At a Santorum event in Altoona, Iowa, Sides was approached by a man selling a book he had written:   It is a retelling of The Cat in the Hat, starring Barack Obama as “The New Democrat.”  The illustrations resemble the Seussian originals, although the verses differ slightly.  To wit: I'll make friends with our enemies. They’ll do us no harm... If they see we are weak We must therefore disarm! Sides asked the author, Loren Spivack, who he was supporting in the Republican primary.  He said either Santorum or Perry (“definitely one of the Ricks”).  Then Sides asked if ... read more

Presidential primaries often come down to this choice: do you vote for the candidate you like the most, or do you vote for the candidate who is most likely to win?  Factions within political parties often disagree over this question.  This election season, Republicans have debated whether to nominate someone like Mitt Romney, whose conservative credentials have been questioned, or whether to nominate another candidate, such as Rick Perry or Herman Cain or Newt Gingrich, who is perceived to be more reliably conservative but possibly less able to beat Barack Obama.  In the language of social science, should Republicans choose ... read more