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Showing posts from February, 2020

Heart and Soul of the Polls

1. Who made up the "universe" or polling population of this particular poll? The "universe" of this polls was likely Democratic caucus-goers. 2. If 25% of people say they are supporting Bernie Sanders and the sampling error is 4.8%, what is the actual range of Sanders's support? From 20.2% to 29.8%. 3. Using the margin of error, describe a possible scenario in which Sanders would not win, but still fits the polls data. Biden is stated to have 18% of the support. With 4.8% sampling error, this means he could have up to 22.8%. Sanders could have as low as 20.2%, and thus would lose in this scenario. 4. What were the results found in earlier polls taken in Nevada this year? An early January poll from Suffolk University/USA Today showed Biden leading with 19% compared to Sanders's 18%. Warren trailed the two at 10%. A Fox News poll taken at the same time showed Biden beating Sanders 23% to 17%, with Warren following at 12%. 5. What changes took p...

Purge the Scourge

1.  What was Lt Colonol Alexander Vindman's job in the bureaucracy? He was a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. 2. What did Vindman testify during the impeachment investigation? He testified that, while listening in on Trump's call with Zelensky, he found the call inappropriate and that Trump should not have asked Ukraine to investigate Biden, a political opponent of Trump. 3. What did the White House do to Vindman and his brother? Vindman was removed from his post and detailed to the Defense Department; his brother was reassigned. 4. How is the White House justifying this action? The White House claimed this was just part of a larger shrinking of the National Security Counsel staff. 5. Why does the author argue that this creates a danger for other civil servants? Other officials are even more scared to testify against the president should he act inappropriately again. 6. What was Gordon Sondland's job in the Trump Administration? He was th...

Primary Colors of the Rainbow

1.What's the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the primary calendar? Phase 1 contains only 4 states and few delegates, but is at the start of the race and thus influential to the narrative. Phase 2 is very short but contains more than half the delegates, and thus is more consequential. 2. Which four states get to vote first, separated roughly into one each week? Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina 3. There are few delegates available in these four states, why are the primaries so important? There are few other contests occurring at the time, so these primaries have a lot of national attention. Thus, they can give candidates an edge in future primaries, and they also illustrate who the true top competitors are. 4. How many delegates are available in Phase 2? More than 60% of the total pledged delegates. 5. Which regions are holding most of their primaries on Super Tuesday? South, New England, West, and Midwest 6. How many primaries are held the followi...