"This [attempt to discredit Nate Silver] is, of course, reminiscent of the attack on the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- not to mention the attacks on climate science and much more. On the right, apparently, there is no such thing as an objective calculation. Everything must have a political motive.
"This is really scary. It means that if these people triumph, science -- or any kind of scholarship -- will become impossible. Everything must pass a political test; if it isn't what the right wants to hear, the messenger is subjected to a smear campaign."
-- Paul Krugman, 2012-10-28 (thanks to multiple people who linked to that in multiple fora)