The legislature candidate in Maine who was criticized for her devotion to World of Warcraft won her race.
Obama may have won the election, but Romney won one of the largest polls prior to the election: Users of Avast! anti-virus software. I saw this before the election and actually thought to myself that he was in trouble with his lead among this group (to whom I would assign some education, income, and risk-aversion) that it couldn’t bode well. Those results were certainly tighter than 7-11’s, however.
Meanwhile, in the real election, Bush won a higher proportion of the Mormon vote than Romney did. Romney won a higher proportion of the Evangelical vote than McCain did (and tied Bush).
My own “it’s just as well that Obama won” honeymoon was short-lived.
The Electoral College has its critics, but according to FP there are worse systems out there (I think there are actually some decent arguments for Lebenon’s, though).
For SuperDestroyer: Rising number of states seeing one-party rule.
I’ve previously written on players faking injuries to slow down play and how difficult it is to do anything about it. Apparently, the NFL is pretty hard core on the subject.
Megan McArdle (Who’s back! Yay!) looks at whether we should build flood gates in New York Harbor.
Suzuki is apparently pulling out of the US car market. I was wondering when this might happen. Next question: Whabout Mitsubishi? I’m honestly quite shocked that Suzuki had 246 dealerships.
Mitsubishi has a U.S. manufacturing plant, in Illinois, so that might help it stay around.
Comment by Peter — November 13, 2012 @ 6:59 pm
Thanks for the shout out. The MSM is beginning to notice the political trends that have been obvious for years. What is odd is how many articles have been written about all of the structural issues that the Republicans face but no one wants to discuss what could happen if the Republicans do not overcome them.
Comment by superdestroyer — November 14, 2012 @ 7:31 am
Peter, yeah, that might suggest that they be more willing to stick around than Suzuki.
SuperD, most people don’t believe that is a particularly realistic possibility. Give it another election cycle or two, you may start seeing some articles on it.
Comment by trumwill — November 15, 2012 @ 3:23 pm
Whabout Mitsubishi?
Some have argued that Mitsubishi will simply use its large reserves to subsidize operations in North America, but until new and viable product comes to the States, it’s unlikely to stay in the medium to long-term. And of course, now that Suzuki is gone from North America, but alive in India, Japan, and Southeast Asia, a few people have started to question the viability of Mazda’s small size and lukewarm sales, especially after Ford’s recent divestiture of Mazda.
Meanwhile, in the real election, Bush won a higher proportion of the Mormon vote than Romney did.
Now, that is a shocking. Either the small number of black and other non-white Mormons increased their vote for Obama, or Mormon turnout was lower than expected, or there were a few Mormons would just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Romney despite sharing the same faith.
Comment by David Alexander — November 16, 2012 @ 10:45 pm
I hadn’t even thought of Mazda. That’s another one that has to consider re-evaluating their presence here.
Now, that is a shocking.
I was pretty stunned. Romney was really, really popular when I was in Deseret despite being - at the time - the moderate governor of Massachusetts. Mormons in that region seemed more enamored with him than Huntsman.
Comment by trumwill — November 17, 2012 @ 6:52 pm
I hadn’t even thought of Mazda. That’s another one that has to consider re-evaluating their presence here.
Mazda is a in a bit of a weird spot. In Canada, their cars are very popular*, but Canadians tend to buy smaller cars in general. In the United States, their cars are well regarded, yet their sales seem lukewarm at best. The Mazda 3 is still their volume car, but it lacks the “reliability” meme of the Corolla and Civic, it’s not cheap like the Sentra, Hyundai, or Kia, and because it’s biased toward great handling, the ride is written off as harsh by a market place that puts a preference toward “soft riding” cars. The Mazda 6 is seen as a bland model with little marketing and some would argue that it exists merely to sell to fleets, the SUVs are better at handling, but again, there’s some marketing, but little interest by consumers for that, and the Mazda 5 is seen as “too small” for a minivan. The CX-5 could help as sales seem to be decent, but it’s not a magical home run, and may not be given that the engine is undersized and under powered compared to its competition.
FWIW, if I was buying a small car, I’d opt for a Mazda 3. If I wanted a crossover, sadly, I’d go with the much better Outback or Forrester. If I wanted a mid-sized sedan, I’d lean toward the Legacy, but I’d give the new Mazda 6 a chance. Mind you, I’m not the average buyer, and the roads around here are encouraging toward vehicles with good handling characteristics.
*In Europe, their cars aren’t popular either because Euro-oriented Japanese cars just aren’t seen as worth driving, and the Koreans are cheaper and thus more popular. Reliability isn’t the concern that with cars there as it is here.
Comment by David Alexander — November 18, 2012 @ 7:59 pm
Mormons in that region seemed more enamored with him than Huntsman.
I suspect it’s because Huntsman comes across as a bit of a rich guy who happens to be Mormon, versus a Mormon who happens to be rich. Or Mitt Romney is seen as a hero because he became a political somebody *outside* of the Mormon Belt, especially in such a heavily Democratic state.
Comment by David Alexander — November 18, 2012 @ 8:03 pm
Mazda is one of those companies that I sometimes forget even exists. I’m not sure why.
I’d get the Legacy for AWD, but that’s about the only reason. Why would you consider one?
Reliability isn’t the concern that with cars there as it is here.
Why is that?
Re: Huntsman
I’d guess more the latter than the former. He might not come across as uber-mormonish, but he’s still a Huntsman and that name carries truck.
Comment by trumwill — November 18, 2012 @ 8:52 pm
Mazda is one of those companies that I sometimes forget even exists. I’m not sure why.
I guess it’s safe to say that you have lived in places where Mazdas aren’t popular. Of course, in square states with straight roads and high “capacity” highway ramps, there’s no need to buy a car that loves curves.
I’d get the Legacy for AWD, but that’s about the only reason. Why would you consider one?
Superior handling to the Camry and Accord, less commonplace compared to the Altima. I wouldn’t consider any of the American options, and the Passat reeks of being way to unreliable for my tastes. Plus, while the current Legacy isn’t exactly the best looking car in the world, I’m not feeling the Mazda 6 in the second and third generation.
Why is that?
Urban Europeans tend to have mass transit, so if their car breaks down, they can still get around. Rural Europeans are bit more restricted in this regard, but even rural transit in Europe is leagues better than it’s American counterpart. Also, cycling and moped use are more acceptable, so it’s a viable option.
Plus, some have argued that the European auto marketplace works differently. Unlike in the states where you pick a car off the lot and drive home, Europeans basically buy custom made cars like Americans did until the 1970s, and the myriad of engine and transmission options leads to higher costs* and less standardization and thus less reliability according to some.
*Some cars will have say, five or six engine choices for example, three to four gas, two or three diesel with an extra performance model. In contrast, in the States, you get two choices at most.
Comment by David Alexander — November 18, 2012 @ 10:47 pm
Superior handling to the Camry and Accord, less commonplace compared to the Altima.
Heh. I can’t remember the last Altima I’ve seen. It’s been a while. I *think* Nissan has dealerships out here… Of course, I don’t see many Legacy’s either, given that we are in Subaru country.
What you say about Europe explains RangeRovers.
Comment by trumwill — November 19, 2012 @ 9:01 pm