Patrick M. Andendall - Using Math To Evaluate Politics

Posted on 19th of September, 2016 by Naomi Bolton

After flying to Cleveland in 2004 to pitch in with the political process, Patrick Andendall became disillusioned with the American Dream. He now strives to get people engaged in fact-based opinions, which is what his book, Stupidparty, is all about. As our author of the day, Adendall talks about how he uses Math to evaluate politics, why he takes on Fox News in his book and what he thinks will happen in the 2016 elections.

Please give us a short introduction to Stupidparty Math v. Myth

This book was written as part of an evolving strategy to try and get more people to engage in fact based opinions. Canvassing, Tweeting, donating was just not effective enough for me. Even the book was not enough –I am motivated to always find new tools to encourage fact based discussions – hence the growth of my social media effort. I think it unlikely that mankind will be destroyed by a natural event in the next 100 years, but I think it is likely that man will destroyed by man-made issues. If America cannot be a force for critical thinking, fact based solutions to problems –then that does not bode well for mankind.

Why do you find it important to use Math to evaluate politics?

I think that Math can answer virtually every question –including what happened before the big bang –sadly I am not always smart enough to understand the answers. But that does not mean that one should not try.

How has your international experience influenced your perspective on politics?

First there is no “greatest Country”. Secondly it allows me to triangulate problems; I do not have to reinvent the wheel on every issue. Take three countries by way of example –Britain, France, the USA— all three have wonderful aspects, all three have major weaknesses –by seeing such, one can learn from each other instead of getting bogged down by parochial pride and remaining oblivious. Take the Middle East - meet the people, experience the customs, witness the impact of religion, of walls, of bullets, of prejudice. Prejudice is the result of a lack of exposure. There is much than I have not experienced and learnt –so I still have a great deal of prejudice – but less than people who live in a cave. Travel really does broaden the mind, being more multicultural makes me side more with humanity more than with than with tribes.

Why did you decide to focus on Republicans in your book?

Both parties are corrupt, -thus I rarely talk about corruption—but when it comes to critical thinking, lack of prejudice, fact based policy, and basic political truthfulness – one party is a total loss – only one party is kept afloat by ignorance, bigotry and lies.

You also take on Fox News in your book - why?

Roger Ailes is more responsible than any other human being for what the Republican base has become. He created Trump. Now we can all see with crystal clarity who Roger Ailes is. The question is –do enough people care?

Family explores the Drakensburg Mountains. Tolkien’s Mordor, where trolls are created by Big Oil puppets— Roger Ailes and co, as they plot to destroy the planet with their fossil brained and greedy outlook on the world.

Do you think Americans will ever wake up and eradicate the Stupid from the Stupidparty?

If not now –then may be never. Trump is the perfect Klandidate –he is the natural end game of everything I have written. All the math I provided has led to this natural end game. There is no excuse for supporting Trump, but Trump losing is not enough – we will only know that the Stupid will have been taken out of Stupidparty when Texas turns Blue. This was always likely by 2024 –but it is now feasible that it could happen in 2016. The question is will this happen before America has become a full blown Oligarchy.

What do you think is going to happen with the 2016 presidential elections?

I am very optimistic. It’s 2016 and every day is Christmas day. If I am wrong, then I will likely regard it as an unforgivable act and lead the rest of my life accordingly. If Trump actually carried out indiscriminate genocide, as he is indicating –then America would be no better than ISIS and I will probably end up being shot by some type of Trumpeteering Patriot. But that would be an honorable ending.

Besides writing, what other skills do you have?

I guess I am quite good at my job, which means that I need to be able to beat actuaries at their own game. This is not to suggest that my math skills can be compared, but one does need commonsense as well.

What was the most interesting aspect of your research for Stupidparty?

How easy it was to make the case that I made.

What has surprised you most about the feedback from readers?

I felt that I only made one significant error (which was a single line in my introduction) – it was to address that error that I wrote my second book. I was amazed that this polarizing subject did not create much polarization in the overwhelmingly positive critical reviews. I was obviously successful with the tone of the book, for which I thank my alter ego, who is a better person than I, and my copy editor who is a better writer than I.

You included a lot of images and even links in your book. Why did you take this approach?

I concluded that many smarter people, more academic people, professional writers –numerous efforts had been made to engage the American people. But in spite of all these efforts, America was still going backwards. I was determined to try a brand new approach, easily accessible, easy to fact check etc. Such a novel approach created its own problems –like having a color coded book that often referred to the internet –made the print book more difficult to produce.

What are you working on right now? Are you planning to write another book?

Two things – one I wrote a Bush about Jeb Bush – which was just an excuse to correct my aforementioned mistake, but secondly it allowed me to explain how the Stupidparty became the Stupidparty –all by discussing the Bush family over the decades. Secondly I have been expanding my social media presence.