Archive - Nov 15, 2006

Date

How did I do on election night?

Posted November 15, 2006 - 10:45pm by Expat Teacher

On the Monday before the elections, I put out my predictions for the election. Shall we see how I did?

On the House side, I predicted a gain of 30 seats for the Democrats and that my old stomping grounds would return Reichert in a close election. So far, with 8 races still undecided, I'm right on. Democrats are up 30 in the House (and could possibly gain 2 more from the remaining 8 undecided). Reichert defeated Burner 51% to 49%.

In the Senate, I had a complete list and I was spot on. 6 seats gained and I got the right ones, for what appears to be the right reasons.

In the governors races, I said that Dems would pick up 7 seats and keep all theirs. The result was that every Democratic governor was returned to office. 6 Republicans were defeated their Democratic challenger. I thought that the Nevada governor sexually harrassing a woman in a dark parking lot would be a sure loss, but those Nevadans need a lot more than some grab ass to kick a politician out of office.

Overall, I'd say I did pretty well. I may have underestimated the number of House seats Democrats took if the undecided races break for Democrats. I nailed the Senate and was a little too optimistic for the governorships. What does this all mean? Not a lot really. It probably just confirms that I'm a complete politics slut who obsesses over this kind of stuff day in and day out.

I see you putting your finger and your thumb in the shape of an "L" on your forehead.<!-- technorati tags start -->

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Furrowed Brows Inc.

Posted November 15, 2006 - 8:07pm by Andy Crouch

I'm thrilled to have Andy Crouch join us here at Good Will Hinton. I met Andy last month at a meeting in Atlanta and was intrigued by his work on culture. I have asked Andy to repost this article that originally appeared in Christianity Today. I very much appreciate Andy's positive view of the cultural change. - Will Hinton

Update: Check out the latest interview with Andy Crouch.

Not long ago I attended a strategy session for the culture war.

Participants examined the decline of marriage, the cheapening and flattening of human sexuality into contextless pleasure, the exploitation and destruction of unborn human beings. Speeches were given. Brows were furrowed. Resolutions were made.

War, I was reminded, does terrible things to the warriors.

The Future of the Libertarian Party

Posted November 15, 2006 - 9:35am by Will Hinton

Much has been made over the past few years about the Republican party abandoning much of its fiscally conservative principles. Quite a few people I know are suggesting a move to the Libertarian party.

Radio talk-show host Neal Boortz had this to say about last week's election:

It is clear that something is terribly wrong in Washington right now. We just went through an election where principles of individual liberty and limited government were not even on the table. I am hard-pressed to name one leading Republican or Democrat who still extols the virtues of freedom, individualism, free markets and limited government.

As much as it pains me to agree with such a blowhard, Boortz is correct in his diagnosis. However, he suggests that the LP is the answer and refers to the results of the LP in Georgia.

Do City People Have More Friends?

Posted November 15, 2006 - 1:37am by Curt

To me, there's a certain logic to the idea that people who live close to other people have more friends than those who live in less dense settings. I live in a townhome community with about 50 families within a long frisbee throw of each other. We have more social interaction than in my last house, which was a more traditional neighborhood.

But an Economist at UCI says that people living in high-density urban environments do not have better social relationships than those living in less dense suburban environments.

Contrary to Popular Belief, Space Between Residents Increases Interaction

Using data from 15,000 Americans living in various places across the country, researchers found that residents of sprawling suburban spaces actually have more friends, more contact with neighbors and greater involvement in community organizations than citydwellers who live in very close proximity to each other. Among their specific findings were that for every 10-percent decrease in density, the likelihood of residents talking to their neighbors at least once a week jumps by 10 percent. And involvement in hobby-oriented clubs increases even more significantly -- by 15 percent for every 10 percent decline in density. To measure these and other social interactions, researchers used data from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey and controlled for other factors such as income, education and marital status.

How long until war?

Posted November 15, 2006 - 1:21am by Curt

I've read a number of articles recently about the re-arming of Hezbollah in Lebanon. How long until this conflict breaks out again? Is there any way to keep the peace?

Hezbollah’s missiles back in Lebanon

FOUR months after Israel launched its onslaught against Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrillas are back in south Lebanon stronger than ever and armed with more rockets than they had before the conflict, according to Israeli intelligence.

During the month-long war, which began on July 12, Hezbollah fired 200 to 250 rockets a day into Israel, killing 43 civilians and terrorising much of the north of the country.“

Since the ceasefire, additional rockets, weapons and military equipment have reached Hezbollah,” said an Israeli intelligence officer. “We assume they now have about 20,000 rockets of all ranges — a bit more than they had before July 12.”

Is it all Tom Delay's Fault?

Posted November 15, 2006 - 1:13am by Curt

Gay Patriot has an interesting post that traces the GOP's problems back to the election of Tom Delay as whip in 1994. Gay Patriot argues that Delay was a politician, interested in power for power's sake, while Robert Walker, whom Delay defeated, was a true conservative.

DeLay's 1994 Election as House GOP Whip: Harbinger of GOP's 2006 Defeat

Perhaps had Walker won that election, he might have helped the GOP stand true to the principles he had long promoted. Instead, Tom DeLay sought to retain Republican power by the means the Democrats has used when they were in the majority, building alliances with lobbyists and using earmarks to set-aside pork for the districts of the various representatives. So brazen had DeLay been in pursuit of this agenda that he even set up a web site for his K Street Project, a program which demanded that "lobbying firms seeking access hire loyal Republicans."