July 2009 Archives

I know the (crackpot) debate over Obama’s citizenship (and therefore eligibility to be president) has been thoroughly debunked. That won’t make the issue go away for “birthers,” of course. Even though it was debunked more than a year ago (during the oh-so-thorough vetting of opposition candidates). But there’s one issue that bothers me about the coverage about this issue, even from the media that’s piled on top of Loud Dobbs (after needing a cue from Jon Stewart): Why doesn’t anyone discuss the definition of “natural born” citizen?

There’s starting to be a considerable amount of speculation regarding Bolivia’s upcoming (December 2009) presidential election. So far, Evo has a clear lead in all the polls, far outdistancing his potential¹ rivals, leading many to assume Evo has an easy path to reelection. But he hasn’t reached the 50% mark in those polls, leading some to suggest that Evo’s in trouble. The reality is much more complicated.

My research note published in Journal of Politics in Latin America is now available (as free PDF) online, if you’re interested in taking a peek. The piece (“Electoral Reform, Regional Cleavages, and Party System Stability in Bolivia”) provides (preliminary) statistical evidence that the adoption of a mixed-member electoral system in Bolivia may have contributed to and/or exacerbated party system instability & regional polarization.

We start back to the US in a few hours, making our way from VVI to MIA to ORD. Let’s hope AA treats us better on the way back than on the way in.

Our last week in La Paz is quickly coming to an end, as we prepare to fly to Santa Cruz, and then back to Chicago. Javi seems to have recovered from his stomach thing (but has now picked the sniffles), though that seemed to hardly discourage him from enjoying the city (especially Plaza Avaroa), w/ all its fascinating sights. My research advanced well enough, though not nearly as far as I would’ve liked (the CNE archives still aren’t ready).

Our second week in La Paz has been both uneventful (in general) & somewhat cautious (Javi has a stomach problem). My research is still moving forward at a decent pace. I’ve almost finished the section on legislative careers (coding all of the members of Chamber of Deputy commissions from 1985-2009).