CNN's DIY 'Magic Wall' - POLITICO

Another good story for lovers of "political metrics" out there, now CNN is giving folks easy access to their historical and nation-wide elections stats that you have probably seen on any recent election on CNN..



Unless of course you refuse to watch CNN and FoxNews is streamed on a 24/7 basis in your home..



CNN's DIY 'Magic Wall'

Political Spectrum: It's more than "Left & Right."

Another thought-provoking and non-midterm related piece tonight, this time posted on the official website of the political party that originally inspired me to start this blog years ago, the Modern Whig Party.



Of course, any views expressed by the author "joebrown", may not necessarily reflect the views of the Modern Whig Party itself.



Political Spectrum: It's more than "Left & Right."

A Federalist, a Libertarian, & a Statist Walk into a Bar..- Adam Gurri

In a refreshing break from the "All Midterms, All the the time!" stories posted as of late, here is a very thought-provoking piece by Adam Gurri, which was reposted on The Federalist (don't worry, they did so perfectly legally). 

In this piece, Gurri simplifies the spectrum of American political views into just three categories: Federalism, Property, and Liberation.

Read more here!

Odds looking good for GOP with 5 Days to Go- FiveThirtyEight Politics

For those who don't know what FiveThirtyEight is, you really are missing out on one of the best sources out there for solid political metrics...

What are political metrics you ask? Simple: Polling Data. 

Normally, polling data isn't terribly exciting stuff (unless you're a nerd for numbers like myself), but world-famous pollster Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight is one of the best in the business and does so in a way that is, thankfully, presented in such a way that makes it fairly easy to understand for wonks and everyday folks alike. 

Without going into too much depth, FiveThirtyEight compiles information from many hundreds of polls across the nation and in this election cycle, focusing primarily on the odds of which major party will gain or retain control of the United States Senate. 

Now, I invite you to take a gander at today's latest update at the FiveThirtyEight's site giving the current odds of which party will come out victorious in next week's elections...

Though if you're a die-hard Democrat and are at all squeamish, might not be the best idea..

FiveThirtyEight Politics

2 Scenarios for Tuesday's Vote- RealClearPolitics

Kudos to RealClearPolitics's Sean Trende for an interesting hypothetical piece on what the election results for next Tuesday could end up being..

Two Scenarios for Tuesday

Joni Ernst explains missed edit board - POLITICO

Politico's Jonathan Topaz tackles a recent political ruffle that occurred in Iowa's much talked about U.S. Senate race: Why did the GOP candidate Joni Ernst skip a scheduled interview with the state's biggest newspaper?



Without giving too much away from Mr. Topaz's piece, the idea of The Des Moines Register has a particular political alignment is NOT new. I have heard it my whole life back home about how much of a "liberal rag" the paper was. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it's true, as the paper has indeed endorsed GOP candidates for state-wide and nation-wide office in the past. Notably, during the GOP primary in Iowa, the paper endorsed none other than Joni Ernst!





Joni Ernst explains missed edit board

The Most Wide-Open Senate Election in a Decade- POLITICO

The most wide-open Senate election in a decade

The ghost of Simpson Bowles haunts 2014- POLITICO

The ghost of Simpson Bowles haunts 2014



Amazing* how arguably the most serious attempt by any American politicians to solve the deficit crisis we continue to struggle with today has instead being used as a weapon in political ads by BOTH parties..



That's our elected representatives for ya folks!





*also see: "Disgusting" and "Pathetic"

Des Moines Register Endorses Bruce Braley for U.S. Senate

The editorial board of Iowa's most prominent newspaper has just announced their endorsement for the U.S. Senate race..just in time for tomorrow's Sunday paper! (Insider-Iowa kind of joke there)

Endorsement: Bruce Braley is Better Choice

Voter-ID Laws: Disenfranchisement or Necessary Evil?

In something of a change from the usual political rant, we are instead looking at a major issue in American politics: Voter-ID laws

And instead of just talking about one side of the argument, I want to discuss and mention BOTH sides of this much-argued topic: Are such laws disenfranchising the poor and many minority voters or is it a necessary evil to combat voter fraud?

Federal Judge Upholds Puerto Rico's Gay Marriage Ban- LA Times

In an interesting twist to the growing political storm surrounding the recent "rash" of state statutes against gay marriage being struck down in federal court, a federal judge in Puerto Rico has upheld that US territory's law banning gay marriage.

What reasoning did this federal judge use?

Surprisingly enough, a legal precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court 43 years ago in the Baker vs Nelson case.

To learn more, please read Lauren Raab's recent piece in the Los Angeles Times..

Puerto Rico's Gay Marriage Ban Upheld by Federal Judge

200,000 Iowans have already voted | Politics - KCCI Home

Like they used to say in Chicago-style politics, "vote early and vote often!"



Just kidding folks!



200,000 Iowans have already voted | Politics - KCCI Home

NY Times article documents urban shift in Iowa | Local News - KCCI Home

Interesting article via The New York Times described by one of Iowa's two major news organizations..



Without giving too much away, the main jist of the article is concerning how Iowa is no longer the farming-centric state it once was. For those outside of Iowa, this may be a bit surprising, but for someone who was born and raised there, we have know this harsh truth for some time.



Small, family-owned/operated farms are now a fading reality (though some families, like my own, still hold on proudly to the farms they have lived on for many decades, some even older!). The population and lifestyle in Iowa has been shifting to the major metropolitan areas, especially around the capital city of Des Moines for many years now, even though the state's actual population growth has been fairly minor (causing Iowa to go from having five congressional districts prior to the last census to just four today).



On the other hand, Iowa is one of the nation's leading users of wind-power (the damn things are all over the state now, even in the rolling hills of my native southern Iowa) and has one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates.



And as more Iowans move to urban areas, the "traditional" element that drives politics there is bound to change as well and this all factors into making this years Senate race one of the most watched in the nation..





NY Times article documents urban shift in Iowa | Local News - KCCI Home

TheBlaze- Ferguson Protesters & Football Fans get into scuffle in St. Louis

Some video proof that some elements of the "Ferguson" protest movement (though calling it a movement may not be accurate as this point, not exactly sure where one should draw the line) are not only poorly organized, but kind of missing the whole point of "non-violent" protests...

Ferguson Protesters and Football Fans Brawl in Street After St. Louis Rams Game

DISCLAIMER:

All comments and/or opinions expressed in the above work are purely those of the author unless otherwise noted and do not represent that opinions/positions of any political or non-political organization or the Department of the Defense. Any/all distribution of this work MUST contain this disclaimer. 

Roberts misses two-thirds of ag committee meetings since 2000 | CJOnline.com

Roberts misses two-thirds of ag committee meetings since 2000 | CJOnline.com



Regardless of whether he had perfectly good reasons for missing these meetings, such "news" is a potential PR disaster for a Senator from a rural state like Kansas..

EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Senate shocker — contracts awarded to Joni Ernst’s father raise conflict of interest questions

EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Senate shocker — contracts awarded to Joni Ernst’s father raise conflict of interest questions



Just when you thoughts the Iowa Senate race couldn't get more interesting..the plot thickens!