Morning folks. 💫
Fever's gone. Also not sneezing relentlessly every time I try to work, and alternating between roasting and freezing.
Everyone else good?
Time to write about political theory on this end! 🎉
@MLClark Glad to hear you're better. Hope you got some rest.
Political theory?!
Is political science "science," true or false? Go. 😊
Only under the archaic definition of science, before the emergence of post-Enlightenment empirical rigor necessitated a stricter division of the concept into (modern) "science" and "philosophy". :)
Political theory is definitely what I'm wrestling with today. What's in your queue?
@MLClark Great answer. My answer was short and snarky:
"It's not a science, it's a dark art."
I remember my Intro to PSCI class. The textbook argued that all politics can be reduced to systemic models.
Once I got into politics, I realized that was a crock. I'll text you a story later about a defrocked U.S. Senator from CA who spent the day with us.
Worked on my book yesterday, into the meaty stuff.
@MLClark Oh, the boxes of stuff remain in boxes. I'll go through it at some point but It's a part of the history I've already covered.
Looking forward to reading your new musings.
@WordsmithFL @MLClark Stephen, someday we'll have to compare stories.
@joycereynoldsward Do you mean my book? It's about the history of Florida space policy and politics. It's more interesting than it sounds, although it's intended as a backdoor poli sci textbook.
@MLClark was kind enough to read the first draft of the first two chapters. I don't think that's what made her ill. 😘
@WordsmithFL @MLClark oh, political history. Though this book sounds interesting as well....
@joycereynoldsward Even though it's political history, in many ways it's like a novel -- protagonists, antagonists, conflict leading to drama, three-act story structure.
I'm building to the climax now.
@MLClark So, Senator story ...
John Tunney (D-CA) once taught law at my alma mater, U. of CA Riverside. He was elected to the House in 1964 and then to the Senate in 1970.
Tunney went to law school with Ted Kennedy. After Ted drove off the bridge, Tunney flew to the Kennedy compound to support his friend.
When he ran for re-election in 1976, his GOP opponent was Sam Hayakawa, a Canadian (!) born English professor with no political background ... (1/x)
@MLClark Hayakawa campaigned on the promise that, if elected, he would do nothing! He said he would sleep on the Senate floor.
The CA GOP ran ads linking Tunney to Ted and Chappaquiddick, claiming he was an irresponsible playboy who did nothing in DC (untrue).
Despite leading in the polls (I went to his final rally, in Riverside), Tunney lost 50.1%-46.9%.
About six months later, the UCR Poli Sci department held a Saturday seminar with Tunney ... (2/x)
@MLClark Even though it had been six months, he was still stunned and grieving. He couldn't understand why the electorate ignored the record and voted for someone who openly proclaimed he intended to do nothing for them. I felt so sorry for Tunney.
I always remember that as the day that I learned politics is not a science, it's a dark art.
He was also the first of many candidates I supported over the years who lost. If you want to be with a winner ... don't take my advice. 🙄 Fin. (3/3)
@WordsmithFL @MLClark oh yeah. I know those stories. Can't tell some of them publicly because...powerful people.
@WordsmithFL
"Worked on my book yesterday, into the meaty stuff."
That sounds invigorating! I hope the thrill of a chewy problem carries you well through this part of the MS.
(And here I was worried you'd be lost to the rabbit hole of all that new documentation that landed on your doorstep a few days ago. Well done in skirting its event horizon!)