This week, a completely unscientific and undoubtedly flawed investigation of whether Sarah Palin was a good or bad pick for VP.
(Disclaimer: This is just for fun. I'd have to think long and hard about how to do such a thing the proper way.)
We should first check for a bias in our sources to find "good decision" more or less than often than "bad decision":
Search Engine: Google.com
"bad decision" = 1,450,000
"good decision" = 1,850,000
Good to bad ratio: 1.28
"bad choice" = 1,960,000
"good choice" = 12,700,000
Good to bad ratio: 6.48
Search Engine: Google blog search (blogsearch.google.com)
"bad decision" = 170,606
"good decision" = 232,560
Good to bad ratio: 1.36
"bad choice" = 232,637
"good choice" = 1,747,694
Good to bad ratio:7.51
Search Engine: Yahoo.com
"bad decision" = 3,920,000
"good decision" = 5,920,000
Good to bad ratio: 1.51
"bad choice" = 4,920,000
"good choice" = 34,500,000
Good to bad ratio: 7.01
Search Engine: Technorati.com
"bad decision" = 3,325
"good decision"= 4,680
Good to bad ratio=1.40
"bad choice" = 3,567
"good choice" = 19,466
Good to bad ratio: 5.46
So, on the wild, wild Web, there are 1.3-1.5 times more good decisions than bad ones. And, there are 5-8 times more good choices than bad ones. The good gets more hits than the bad, no question. What a positive world we live in.
Next we'll combine these basic terms with "Sarah Palin" and "Palin":
Search Engine: Google.com
"sarah palin" AND "bad decision" = 1,880
"sarah palin" AND "good decision" = 1,980
Good to bad ratio: 1.05
"bad decision" AND +palin 3,270
"good decision" AND +palin 3,340
Good to bad ratio: 1.02
"sarah palin" "bad choice" = 8,610
"sarah palin" "good choice" = 22,700
Good to bad ratio: 2.64
"bad choice" AND +palin 12,200
"good choice" AND +palin 35,200
Good to bad ratio: 2.89
Search Engine: Google blog search (blogsearch.google.com)
"sarah palin" AND "bad decision" = 48
"sarah palin" AND "good decision" = 47
Good to bad ratio: .98
"bad decision" AND +palin 76
"good decision" AND +palin 87
Good to bad ratio: 1.14
"sarah palin" "bad choice" = 365
"sarah palin" "good choice" = 507
Good to bad ratio: 1.39
"bad choice" AND +palin 428
"good choice" AND +palin 1261
Good to bad ratio: 2.95
Search Engine: Yahoo.com
"sarah palin" "bad decision" = 2,680
"sarah palin" "good decision" = 6460
Good to bad ratio:2.41
"bad decision" palin 13,200
"good decision" palin 17,000
Good to bad ratio: 1.29
"sarah palin" "bad choice" = 85,700
"sarah palin" "good choice" = 239,000
Good to bad ratio: 2.79
"bad choice" palin 111,000
"good choice" palin 354,000
Good to bad ratio: 3.19
Search Engine: Technorati.com
"sarah palin" "bad decision" = 9
"sarah palin" "good decision" =8
Good to bad ratio:.89
"bad decision" palin 26
"good decision" palin 19
Good to bad ratio: 0.73
"sarah palin" "bad choice" =48
"sarah palin" "good choice" =103
Good to bad ratio: 2.14
"bad choice" palin 113
"good choice" palin 246
Good to bad ratio: 2.18
In sum, for "decisions" the overall good-to-bad ratio is about 1.4, and Sarah Palin's ratios are 1.05, 1.02, .98, 1.14, 2.41, 1.29, .89 and .73.
For "choices" the overall good-to-bad ratio is about 6.6, and Sarah Palin's ratios are 2.64, 2.89, 1.39, 2.95, 2.79, 3.19, 2.14, and 2.18
Now let's do Joe Biden. I'll try "Joe Biden" and "Biden" and "Joseph Biden".
Search Engine: Google.com
"bad decision" AND "joe biden" 7990
"good decision" AND "joe biden" 8770
Good to bad ratio: 1.10
"bad decision" AND "biden" 10800
"good decision" AND "biden" 11900
Good to bad ratio: 1.10
"bad decision" AND "joseph biden" 829
"good decision" AND "joseph biden" 986
Good to bad ratio: 1.19
"bad choice" AND "joe biden" 26,000
"good choice" AND "joe biden" 73,200
Good to bad ratio: 2.82
"bad choice" AND "biden" 33200
"good choice" AND "biden" 207000
Good to bad ratio: 6.23
"bad choice" AND "joseph biden" 2,520
"good choice" AND "joseph biden" 11,200
Good to bad ratio: 4.44
Search Engine: Google blog search (blogsearch.google.com)
"bad decision" AND "joe biden" 26
"good decision" AND "joe biden" 58
Good to bad ratio: 2.23
"bad decision" AND "biden" 112
"good decision" AND "biden" 205
Good to bad ratio: 1.83
"bad decision" AND "joseph biden" 7
"good decision" AND "joseph biden" 19
Good to bad ratio: 2.71
"bad choice" AND "joe biden" 448
"good choice" AND "joe biden" 1,353
Good to bad ratio: 3.02
"bad choice" AND "biden" 593
"good choice" AND "biden" 3008
Good to bad ratio: 5.07
"bad choice" AND "joseph biden" 15
"good choice" AND "joseph biden" 221
Good to bad ratio: 14.73
Search Engine: Yahoo.com
"bad decision" "joe biden" 26,900
"good decision" "joe biden" 28,300
Good to bad ratio: 1.05
"bad decision" biden 111,000
"good decision" biden 107000
Good to bad ratio: 0.96
"bad decision" "joseph biden" 1550
"good decision" "joseph biden" 2050
Good to bad ratio: 1.32
"bad choice" "joe biden" 273,000
"good choice" "joe biden" 871,000
Good to bad ratio: 3.19
"bad choice" "biden" 358,000
"good choice" "biden" 1,640,000
Good to bad ratio: 4.58
"bad choice" "joseph biden" 8,760
"good choice" "joseph biden" 75,100
Good to bad ratio: 8.57
Search Engine: Technorati.com
"bad decision" "joe biden" 9
"good decision" "joe biden" 19
Good to bad ratio: 2.11
"bad decision" biden 19
"good decision" biden 28
Good to bad ratio: 1.47
"bad decision" "joseph biden" 0
"good decision" "joseph biden" 1
Good to bad ratio: Can't be computed!
"bad choice" "joe biden" 58
"good choice" "joe biden" 154
Good to bad ratio: 2.66
"bad choice" "biden" 117
"good choice" "biden" 328
Good to bad ratio: 2.80
"bad choice" "joseph biden" 4
"good choice" "joseph biden" 13
Good to bad ratio: 3.25
In sum, for "decisions" the overall good-to-bad ratio is about 1.4, and Biden's ratios are:1.1, 1.1, 1.19, 2.23, 1.83, 2.71, 1.05, .96, 1.32, 2.11 and 1.47
For "choices" the overall good-to-bad ratio is about 6.6, and Biden's ratios are: 2.82, 6.23, 4.44, 3.02, 5.07, 14.73, 3.19, 4.58, 8.57, 2.66, 2.80 and 3.25
Overall, for "decisions" Palin's median Good-to-bad ratio is 1 to Biden's 1.3.
