Author Archives: James J Heaney

GUEST POST: A Good and Proper Trouncing of Pro-Amendment Heffalumps and Woozles, by David Allender

This piece was published on Facebook on Sunday, November 4, 2012.  It is reposted with permission from the author.  My response is here. There is a particular kind of violence in this world that has always bothered me. It hides … Continue reading

Posted in Analysis, Mere Opinion | 1,257 Comments

Who Wins? A 2012 Projection Based on the Partisan Skew Hypothesis

In my recent (and surprisingly popular) post about the weirdly good polls the Democrats have been seeing recently, I suggested that the polls might be suffering from an unidentified systemic source of bias.  I promised a followup discussing the implications … Continue reading

Posted in Analysis, Horse Race, Politics | 1,796 Comments

Romney/Obama as Baseball: 3 November: THE LAST INNING

It is now the top of the 9th and final inning.  Despite a few scattered base hits, the score has not changed since Romney’s big inning in the 6th.  The 8th inning saw five strikeouts between the two teams, but … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Politics | 2,149 Comments

The Great Democratic Turnout Miracle

During this cycle, likely voter polls have consistently shown more Democrats showing up to vote than Republicans. Actually, that is a bit of an understatement.  It is perfectly normal for Democrats to outnumber Republicans, even at the polls, even in strong Republican … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Mere Opinion, Politics | 2,546 Comments

Romney/Obama as Baseball: 26 October

It looks like the Obamaniacs have finally got their pitching problems worked out!  All they had to do was put their main man on the mound.  He’s not doing anything special, nor anything we haven’t seen a million times before, … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Politics | 2,119 Comments

Romney/Obama as Baseball: 18 October Update

In the bottom of the 6th, Fightin’ Joe Biden came in to pinch hit for an exhausted David Axelrod. He made a lot of noise, fouled a lot of balls, and got the Romulans jeering that he was all talk, … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Politics | 1,580 Comments

Romney/Obama as Baseball

A few weeks ago, I was watching Mitt Romney’s polling numbers dive, and, on both sides of the aisle, the conversation — and the conventional wisdom — was starting to ask not, “Who will win the election?” but, “Why will … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Politics | 2,110 Comments

Impromptus on the Vice-Presidential Debate, 12 October 2012

Alright, took me a while to pin this down, but I’ve figured out how I feel about the debate. First, I think Vice Pres. Biden lost tonight. It is true that, at this hour, it seems that a slim but … Continue reading

Posted in Horse Race, Mere Opinion, Politics | 2,090 Comments

The Appropriateness of Constitutional Amendments

In Minnesota’s ongoing debate over the constitutional questions before voters this fall, opponents have occasionally raised a question that has nothing to do with the wisdom of the policies themselves.  “Is it appropriate to enshrine this policy in the Minnesota … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Mere Opinion, Politics | 2,726 Comments

James J. Heaney: Official Pundit

I was on Internet Radio tonight with Roger Noriega and Peter Villacorta tonight discussing the first presidential debate.  Check it out! I’m not going to say anything else about the debate, I think — kinda got my impromptus out in … Continue reading

Posted in In Conversation, Politics | 2,195 Comments