The unprecedented diversity of this year’s slate of Democrats running for president this cycle, coupled with Trump’s shock 2016 victory, has brought electability to the forefront of the democratic primary. Much of the discussion is defined by hyperbolic articles on why “[Candidate Name Goes Here] is the Only Way To Beat Trump” or “[Candidate Name […]
Continue readingMore TagAuthor: Orion
Recursion to 2007: Marching towards Tehran
Nearly a decade and a half ago I became an activist. For two years I led weekly peace marches protesting the Occupation of Iraq. But the first anti-war protest I led wasn’t about Iraq. It was about Iran. I. On January 11th, 2007, the US raided the Iranian Liaison Office in Ebid. The day after the […]
Continue readingMore TagA Belated Update on the Website and its Name
Between work, applying for graduate school, and numerous trips to dragon boat races and the mountains, I have clearly been neglecting the website. Of course, the news hasn’t slowed down one bit. Protests continue to grow from Hong Kong to Moscow to Santiago to Baghdad; the United Kingdom prepares for its first winter election in […]
Continue readingMore TagForesight 2020: Spiced Reacts to Round 1
Each of these are pretty short. None were drafted sober. All were finalized within 24 hours of the conclusion of the 2nd night’s debate. A few may even be right. So here they are, my reaction to the next Democratic nominee and 19 also-rans.
Continue readingMore TagForesight 2020: The End of the Prologue
“I’m not chomping at the bit to hear Eric Swalwell tell me why he should be president” – An Anonymous Friend Since the moment Donald Trump was declared the President Elect in 2016, Democrats have been chomping at the bit to start the 2020 Presidential election. This prologue to the election is finally approaching something […]
Continue readingMore TagBasic Courtesy: CNN Forgets about Introductions
I. One of the fun parts of travel is how it can mix up one’s routine, which is why I found myself eating breakfast on a couch and watching CNN on a flat screen television a couple days ago. Neither I nor my friends who turned on the television were expecting something particularly mind-expanding; we […]
Continue readingMore TagElectoral Triage: Lessons from GA, NC, and FL
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”George W. Bush In the 2000 Presidential Election the election of George W. Bush over Al Gore came down to recounts, […]
Continue readingMore TagThe Slow Growth of Corporate Governance
I. What makes a government? What is a government but a set of legal structures providing services to an area in exchange for monopolistic power over what is allowed in that area? Those services include stability—generally in the form of contract and law enforcement—and public goods—most commonly as monetary policy. These services may be broader: […]
Continue readingMore TagJane and the canyon: a story of path dependency
This article presents a particular method of analysis and family of social theories I find important. It also builds on the concept of expected value. I. Jane and The Canyon Jane is an explorer working her way through a forest. She has gear, food, and a general direction to travel, but the obstacles she will […]
Continue readingMore TagMost things most people believe are wrong
The title of this post comes from the one and only Terry Pratchett, specifically the witch Granny Weatherwax in Equal Rites, but it may as well be the mantra of the social sciences. My job as a policy analyst revolves, in part, around people’s misconceptions and thus this post: a list of the things I’ve recently […]
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