Disclaimer: I don't know why we Americans make New Year's Resolutions. When I asked my personal guru, all I got was this lame article. So, if anyone can tell me where, when, and why this tradition was started I would really appreciate it.

There's more.

Chris Cilliza and Perry Bacon report on the travesty that Governor Howard Dean is without a job.  Anyone who's been reading us for a while knows that I have a high opinion of Governor Dean, so you shouldn't be surprised to find out that I am rather angry at the treatment that our party is choosing to give Dean. Let me say it up front: without the Governor, we would have had no victories in 2006 and 2008. 

There's plent more below the fold.

We all know that the GQR ideology question is ultimately useless, so here's one that's pretty good.

I can't believe that I got New Left Hipster. Sheesh. DD

My Liberal Identity:

You are a New Left Hipster, also known as a MoveOn.org liberal, a Netroots activist, or a Daily Show fanatic. You believe that if we really want to defend American values, conservatives must be exposed, mocked, and assailed for every fanatical, puritanical, warmongering, Constitution-shredding ideal for which they stand.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Okay, even though it's Christmas, this one from Erick at Red State is a bit of a howler, as are the comments.

DD

Hat tip to Secular Right.

I normally make it a point to avoid anything to do with John Derbyshire and Heather MacDonald, who are otherwise quite repellant, but even while on vacation, I can't quite seem to get away from them. A friend of mine IM'd me their reading of the Pew Study, and I thought that it might be interesting to take a look at it.  They surveyed 2,905 American adults  from July 31, 2008 to August 10, 2008.  Anyone self-identifying as atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated with any religion were left out of the poll. The previous waves of the study were in 2002 and 2007.

There's more...

Hey, everyone,

Our great Christmas present to everyone is the week off. Relax, drink some egg nog, fight with your families and try not to think too hard about voter files, polling, statistics and data.

Admin

An interesting request from the Next Right:

An open question to readers and other bloggers: What policy should Republicans be advocating and pursuing to limit government and regain popular support?

Bear in mind, I'm not asking what pie-in-the-sky policies you would like to see, or what "principle" you would love to see enacted.  I am asking for policy proposals that would be...

• Electorally viable (i.e., it would help win elections)
• Relevant to current issues (i.e., the electorate and public officials would prioritize it)
• Focused on fixing the structural problems that create bigger and more costly government

Suggestions right now are all over the map, ranging from the semi-comical ("Revive the Brilliant Pebbles program to defend against an Iranian electromagnetic pulse attack!") to the usual warmed-over red meat ("Drill here, drill now, pay less") to honest-to-god thoughtful self criticism ("Taking about fiscal restraint, balanced budgets, or lower spending will not affect a single election after the incomptence of the Bush Admnistraiton and the Republicans in Congress.")  Overall it's an interesting read, and I'm glad that Henke wants to engage in that conversation, even if I hope he doesn't get anything useful from it.

UPDATE: On the other hand, I can see Yglesias' point although I think he overstates it a little.

This summary of all the reasons that the GOP is in a deep hole and won't be climbing out anytime soon--from Tom Edsall at the Huffington Post--is sure to fill you with holiday cheer.

OK, maybe your version of holiday cheer doesn't mean "revelling in the destruction of your enemies".  Don't judge my family! I had an almost normal childhood!

Via the always-excellent Future Majority, Pew Research has released a new report about the impact of missing cell-phone-only voters in telephone polling.

An analysis of six Pew surveys conducted from September through the weekend before the election shows that estimates based only on landline interviews were likely to have a pro-McCain tilt compared with estimates that included cell phone interviews. But the difference, while statistically significant, was small in absolute terms

There's more below the fold...

Hi, everyone.

Dirty D has emailed to let me know that due to family related travel, he is going to be thirty-six to forty-eight hours delayed in posting his update to his ongoing series, Building a Poll. He is currently in East Asia, where he is removed from us by several, several time zones.

Ah, the life of a blogger.

Admin