Huffpo Launches Huffpollstrology
Posted on Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 02:02:59 PM EST
Tags: astrology, pollsters (all tags)
Arianna at Huffington Post is not big on pollsters. Today the site launched a new feature, Huffpollstrology.
It will keep you up to date on the latest poll results, along with the candidates' latest horoscope predictions, the latest online political betting lines, and the latest weather forecasts for key primary states (and we know how accurate those often turn out to be!). Pollstrology is a great way to see who is hot and who is not -- and which candidates' stars say they might be lucky in voter love today.
I know the astrology part is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I'm going to take it a step further anyway. HuffPo gives us the birthdates of the three top Dems, but we need more. We need birth times so we can examine their entire charts. We need rising signs, Moon and Venus placement, a picture of what planets are in their 10th houses. Thanks to Google, the results are below:
- Here's Hillary's Chart. The astrologer who posted it includes his or her interpretation, which I haven't yet had time to read.
- Here's Obama's chart, found on another astrology blog, and that writer's assessment.
- Here's John Edwards' birthchart, found on yet another astrologer's blog.
This is going to be fun. Given the results of our pollsters these days, astrological analysis is probably as reliable. If you aren't an astrologer and need some tips for interpreting, here's one astrologer's suggestions.
If you'd like my takes, check back in a few days. In case I never mentioned it before, I had my own astrology business during college and law school. (I even cast an election for the Denver Mayor's race one year at the request of one of the candidates who was then our District Attorney, using a combination of his birth chart and horary astrology. I predicted he'd lose and he did -- but don't forget, I had a 50% chance of being right, just like in a coin toss.)
As for what weight to give these astrological analysis, as I wrote in a brief in McVeigh's case when arguing that forensic document (handwriting) experts are no more reliable than astrologers,
Mere training and experience is not a basis for establishing reliability. Many astrologers undergo years of training and expertise in the calculation and evaluation of natal charts, the placement and movement of planets through the twelve planetary houses of the Zodiac, and the calculation and comparison of the degree of angles made by one planet in relation to another in a chart. This discipline involves complex mathematical calculations and an understanding of the nature of the planets in the solar system as taught by a discipline that has been in existence for thousands of years. Yet, the specialized training, experience and expertise that is fundamental to the practice of astrology do not make it reliable. Nor do they elevate astrology to “knowledge”.
That said, I think Arianna's Pollstrology may be as valid a predictor of the presidential nomination as any other. And a lot more fun.
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