benveniste

I've come to the conclusion, that only one man can end the current partial U.S. government shutdown. In this, our darkest hour, I call on that man to step forward and answer my country's need.

I refer of course to Nate Silver.

Let's face facts. The first law of incumbents is: "get reelected." 2014 is coming, and both sides know it. But with Nate out of the picture while transitioning to ESPN, both sides trust their own feelings and sycophants instead of other people's polls. They know damn well that the rants and memes on Facebook are meaningless; those posters have already made up their minds and won't be confused by facts. The politicians don't even care about most independents; too many of us live in safe districts in safe states. My own Congresscritter managed to get re-elected in 2012 despite his wife's indictment and facing a moderate, pro-life, openly-gay Republican challenger. To the Congressional leadership in both chambers and on both sides, the only people who matter are the swing votes in the swing elections.

It's possible that other people have done a better job of forecasting and presenting the probabilities than Nate Silver, but they don't have impact on public and political opinion. If, hypothetically, Mr. Silver's forecast showed a shift in the probability of the GOP retaking the Senate, both sides would take notice.

Please, Nate Silver, I implore you. We have met the enemy and he is us. Come off the sidelines and save us from ourselves.