Data is typically not very conclusive by itself. So, people often make a number of behind-the-scenes decisions that make the conclusions seem stronger than they

Data is typically not very conclusive by itself. So, people often make a number of behind-the-scenes decisions that make the conclusions seem stronger than they actually are (whether on purpose or not). For a great example of this, try the interactive portion of the following article, where you'll use data to support an argument whether Democrats or Republicans are better for the US economy: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/science-isnt-broken/ http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/science-isnt-broken/. Takeaway: Both conclusions are valid ... it all depends on you define "economy" and what subset of Democrats/Republicans you choose to count.