i dati di partigiani

Dear Senator Portman,

Thank you for your e-mail of 25-March, responding to my previous e-mails to you in which I expressed my significant concerns about the fact that you are not supporting a vote in the Senate on the President's nominee for the Supreme Court.

Your primary argument that you presented in your editorial to the Cincinnati Enquirer in March and also reinforced in your statement subsequent to your meeting with  Judge Garland earlier this week is based on ideas of partisanship determining when to take actions :

"I have concluded that the best thing for the country is to trust the American people to weigh in and to have the confirmation process take place in a less partisan atmosphere. "

Well, have you any data to indicate that we will be in a less partisan atmosphere next year ?
I guess the answer to that question is very likely : No.

Let's look at some data, some actual real data that is well known and respected in your sphere : DW-NOMINATE measures of polarity in Congress, based on the methods developed by political scientists Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal. 

That data shows that the current Congress is the most polarized ever in the modern history of the United States.

So, congratulations to you and your colleagues for having achieved that.

But, just as interestingly, there is no pattern in that data that indicates that :

• years following presidential election years are likely to reduce the polarization, and
• there is no pattern in the data that remotely suggests that Supreme Court nominations were voted on in the Senate in years that are less polarized.

In fact, the position that you are currently taking (i.e., not voting on the President's nominee) is only contributing to increasing the polarization that you state that you are trying to avoid.

Here is a representation of the polarization data that substantiates what I have stated :

Congress Year  |     Increasing Partisanship -->  |
113 2013-2014 ----------------------------------------------o   <--- Max of all time !!
112 2011-2012 -------------------------------------------o
111 2009-2010 -----------------------------------------o
110 2007-2008 ----------------------------------------o
109 2005-2006 ---------------------------------------o
108 2003-2004 ------------------------------------o
107 2001-2002 -------------------------------------o
106 1999-2000 ------------------------------------o
105 1997-1998 -------------------------------------o
104 1995-1996 ----------------------------------o
103 1993-1994 ---------------------------------o
102 1991-1992 -------------------------------o
101 1989-1990 ------------------------------o
100 1987-1988 ------------------------------o
099 1985-1986 -----------------------------o
098 1983-1984 ----------------------------o
097 1981-1982 ----------------------------o
096 1979-1980 ---------------------------o
095 1977-1978 ---------------------------o
094 1975-1976 ----------------------------o
093 1973-1974 ----------------------------o
092 1971-1972 -------------------------o
091 1969-1970 --------------------------o
090 1967-1968 --------------------------o
089 1965-1966 ----------------------------o
088 1963-1964 ---------------------------o
087 1961-1962 --------------------------o
086 1959-1960 -----------------------o
085 1957-1958 ----------------------o
084 1955-1956 --------------------o
083 1953-1954 ----------------o
082 1951-1952 ---------------o
081 1949-1950 ----------------o
080 1947-1948 --------------o
079 1945-1946 --------------o
078 1943-1944 --------------o
077 1941-1942 -------------o
076 1939-1940 -------------o
075 1937-1938 --------------o
074 1935-1936 ---------------o
073 1933-1934 ------------------o
072 1931-1932 ----------------------o
071 1929-1930 --------------------------o
070 1927-1928 ---------------------------o
069 1925-1926 -----------------------------o
068 1923-1924 ------------------------------o
067 1921-1922 ----------------------------------o
066 1919-1920 ----------------------------------o
065 1917-1918 ---------------------------------o
064 1915-1916 ---------------------------------o
063 1913-1914 --------------------------------o
062 1911-1912 --------------------------------o
061 1909-1910 -----------------------------------o
060 1907-1908 -----------------------------------o
059 1905-1906 -------------------------------------o
058 1903-1904 ------------------------------------o
057 1901-1902 -----------------------------------o
056 1899-1900 ------------------------------------o
055 1897-1898 ------------------------------------o
054 1895-1896 -----------------------------------o
053 1893-1894 -------------------------------------o
052 1891-1892 --------------------------------------o
051 1889-1890 ---------------------------------------o
050 1887-1888 --------------------------------------o
049 1885-1886 ---------------------------------------o
048 1883-1884 ---------------------------------------o
047 1881-1882 ----------------------------------------o
046 1879-1880 ----------------------------------------o


Just get to work at the business of efficient government.

Please re-read Article II, Sec 2 of the Constitution, and recall the oath to which you pledged in January of this year, to assess whether your current position is based on any factual data, correct logic, and good judgement ... and then please #doyourjob, or do the honorable thing : resign.

Sincerely,