharlesThe Hammer]

Brad DeLong points me to this National Review attack on Nate Silver, which I think of as illustrating an important aspect of what’s really happening in America.

For those new to this, Nate is a sports statistician turned political statistician, who has been maintaining a model that takes lots and lots of polling data — most of it at the state level, which is where the presidency gets decided — and converts it into election odds. Like others doing similar exercises — Drew Linzer, Sam Wang, and Pollster — Nate’s model continued to show an Obama edge even after Denver, and has shown that edge widening over the past couple of weeks.

[CharlesThe Hammer]

Krugman's column "The Conscience of a Liberal", whose latest episope is called "The War on Objectivity", is so loaded with contradiction, psychological projection, and smug self-delusion, that I had to share the irony.

[GoodDay]

The title of Krugman’s column, “The Conscience of a Liberal”, reminds me of Ellsworth Toohey’s liberal column in The Fountainhead: “One Small Voice.”

Toohey, of course, was a moral monster.

[CharlesThe Hammer]

True. I think of more of literary absurdities, like the infamous “Catch 22”, or “The Bald Soprano.” Krugman lecturing National Review about “objectivity” or “conscience” puts him at the front of the line to run the “Ministry of Truth.”

[LibLieSlayer]

krugman... isn't that a disease that causes bleeding diarrhea and death?

LLS

[Usagi_yo]

Krugman social theories are abject failures and Obama proves it. While he may be an solid Economist when it comes to the already known, his theories are way way left field.

It’s appropriate that he sees brotherhood with Nate Silver, they both just don’t understand it. Alone and in that booth or hovering over that peace of paper, people are just going to have a nagging feeling about voting for Obama.

You go to a real professional gambler and try and get Nate Silver’s odds on Obama winning, and they’ll laugh at you.

Intrade is paramutual and doesn’t reflect the true reality.

[Leto]

Well Paulie boy is defending Nate, how precious.

Nate uses statistics, how impressive. However Natie and Paulie have forgotten the basics of computer analysis.

GIGO, Garbage IN, Garbage OUT.

When you average polls with a false premise (the 2008 turnout model)the results of the analysis are GARBAGE.

This will be clear next Wed, but the libs will just attribute it to racism.....