Political Linkspam

• Here's a pretty fascinating look at how different state boundaries would have affected the Electoral College results. Based on such things as commute patterns, phone call patterns, states of equal population, etc. A good reminder of how arbitrary the Electoral College is as a way of deciding anything.


• The always-excellent Jamelle Bouie writes about Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns and how they might serve as a blueprint for Democrats to strengthen their economic message without sacrificing social justice issues.


• Good piece on what it really means to empathize with conservatives, and what that means for moving forward.


• This article on fake news and media credibility is a little harder on the mainstream media than I would be, but it's a thought-provoking perspective nonetheless.


• Speaking of fake news, here's an interview with the creator of a browser plug-in that detects and flags dubious sources, called (appropriately) BS Detector. I haven't tried it yet myself, but I'm curious. Could be a valuable tool if it works, although I worry that the people who most need it are the least likely to install it.

And for today's fun link: The San Francisco SPCA partners with the downtown Macy's every holiday season, creating a store window display of cats and dogs who are available for adoption. I try to get there at least a few times every year to witness the adorable in person, but this year they've added three webcams. (Requires Flash.)