I don’t read Paul Krugman much because his column falls in the category of people-whose-politics-are-entirely-too-predictable, when it comes to financial or political analysis. I have this weird aversion to reading (or listening to, for that matter) the thoughts of people about whom I can predict their stance even before the conversation begins.[1]
However, occasionally Krugman reminds me why he’s wicked smaht[2] and says what I was thinking before I even thought it (if that makes sense, which I’ll admit, it doesn’t.)
Krugman points to a National Review piece attacking Nate Silver – of Five-Thirty-Eight.com fame – for his bias toward Obama. The gist of the National Review piece is that Silver’s methodology is flawed, intentionally, to support Silver’s Democratic agenda.
Krugman’s point, and I whole-heartedly agree, is that when good statistical analysis like Silver’s – and science for that matter – is attacked for political reasons, we lose something important.
Clearly, I’m a Nate Silver fan, because he’s cutting through the distracting media infotainment industry better than anyone right now. So Krugman’s larger point resonates with me – that if you can discredit and reduce good data-driven analysis to a base level with the rest of the noise, you’ve given ignorance a fresh start.
[1] Diane Rehm is guilty of this. I hated on Joseph Stiglitz’ book recently for that reason. I can barely read Nicholas Kristoff’s poltical columns as a result. While their Op-Eds can be useful, nearly every editorial in the Wall Street Journal is unreadable. Unless they are unintentionally comedic, like this one.
[2] As we say in my hometown.
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