Stats: I love them & I hate them. If it weren't for my good friend Bruce in graduate school, I never would have passed the class. Stats intrigue me, but make my head hurt. I know enough to get by, but not enough as I should to really dig in. But that was in my pre-computer days at Michigan State (that makes me sound so old...it was only the late 80s, not ancient history!) Maybe I just never found the right statistics to light the fire. GraniteProf's latest posts might make a convert out of me.
Union Endorsements: Like all good junkies in NH right now, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the SEIU will endorse. I've never been into union endorsements before, but this election they intrigue me. My dad was a loyal member of IBEW and all that I remember of that was a long-term strike in the 70s, and going on free lunch at school because of it. NOT a good association. I tried to change my thinking by taking Todd DeMitchell's Collective Bargaining in Education class here at UNH, and it didn't help. But last election cycle, I saw how enthusiastic the fire fighters and teamsters were for Gephardt when I was assigned to assist his staff. It seemed like a good way to get energetic & commited volunteers with roots in the local
community, who'd work their collective hearts out for their chosen candidate. This cycle seems all about the little guy--hard worker who plays by the rules & still gets screwed. Enter: John Edwards 2008. SEIU is critical, because (I've been told) it's the union of the state employees in New Hampshire. Of course not every member will toe the union line, but the endorsement would be something here, and if it lands with my guy you will see the momentum I've been talking about. And, it would be nice to break the Clinton/Shaheen stranglehold on this state.Polls: It's about time for a new UNH one, don't you think, Prof. Smith?
