7: The 2012 US presidential election: a Moneyball approach

John Sides interviewed by Romesh Vaitilingam, 07 November 2012 In late September 2012, John Sides of George Washington University spoke to Romesh Vaitilingam about the 'Moneyball' approach to politics – using systematic economic and polling data (rather than 'narrative' and 'gut feeling') to forecast election winners. The US presidential election result confirms the value of this scientific method. The interview includes discussion of the influence of the state of the economy on voters’ intentions, the role of campaign finance and what might happen to US political gridlock after the election. The interview was recorded in Washington DC.