The New York Times, investigating Vermont in Nate Silver's "FiveThirtyEight" blog, relies on the expertise of political scientist Garrison Nelson to explain the state's complex political landscape. Vermont has a record of voting for President Obama yet retains conservative state officials, he explains, because, though hundreds of thousands of new Vermonters changed the state politically in the 60s and 70s, longtime natives are fiscally conservative while having "little affection for national Republicans." Read the post at NYTimes.com...