Friday, September 19, 2008

Preaching to the Choir

Election dialog is of most value when we are spreading the word as opposed to preaching to the choir. There are web sites that the average public posts to and those sites feed information to many people. I believe we need to flood those sites with our opinions. Brief statements, simply stated, that point out the obvious.

For example, the home page on AOL had an article about Biden's comments concerning taxing the rich. http://news.aol.com/elections/article/biden-calls-taxes-patriotic-for-rich/179323 Following the article was a straw poll containing two questions. One question asked if the rich should be taxed more heavily than the rest of us. 55% of the respondants answered yes. Yet, the second question asked whose economic policies were supported more. Over 60% said McCain. Hello? At the end of the survey is an opportunity to blog a response. I did so. We need to bombard these straw polls and respond to educate consumers.

7 comments:

  1. This seems to be an all too common "quirk" of polls. Numbers that seem very much at odds with each other. It seems to cast a cloud of suspicion over the actual worth of these polls - as if the people being poled aren't paying any attention to what they are answering from one question to the next.

    Of course - on the other hand - I could be less charitable & lament that "my fellow Americans" just aren't that swift when it comes to actually THINKING & not just REACTING when it comes to political issues . . . but that would make me sound snippy & mean (!).

    I've seen these continual straw polls listed on aol for months. To be honest - never followed the link. Now I will.

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  2. I rather favor the second option: people aren't all that smart when it comes to relating two contradictory opinions. We've witnessed them voting for "small government" candidates decade after decade of continuous expansion while still believing that the Democrats will bring us bigger government.

    As to flooding every available venue with simple, clear statements of fact - yes, yes, yes.

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  3. I've looked at AOL polls from time to time and found them not representative compared with other polls. One problem is sampling error. AOL polls are not based upon a true random sample, i.e. responders who reflect a population of “registered” voters, or so-called “likely” voters. AOL polls are self-administered and subject to variables that cannot be controlled … like over zealous responders who vote every time they log on.

    Perhaps users of AOL tend to be more conservative than users of Firefox or Safari. Hard to say.

    But I do agree about reaching out beyond the choir. One caveat, however. Liberals and conservatives tend to have well entrenched positions, and it may not be profitable trying to convince someone whose mind is already made up. You just might piss someone off, and politics should not come between friends and family.

    It is said that elections are won at the margins – the independents and “undecideds.” Perhaps these are the groups that would yield maximum bang for the effort.

    For my part, I’ve increased my political donation to the max allowed by law and have volunteered to drive voters to the polls on election day:

    “Vote my way or I’ll throw you off the bridge” (just kidding).

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  4. Here's another PBS Poll the Neandertrolls are trying to sabotage.

    We all know damned well that a majority of Americans don't approve of Palin's qualifications, so let's not let them get away with it. Go to

    http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

    Vote now, vote often.

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  5. OBama/Biden are up 9 points in the polls. The Freepers can't keep pace any longer ... even AOL and NPR polls are roughly even. It appears McCain/Palin has become the campaign to nowhere.

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  6. Here are new post-debate polling numbers at AOL:

    Who do you want to win the election?
    Obama 51%
    McCain 43%
    Neither 6%

    Who do you think will win the election?
    Obama 58%
    McCain 42%

    What did you think of McCain's move to temporarily suspend his campaign?
    Thumbs down 60%
    Thumbs up 40%

    Who do you think won the first presidential debate?
    Obama 45%
    McCain 31%
    Neither 15%
    I didn't watch it 9%

    What a difference since last week.

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  7. Ma1, this link is for you (see article called “Obamaing”). Thought you might be interested (lots of comments after the article).

    OK, everyone. What does “WDYDTGOETW” mean?

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