Lydia Williams's Government Blog

1. Who made up the "universe" or polling population of this particular poll? Part of the difficulty of Nevada polling is that’s it’s simply harder to talk to people. The state has a disproportionate amount of people who work odd hours, and a relatively transient population. 2. If 25% of people say they are supporting Bernie Sanders and the sampling error is 4.8%, what is the actual range of Sanders's support? 20.2%-29.8% 3. Using the margin of error, describe a possible scenario in which Sanders would not win, but still fits the polls data. If Biden gets closer to 22.8% and Bernie gets closer to 20.0%, then is still fits the poll data.  4. What were the results found in earlier polls taken in Nevada this year? In both previous 2020 Nevada polls, the state seemed to be torn between Biden and Sanders.  A Suffolk University/USA Today poll  from early January showed Biden in the lead with 19 percent support, Sanders with 18 percent, and their nearest competitor — Warre...

1.  What was Lt Col. Alexander Vindman's job in the bureaucracy? Lt Col. Alexander Vindman w as  a top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council.  2. What did Vindman testify during the impeachment investigation? He testified that he found the call inappropriate and that he saw it as “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government  investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent .” 3. What did the White House do to Vindman and his brother? Now Vindman  has been removed  from his post in the White House as of this Friday,  according to his lawyer . His twin brother, a lawyer for the National Security Council, was  also reassigned. 4. How is the White House justifying this action? The White House is framing this not as payback against Vindman but as a broader shrinking of the NSC staff. 5. Why does the author argue that this creates a danger for other civil servants? The danger here, of course, i...

1.What's the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the primary calendar? Phase one is the four early states in February, which have a paltry number of delegates but an extraordinary impact on the race’s overall narrative. Phase two is the briefest but the most consequential: It spans March 1 to 17, in which more than half of all 3,979 pledged delegates will be locked down. 2. Which four states get to vote first, separated roughly into one each week? Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina vote first. 3. There are few delegates available in these four states, why are the primaries so important? The primaries are important because without them it is impossible for anyone to build up a significant lead in this phase, particularly because Democrats allot their delegates proportionally. 4. How many delegates are available in Phase 2? During phase 2,  more than 60 percent of pledged delegates at stake in the entire contest will be available.  5. Which regions ar...