Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

The Current Electoral Vote Predictor 2004 is a classy web based chart that maps the latest poll results onto an elecoral map. It even has an RSS feed.

And then there's the interesting commentary, e.g.,

The featured poll today is a special poll of New Mexico commissioned by Libertarian party candidate Michael Badnarik and conducted by Scott Rasmussen on Aug. 4. The result is Kerry 50%, Bush 43%, Badnarik 5%, a surprisingly strong showing by him. If pollsters regularly asked Kerry/Bush/Badnarik instead of Kerry/Bush/Nader, Badnarik might do better. That might actually affect the election since Nader sucks votes almost entirely from Kerry whereas Badnarik is much more of an equal-opportunity gadfly drawing from both sides. Could the questions asked by the pollsters actually change the election results? Time for a Ph.D. thesis on Heisenberg's principle (“observing the system changes the system”) as applied to politics. No change in the electoral college as New Mexico was already leaning to Kerry, only now the lead is a bit more solid.

According to this Bloomberg.com story, Kerry's Lead Over Bush Widens in New Hampshire, Florida Polls. (Spotted via First Draft, an interesting-looking new blog).

Update: Then again, Flablog points to this poll showing a tie. (The ARG poll was taken Aug 3-5; the Strategic Vision poll was taken Aug 2-4.)

United Press International: Florida's RNC delegation a secret:

Florida Republicans refused to release the names of the state's delegates to the national convention in New York later this month, citing privacy concerns.

“Some delegates are not comfortable speaking and don't want their information given out, and we've honored their requests. Our priority is putting the interests and welfare of our delegates first,” Florida party spokesman Joseph Agostini told the Miami Herald.

Reporters and editors were provided with contact information weeks in advance for Florida's delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Boston last month, including photos of some of the more high-profile delegates. Most other state Republican delegations are providing contact information as well.

I can't understand why the identity of the delegates — the result of a state-sponsored, public electoral process — is not a public record.

And it certainly makes visible the mockery of the idea that “delegates” are in some way representative of anyone but themselves.

IS this the ultimate Freudian slip? Bush Insists His Administration Seeking 'new Ways to Harm Our Country':

Bush Insists His Administration Seeking 'new Ways to Harm Our Country'
The Associated Press
Published: Aug 5, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush offered up a new entry for his catalog of “Bushisms” on Thursday, declaring that his administration will “never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people.”

Bush misspoke as he delivered a speech at the signing ceremony for a $417 billion defense spending bill.

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,” Bush said. “They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

No one in Bush's audience of military brass or Pentagon chiefs reacted