Rugby player Travis Close of the Magpies is tackled by Alex Rance of the Tigers in Melbourne, Australia. In sports, as in politics, 'momentum' is a word used constantly.

'Momentum' By Any Other Name...

On the Media | Apr 1, 2016

Marco-mentum. Joe-mentum. Carson-mentum? 

In elections, as in sports, "momentum" is a force you hear about all the time.

Campaigns and the political press ascribe the force of "momentum" whenever a candidate wins big (and sometimes even when he or she finishes second) in primaries and caucuses. The thinking is that success breeds success, and one win will lead to others. But is it true? 

Mark Leibovich of The New York Times Magazine talks to Bob about why momentum is a word that can't be proved or disproved, and why the political press likes it. 

Then, George Washington University's John Sides, co-author of The Gamble about the 2012 election, explains the history of the concept of momentum and why it's statistically just as likely to fade as it is to propel a candidate to victory.

Songs:

"Charlie" by Georges Delerue (from the film "Shoot the Piano Player")

"Shake Your Lovemaker" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

NYC still refused most emergency aid requests to prevent eviction after Mamdani took office

In the first three months of the year, the city rejected about 75% of applications for One-Shot Deal emergency grants, which help tenants cover unpaid rent.
Gothamist |

When AI Models Go Rogue

The Brian Lehrer Show |

"The Vessel" Follows the Grief and Trauma of an Unlikely Trio

All Of It with Alison Stewart |

How the U.S. Government Built an Underground City, and Other State Secrets

How FEMA's secretive beginnings fed conspiracy theories that haunt the agency today.
On the Media |
YOU ARE ONLINE