# polls....



## Smitty37 (Oct 26, 2012)

Here is another question - has anyone in this life ever seen so many political polls being reported??? 

I think I saw one the other day where they told us how left-handed Lithuwanian paper hangers are going to vote...what have you seen.

Please keep politics (including actual poll results and how the polls are trending) out of any responses....this is for fun.


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## Holz Mechaniker (Oct 26, 2012)

the bull ****e artists are working way beyond overtime.
Which IF I as a business owner can't say that "I was a designer for the Famous Mont Blanc Pen Company." Or perhaps, "With this pen I guarantee you will be Rich beyond your wildest dreams."  Truth in advertising laws doesn't seem to affect those types of advertising.

It reminds me of the scene in "Star Wars, Return of the Jedi."  where Obi Wan says to Luke about Vader murdering his father... 
"What I told you was true. From a certain point of view."


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## plantman (Oct 27, 2012)

:usflag::usflag: Not a pole, but I liked where the media pointed out the other day that Mrs. Romney was going " Trendy " because she had on blue fingernail polish. You other states don't know how lucky you have it. Here in Wisconsin we just got done with a year of recall election ads. Then we started with a year of this elections ads. Honestly, my phone rings from 8AM to 10 PM at least 10 - 20 times a day with camp ( pain ) calls from all over the USA. I am getting to the point of hating the election. I think Mike is right about the two oldest professions becoming a lot alike lately. Freedom is good !! Jim S


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## ed4copies (Oct 27, 2012)

There is a very simple problem here, Smitty.

Half the country wants one guy as pres, half the country wants the other guy.

So, the pollsters are trying to find the half dozen undecided voters in each "swing" state.

Prepare yourself for another "Florida supreme court decides the winner" scenario.  May not be in Florida, but we are very likely not to have a decision for a month or so.

Then, if they follow the "Wisconsin model", the side that loses demands a recall and we go through the whole thing again!!!

Who wins?????   Simple: the TV stations, whose reporters kept us on the edge of our seats while they collected for campaign commercials.
Who wins the recall???  Lo and behold, the SAME TV stations!!!  Wonder why they keep telling us it's a close race???  MORE ads!!!!!

We spend all our time at the office--never watch TV---amazingly, I STILL know how I am going to vote---even without the "help" of TV OR the pollsters!!!

GGGGOOOOOOLLLLLLLYYYyyy!!!!


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## Super Dave (Oct 27, 2012)

Here in Florida we are bombarded with phone calls, junk mail and endless commercials on radio and TV. I can't wait for the to end !

Dave


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## alphageek (Oct 27, 2012)

Super Dave said:


> Here in Florida we are bombarded with phone calls, junk mail and endless commercials on radio and TV. I can't wait for the to end !
> 
> Dave



Wisconsin too... I hate being in a swing state.  That being said - I do want to consider working from home just to see Air Force 1 fly right in front of my house on tuesday (our new house is near the airport here and the main N/S runaway sees all the planes come and go)....  I've seen AF1 come into GB 3 times now (with different presidents) and I am a jet nut so thats more exciting than the other mess that comes with their visits.

The F18s came in today for tomorrows football game - got to see them today.


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## Smitty37 (Oct 27, 2012)

Political ads for 2016 will start about Christmas....I am just curious about the volume of polls.  I was listening to talk radio yesterday and 5 polls were released during the broadcast...most of the polsters had released polls the day before as well.


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## ed4copies (Oct 27, 2012)

Used to be just the major TV networks and two independents--Gallup and Harris.

Then, the cable TV needed some "independent" polls.  So, now we have just a few more:


ABC News
 AP-GfK
 AP-Yahoo
 Angus Reid
 Bloomberg
 CBS News
 Dem. Corps (D)
 Diageo/Hotline Poll
 Economist/YouGov
 EPIC/MRA
 Field
 FOX News
 GWU/Battleground
 Gallup
 Harris
 IPSOS-Reuters
 ICR
 Kaiser Family Foundation
 Mason Dixon
 Marist Poll
 Market Shares
 Mitchell Interactive
 NBC/WSJ
 New York Times
 ORC
 Pew Research Center
 PSRA
 Public Agenda
 Public Policy Polling
 Opinion Dynamics
 Quinnipiac Univ.
 Rasmussen Reports
 Selzer & Company
 Siena Research Institute
 Suffolk Univ.
 Survey USA
 Time/SRBI
 TIPP
 Washington Post
 World Public Opinion
 YouGov/Polimetrix
 Zogby
 *Poll Blogs/Sites*



Charles Franklin
 David Moore
 Carl Bialik
 Cohen/Agiesta
 Jay Cost
 Electoral-Vote
 Kathy Frankovic
 David Hill
 Gary Langer
 Mark Mellman
 Frank Newport
 Polling Report
 Prof. Pollkatz
 Pub. Opin. Pros
 PPP Blog
 R. Chung
 Nate Silver
 Slate Scorecard
 RCP Polls
 USA Today Tracker
 Sam Wang
 *Academic*



ANES
 Annenberg (NAES)
 GSS
 ISR
 JPSM
 Roper Center
 *Survey Orgs*



AAPOR
 CASRO
 CMOR
 MRA
 NCPP
 WAPOR
This is just a short list I found


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## jttheclockman (Oct 27, 2012)

If only the money that is spent on these campaigns was put to some real good use. What a waste.


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## Crashmph (Oct 28, 2012)

What I find the funniest is how the talk of statistics is used.  It is like we are listening to a baseball game.  

This month lefthanded batters that swing on the second pitch of an even number inning tend to hit homeruns, but only if they are swinging in the bottom of an odd hour of the afternoon with cloudy skies.


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## OOPS (Oct 28, 2012)

I often wondered what it was like to live in a "swing" state.  I had heard that the TV ads are non-stop, but had not considered the phone activity generated.  

I live in Washington State, where the two largest counties are far left, so we are generally considered a liberal state, when in truth most counties are center-right to conservative.  However, just because we are not a swing state does not mean that we miss out on the fun.  This political season, I have received "calls" from Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Nancy Pelosi, and other Representatives and Senators who I don't know, because they don't represent this state!  Naturally, these folks don't have time to call each person individually, so we are getting robo-calls with recorded messages from each of them.  

The only person who actually called to talk to me was Rick Santorum.  He was having a mini town hall where six to ten people were on the phone with him.  You could stay on as long as you wanted, ask all the questions you wanted--no preconditions.  People asked tough questions, and he was remarkably candid in his responses.  

I had forgotten about this call until reading this thread.  If everyone had a chance to talk to these candidates individually, instead of wading through all the campaign noise, I think elections would be more civilized, and we'd know more about the people we were voting for.


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## ossaguy (Oct 28, 2012)

jttheclockman said:


> If only the money that is spent on these campaigns was put to some real good use. What a waste.


 

The headlines today said it past the 2 billion dollar mark already! Is that really possable? I didn't get a chance to read the article,but it's amazing if that's correct......and it's not even over!


Steve


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## jttheclockman (Oct 28, 2012)

ossaguy said:


> jttheclockman said:
> 
> 
> > If only the money that is spent on these campaigns was put to some real good use. What a waste.
> ...


 

And climbing


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## Smitty37 (Oct 28, 2012)

With candidates raising over $100 million a month (and that is just the candidates at the top of the ticket) $2B seems well within reach.  The calls are almost non-stop and I get many emails as well.


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## Longfellow (Oct 28, 2012)

I'd rather have the ads, than live in a country where they are forbidden. At least I have the chance to choose the ones I believe.


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## Texatdurango (Oct 28, 2012)

Longfellow said:


> I'd rather have the ads, than live in a country where they are forbidden. *At least I have the chance to choose the ones I believe.*


For me, *THAT* is the problem.  I quit voting several years ago when it became clear to me that I was actually wasting my time researching the issues, wondering what was truth and what was fiction and voting for the candidate that I felt was lying to me the least!  Our political system is pathetic when the most corrupt, dishonest individuals in our country are the ones actually running the country...... and we keep putting them in office.

The media/polls have made it clear that if you live in certain states, your vote simply doesn't matter anymore, you have already been colored blue or red so just sit back and see what those in a couple states are going to decide for you.


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## TellicoTurning (Oct 28, 2012)

Even here in the sticks we get the political phone calls... gotten to the point that if I don't recognize the phone number, just let it go to the answering machine... that way I can delete it without having to listen to it.

And I don't pay ANY attention to polls.... the pollsters can make the polls say whatever they want them to say just by how they ask the questions... same with statisticians.


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## plantman (Oct 28, 2012)

:question::question: Listening to the poles is like watching a program about Nostradamus's predictions. I know someone, somewhere, somehow, will make a match in their favor, to a point in history or the future, even if they have to bend or change the words a little !! Then again if we go by the Mayan calander at Chichen Itza, after December 21 2012, we won't need to worry who wins in the elections, because the world will come to an end !! Is the wine glass half full or half empty ? Who cares, just drink the rest and enjoy life and the people around you. If we do all go at once, at least we will be in good company and not alone. Of course the thought is that if you have enough money or power, you can always buy that " get out of death free " card.  Peace to all !!  Jim S


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## Smitty37 (Oct 28, 2012)

plantman said:


> :question::question: Listening to the poles is like watching a program about Nostradamus's predictions. I know someone, somewhere, somehow, will make a match in their favor, to a point in history or the future, even if they have to bend or change the words a little !! Then again if we go by the Mayan calander at Chichen Itza, after December 21 2012, we won't need to worry who wins in the elections, because the world will come to an end !! Is the wine glass half full or half empty ? Who cares, just drink the rest and enjoy life and the people around you. If we do all go at once, at least we will be in good company and not alone. Of course the thought is that if you have enough money or power, you can always buy that " get out of death free " card. Peace to all !! Jim S


Maybe they just figure that if they take enough polls one of them will be right.


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## The Penguin (Oct 29, 2012)

I wish they'd just get it over with so they can get back to doing what they do best...screwing us.


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## Donovan (Oct 29, 2012)

The Penguin said:


> I wish they'd just get it over with so they can get back to doing what they do best...screwing us.



Over here we have to vote. If you don't you get screwed, if you do vote you get screwed but voting helps to ease the pain a little


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## sbell111 (Oct 29, 2012)

You guys are a jaded lot.


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## TellicoTurning (Oct 29, 2012)

Donovan said:


> The Penguin said:
> 
> 
> > I wish they'd just get it over with so they can get back to doing what they do best...screwing us.
> ...



I think voting should be mandatory here too and let the popular vote do the deciding... would save lots of headaches.


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## ed4copies (Oct 29, 2012)

There should be a test to determine whether you are qualified to vote:

1) Who is the current president?
2) Current vice-president
3) Name the three branches of government.

IF you can't answer, you don't vote.  

Now, only one thing matters: Who looked the best on TV??


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## Smitty37 (Oct 29, 2012)

Who would have believed that a hurricane is a relief --- political ads are almost not happening for the last two days.  All news is on "SANDY" with the politicians shoved to the back burner....there really IS God.


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## The Penguin (Oct 29, 2012)

trust me - you'll get tired of hurricane coverage soon enough.

those of us in hurricane alley tire of the endless coverage over major and minor hurricanes. 

if Jim Cantore is up there somewhere doing live coverage - you're pretty much guaranteed to get hit.  :biggrin:


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## Smitty37 (Oct 29, 2012)

*Agreed*

But, hurricanes only get heavily reported here about twice a year, the rest of the time they are just on the weather channel, not all the regular news stations.


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## tjseagrove (Oct 29, 2012)

Here ya go...

A political ad tax.

If your station openly favors one candidate over the other in any broadcast or show, a 50% flat tax will be assessed on ALL ad revenue originating for ANY political ads broadcast.


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## Smitty37 (Oct 30, 2012)

Voter qualifications is a mighty weighty matter that has plagued good men (and not so good) for the past few centuries.


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## Charlie_W (Oct 30, 2012)

MY 7-11 Poll:

Our 7-11 stores have drink cups in blue and red for each party. I like to look and see which color of cup seems to be the one preferred and which ones are still in the rack.

Works for me!


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## alphageek (Oct 30, 2012)

Charlie_W said:


> MY 7-11 Poll:
> 
> Our 7-11 stores have drink cups in blue and red for each party. I like to look and see which color of cup seems to be the one preferred and which ones are still in the rack.
> 
> Works for me!



LOL - talk about high margin of error on that one.   There's people like me that wouldn't pick a cup based on party... and then you have the Toby Keith or the Glee fans that would pick Red just due to the song (assuming that your cups look anything like red Solo cups).


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## Smitty37 (Oct 30, 2012)

Charlie_W said:


> MY 7-11 Poll:
> 
> Our 7-11 stores have drink cups in blue and red for each party. I like to look and see which color of cup seems to be the one preferred and which ones are still in the rack.
> 
> Works for me!


Probably as accurate as the alphabet soup polls too.

But you do need to account for color blind folks.  Years ago we used to have randomly colored cups in our coffee machine where I worked and we found that purple was the "rarest" color so when we took a coffee break we would all give a dime to whoever got a purple cup - one of our guys was color blind and couldn't tell purple as well as a couple of other colors so he would always pull me aside and ask what color he had when he couldn't be sure.


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## TellicoTurning (Oct 31, 2012)

Smitty37 said:


> Charlie_W said:
> 
> 
> > MY 7-11 Poll:
> ...




Nothing to do with the original post or polls, but colorblindness is interesting... my son is color blind... he has troubles with yellows, green and gold.... when he went in the army they wouldn't let him be a tank driver because of something to do with the color of the screens inside the tank... so they made a 6'2" blond haired, blue eyed hulk of a boy into a Korean linguist, sent him to Korea where he was a computer tech working on photographs of North Korean installations.....

Then there was my Navy buddy's dad who was color blind with red, greens and yellows... he couldn't tell the colors of the traffic lights... he had to learn which light was lit by the position on the light... professionally he was an appliance repairman where he had to color code the wires in washers, dryers and refrigerators....


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