Comments on: Are McCain and Falwell Irrational on Gay Rights? http://www.kipesquire.net/2005/08/are-mccain-and-falwell-irrational-on-gay-rights/ A Stitch in Time Saves Nine ... But Haste Makes Waste Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:02:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: KipEsquire http://www.kipesquire.net/2005/08/are-mccain-and-falwell-irrational-on-gay-rights/comment-page-1/#comment-722 KipEsquire Tue, 30 Aug 2005 06:54:11 +0000 http://www.kipesquire.net/?p=1464#comment-722 <i>I think the real problem is the widely held misperception that political views lie on a 1-dimensional left-right spectrum.</i> <BR /> <BR />Well, of course most libertarians reject the notion of a one-dimensional political spectrum in favor of a parabolic model with increasingly radical liberal and conservative tails that move at equal rates away from the limited-government optimum. <BR /> <BR />But the beach analogy is a good starting point for those like Falwell and McCain who are not libertarians. I think the real problem is the widely held misperception that political views lie on a 1-dimensional left-right spectrum.

Well, of course most libertarians reject the notion of a one-dimensional political spectrum in favor of a parabolic model with increasingly radical liberal and conservative tails that move at equal rates away from the limited-government optimum.

But the beach analogy is a good starting point for those like Falwell and McCain who are not libertarians.

]]> By: Tom Chatt http://www.kipesquire.net/2005/08/are-mccain-and-falwell-irrational-on-gay-rights/comment-page-1/#comment-721 Tom Chatt Tue, 30 Aug 2005 06:48:40 +0000 http://www.kipesquire.net/?p=1464#comment-721 Hey Kip, interesting comparison of these two motions away from "the center". I had observed an opposite phenomenon that I called <a href="http://upword.blogspot.com/2005/01/dems-and-republicans-dosie-do.html" rel="nofollow">Dems and Republicans Do-Si-Do</a>. I think the real problem is the widely held misperception that political views lie on a 1-dimensional left-right spectrum. (Note that this doesn't allow for other directions, such as "upword" ;-)) Arnold Kling has an interesting article on TCS about the "<a href="http://techcentralstation.com/082305A.html" rel="nofollow">long tail</a>" of political views, which seems a better analogy to me. <br /> <br /> Contemplating political contests as prisoner's dilemma exercises is also interesting. At first I didn't think you'd find collusion, but then I remembered the California legislature's egregious gerrymandering to make all of the districts "safe" for whichever party currently holds them. Talk about anti-competitive collusion! Hey Kip, interesting comparison of these two motions away from "the center". I had observed an opposite phenomenon that I called Dems and Republicans Do-Si-Do. I think the real problem is the widely held misperception that political views lie on a 1-dimensional left-right spectrum. (Note that this doesn't allow for other directions, such as "upword" ;-) ) Arnold Kling has an interesting article on TCS about the "long tail" of political views, which seems a better analogy to me.

Contemplating political contests as prisoner's dilemma exercises is also interesting. At first I didn't think you'd find collusion, but then I remembered the California legislature's egregious gerrymandering to make all of the districts "safe" for whichever party currently holds them. Talk about anti-competitive collusion!

]]>