# 124
IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
September 19, 2012
“Poll Cats”
Well, if you are like me, you tire of all the latest “poll” results. When in a doctoral program at IU Bloomington, I took a class on crafting polls. It was more than an eye-opener. It was an education in itself. My Ecuadorian professor was very intent on teaching his students that it wasn’t so much the tenor of the poll — or the meat of it, for that matter — but it was the way in which the question was asked and the sample of respondents. He was aghast at the way polls were cited as actual reflections of current opinion. He said that they were a reflection the sample and the wording of the questions themselves.
It is well known that voter registrations are imbalanced across the nation. Traditionally, more Democrats are oversampled in the statistics – far more so than Republicans, Independents, or Libertarians. Given that, you cannot trust polls the way you might believe.
Recently, the longest sitting Senator (from Indiana) was unseated in what was deemed a close race. Pollsters did forecast Mourdock victory over Richard Lugar. But the spread was 22%, 17% higher than the pollsters 5% estimate.
So much for the poll cats… If you are dissatisfied with the current leadership and ache for a change, don’t be dispirited by the supposedly accurate poll results. They are misleading at best.
Many researchers cite that the Democrats are oversampled at thirteen percent. That’s huge, folks. I haven’t received a call yet, and I doubt if any of you has either. Remember, polls cannot accurately forecast turnout, especially this year if the baseline is drawn from 2008. That year a unique candidacy evoked as much as a celebrity response as a political one.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a celebrity who jokes around with his sleeves rolled up that he would wash an opposition member of Congress’ car to get cooperation. I want a leader who projects bold ideas in the face of financial collapse.
And the threat against China launched by our incumbent president only AFTER Mitt Romney hammered down on the abuses of currency manipulation???? In light of the current, serious Chinese threat against the Japanese bond market, what would keep them from going after our markets and destroying what’s left of our financial base? The answer is nothing.
We now fund most of the Chinese military. Even Ancient Rome, at its zenith, didn’t do anything as stupid as funding the Visigoths. Folks, that’s like feeding the tiger poised to eat you. Forget about the manipulated polls voiced in sync from the mainstream media to discourage conservative voters. Don’t be discouraged! Be ready and urge anyone with whom you speak to do the same!
Israel sits as prey to Iran, our Ambassador to Libya is raped and murdered, American flags are burning around the world, and our esteemed leader is busy fundraising, then appearing on Letterman and rubbing elbows with Hollywood and entertainment stars. Meanwhile, The White House tells Israeli Prime Minister that nobody has time to see him.
I recall one inane comment from the earliest days of this administration. A critical presidential advisor quipped, (sic) “Never let a crisis go to waste.” Well, this group IS a crisis in itself and has let the country go to waste. What’s more, they have had a determined, inexperienced president complicit in this effort. Perceived weakness is quickly becoming actual weakness.
Paraphrasing Clint Eastwood, if someone doesn’t do the job, let him go. In this case, it’s not hard to figure out who that is. Think about it.