Polls Smolls!

If you're depressed about the polls, let me take you back to the faraway time of the fall of 2000. Gore had been beaten like a drum in all of the polls. In fact, I was hoping that Gore could win by winning the electoral college yet losing the popular vote--a distinct possibility for Kerry by the way if Bush rolls up huge margins in Red states. I'm sure that the Republicans will accept that result like the gentleman that they are.

It was most dire right before the election. As I recall, nobody showed Gore with a lead. My memories were confirmed by this post at AMERICAblog.org. Over the several days before the election only two out of 26 polls showed Gore with a lead. You might ask yourself if Big Corporate Media, the same guys who conduct these polls--the Newsweek and Time polls are especially funny in this light--might have a strong interest in a second Bush term. Your answer, especially in light of how Howard Dean's pronouncements about applying antitrust law to the media monopolies out there preceded the 10000 free showings of his "scream speech", should be obvious.

I certainly communicate that at the doors I hit. Folks tell me about those polls and I respond by saying that very few polls had Gore winning the election. I figure my job is to work as hard as I can and let the votes fall where they may. What gives me hope? Whenever I ask someone why they're leaning Bush (Leaners only. I'm not going to swing any definite pro life Bush supporters...) there's almost always that vague look in their eye--unless they work for the oil industry. Sometimes they answer the "war on terror" and of course I explain that Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism directed at the US--when we attacked them anyway. Now, with all those fat juicy American targets without adequate body armor, well, what decent anti-american terrorist wouldn't want to go to Iraq? I sometimes think they know that but what they really think is that they want someone in the White House who can kill indiscriminately, even selfishly and stupidly. I guess it's the Tony Soprano theory of foreign policy: no one will mess with that psychotic Tony's crew. Of course, one good psychotic turn deserves another. I think it's spelled Islamic Fundamentalism and a takeover in Pakistan.

I will knock onward in the hopes of preventing that catastrophic counterturn.

Philip Shropshire ran a consumer group, worked as a general assignment reporter and sold white box computers. He has written for Better Humans, Locus Online, American Times, Tech Central Station and more alternative weeklies than he can remember. He believes in the future. His main site is Three River Tech Review and you can reach him at pshropshire@yahoo.com.