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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1286 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 15, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Part of the answer is that the division over the last decade is a little more even than it often was historically. Looking at the margin of victory in presidential elections, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/presidential-election-mandates, the most recent popular vote margins are all less than five in absolute value. But scroll up and you'll see many in the 15-25 range (a 20% margin is like 60-40). I think it's correct to notice that the gas station thing isn't quite enough to explain a consistent <5% margins

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