Thursday, September 18, 2008

Will the spinner be the winner?

A Queen's University computer scientist has developed a software application that measures politicians' "spin" based on the text of their speeches. Surprise, surprise, the results are as follows:



If you read the article, though, their definition of "spin" also includes hyperbole and soaring rhetoric. Extremely polarizing words and action words are considered "spin". Hopefully, this will in some degree expose Obama as the shyster he is.

I found this line particularly amusing:

"Obama uses spin in his speeches very well," says Skillicorn. For example, Obama's spin level skyrockets when facing problems in the press, such as when Jeremiah Wright, the reverend of his former church, made controversial comments to the press.


Does the algorithm count "uh" and "um" as spin?