Read Stuff, You Should

Hey, it's Babe Ruth's birthday! February 6, 1895. Did you know that Fenway Park was, when he played there, an extreme pitchers' park and HRs were almost impossible to hit there? He did okay at Yankee Stadium though.

The good stuff:

1. I sort of like this NYT initiative to crowdsource obscure campaign finance reports. I'm more in favor of campaign finance disclosure than, I think, the evidence suggests it's worth...that is, I'm not really convinced that in real life disclosure actually does make that much difference, but I think in theory it's important to protect the potential of disclosure. So good for the Times.

2. We all know that the press has an interest in keeping the nomination battle going; Erica Fry on reporters actively rooting for it.

3. OK, I'm not going to stoop to giving Seth Masket a Catch of the Day for this one, but go ahead and click it.

4. Could have also given a CotD to Harold Pollack for this one on tax whiners.

5. And Sarah Kliff reports from inside Komen.

Read Stuff, You Should

Happy Birthday today to Pat Tabler; he's 54. 109 PAs with the bases loaded: .489 BA. OBP/SLG of 505/693; that's an 1198 OPS, which is just a bit higher than Babe Ruth's career number. Alas, we don't know what the Babe did with the bases loaded. I wonder who the guy is who was the Pat Tabler of, say, runner on second base?

The good stuff: 

1. Sasha Issenberg noticed that Newt's campaign in Florida was a mess. Amy Gardner noticed that Newt's campaign in Nevada is a mess. Hmmm. I sense a theme.

2. Rick Hason on Super PACs and Citizens United. My general sense is that the big thing you want to do if you want publicity for something is to get it called "Super" whatever. Seems to just mesmerize reporters.

3. What Matt Yglesias said about Romney's "very poor" gaffe: it's the policy that matters.

4. But it's also true that we could use some better journalism. Greg Marx explains.

5. Suddenly a lot less interested in supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation? Over at Good, Nona Willis Aronowitz suggests five alternatives for supporting women's health.

6. And Seth Masket reports that redistricting doesn't seem to matter much in state legislatures, at least not on electoral competition and polarization. I know, it seems like the way districts are drawn should matter a great deal, but it just doesn't seem to.

Plum Line: Giving Money (and a Question for Political Scientists)

Over at Plum Line, I reprise an argument I've made over here before: that the worst place to give your money if you want to affect the outcomes of campaigns is in presidential general elections. Still, in my view at least, a very important message.

Which brings up a question. Hey, political scientists! Especially those of you who study US politics and campaigns and elections. If you give money to candidates, where do you put your money? Do any of you give to presidential candidates for the general election? It seems to me that this is something on which the research implications for political action are absolutely clear: do you all follow them?