Twitter roundup

	Brendan Nyhan Feb 1, 2011 at 1:01pm Twitter roundup (1/28-2/1)
	BrendanNyhan Feb 1, 2011 at 11:53am Reminder: Anti-Mormon beliefs are a huge obstacle to either Huntsman or Romney being nominated http://j.mp/i9Ohkq (PDF)
	http://j.mp/i9Ohkq
	BrendanNyhan Feb 1, 2011 at 12:42am RT @gallupnews: No SOTU Bump for Obama, but Approval Remains Higher: http://bit.ly/fYb7MQ (via @ezraklein)
	No SOTU Bump for Obama, but Approval Remains Higher Gallup Daily tracking finds no change in President Obama's job approval rating after his State of the Union address. The president's 50% average for the week ending Sunday, Jan. 30 matches the p...
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 10:13pm Even Norquist rejects birthers! RT @GroverNorquist: Obama was born in America. Obamacare was born in Bismark's Germany. (via @daveweigel)
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 9:05pm Useful advice for grad students from @Mungowitz (who was on my diss. comm.): http://j.mp/fmYzA6 (interview) http://j.mp/gh8k5H (essay)
	KosmosOnline Podcast
	10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly - Do Your Job Better - The Chronicle of Higher Education
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 7:17pm Zombie myth alert -- Obama lost b/c he "lost his connection with the people" http://j.mp/dTptSl Reality: No one "connects" in bad economy
	Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — David Axelrod, protector of President Barack Obama's message, picked the right day to show up at a news conference. His boss wasn't just going off script. He was going off.
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 7:14pm .@jbouie: "if a progressive loses a marginal district...more to do with... running in a marginal district" than Koch $ http://j.mp/h1nZZb
	TAPPED Archive | The American Prospect
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 5:48pm RT @JoshuaGreen Fascinating instructions for protesters on using spray paint to stop police, army in Egypt: http://bit.ly/hZf7uY
	Egyptian Activists' Action Plan: Translated - Alexis Madrigal - International - The Atlantic Egyptian activists have been distributing this guide to tomorrow's massive planned demonstration
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 3:32pm RT @jstrevino The Huntsman candidacy is a make-work program for McCain '08 consultants and people who read The Atlantic. (via @daveweigel)
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 12:45pm Myth: The more optimistic presidential candidate wins. Reality: Optimism reflects which one has a structural advantage. http://j.mp/hTuQ5O
	NY Times Advertisement
	BrendanNyhan Jan 31, 2011 at 2:56am RT @ChrisMooney_ We now have a study *officially* showing people more likely to believe in global warming if feeling hot http://j.mp/hRC8Kf
	For Climate Change Skeptics, Feeling is Believing | Smart Journalism. Real Solutions. Miller-McCune. A newly published study suggests to convert someone dubious of climate change statistics, try a more visceral approach — turn up the heat, literally.
	BrendanNyhan Jan 29, 2011 at 1:35pm Wow. RT @AJEnglish Egypt banished from Chinese Twitter: Beijing blocks searches for "Egypt" from microblogging site http://aje.me/i2j9lc
	Egypt not trending in China - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English Beijing blocks searches for "Egypt" from microblogging site following protests there.
	BrendanNyhan Jan 29, 2011 at 3:32am RT @sethmnookin CBS disappears disinformation in a flu vaccine scare story...but the damage is already done. http://j.mp/eKFu85
	A disappearance in a CBS News flu vaccine story…and the persistence of disinformation
	BrendanNyhan Jan 29, 2011 at 10:30pm RT @sethmnookin Misinformation and CBS News's poorly reported flu vaccine story, pt. 2: watch the scare spread http://ht.ly/3MBBn
	CBS & the flu vaccine, pt. 2: A little misinformation goes a long way
	BrendanNyhan Jan 28, 2011 at 9:57pm Waaaaay more than you ever wanted to know about the teeth of a member of Congress http://j.mp/fLwJkF (via @HeardontheHill)
	kucinich.us - Dennis Kucinich: Regarding Settlement of Dental Injury Law Suit Dennis Kucinich is a Congressman from the 10th district in Ohio
	BrendanNyhan Jan 28, 2011 at 9:59pm RT @JoshuaGreen Testament to Keebler's corporate attorneys RT @HeardontheHill: Kucinich settles lawsuit w/House cafet. http://bit.ly/hmMf8r
	kucinich.us - Dennis Kucinich: Regarding Settlement of Dental Injury Law Suit Dennis Kucinich is a Congressman from the 10th district in Ohio
	BrendanNyhan Jan 28, 2011 at 9:53pm .@ProfStevenSmith on Senate procedure deal: "too limited...and too discretionary to be effective for long" http://j.mp/i9zFnf (via J. Sides)
	http://j.mp/i9zFnf
	BrendanNyhan Jan 28, 2011 at 9:21pm Excellent Egypt explainer and news timeline by @NickBaumann of Mother Jones: http://j.mp/eqEHLN
	What's Happening in Egypt Explained (UPDATED) | Mother Jones An up-to-the-minute guide to the uprising.

Comments

[David in Cal]

Tom Jacobs wrongly implies that Tea Partiers, who he equates with "skeptics", don't believe the globe has been warming. It's true that most Tea Partiers oppose Cap and Trade and other big government (supposed) solutions to the (alleged) global warming threat. However, someone who believes that the globe is warming might still oppose Cap and Trade if s/he also believes any of the following:

1. It's not proved that man-made CO2 has been the primary cause of global warming.

2. Global warming will not be a disaster.

3. Cap and Trade is inadequate to fix the problem of global warming.

4. There are other, better solutions to global warming.

My guess is that most "skeptics" agree that the globe has been warming, but don't believe it's proved that man-made CO2 has been the primary cause.

Point #3 is generally ignored, but it shouldn't be. If the disaster models are correct, then Cap and Trade and other proposed remedies are entirely inadequate to prevent disaster.

[David in Cal]

I believe a political double standard applies to minorities. Conservative minority figures can be insulted or demonized in ways that would be unacceptible for non-conservative members of the same minority.

One example was Julianne Malveaux stating on a PBS TV show, "I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease....He is an absolutely reprehensible person." Malveaux is President of Bennett College. I think if someone had made the same comment on nationwide TV about Thurgood Marshall, the speaker would be persona non grata.

Sarah Palin has been demonized beyond any woman I can think of. That's particularly noteworthy, because she hasn't done anything wrong. She hasn't committed any crime or been found guilty of any corruption. She hasn't made any off-color statements. She wasn't unfaithful to her spouse. She didn't mistreat her children. As far as I can tell, her "crime" is being an attractive, popular Republican.

Anyhow, my own discussions with people close to me would support David Smith's study. I think many people would refuse to vote for Romney because he's a Mormon. I think many who hold that position are not conservative Christians.

Yet, I've never heard or read of a single complaint anywhere about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Mormon religion. Conservatives find lots wrong with Reid's performance, but I've never heard critics bring up his religion. I think most people are unaware of Reid's religion.

Smith says his paper "explores the extent to which anti-Mormonism may affect voter evaluations of Mormon political candidates in the United States," yet the paper doesn't mention of Harry Reid.

In short, like gender and race, the Mormon religion seems to be a problem only when the Mormon happens to be a conservative.

[David in Cal]

In that Malveaux quote above, she was talking about Clarence Thomas. Sorry for the omission.

[Rob]

As a footnote to David's comment about Harry Reid's religion, whereas for Mitt Romney Mormonism is the faith he inherited from his parents, Harry Reid chose as an adult to convert to the LDS Church. For better or worse, he made a conscious choice to sign onto Mormon beliefs.