Is anybody else tuning out the gloom and doom poll people.

[Funtatlaguy]

I’m retired and watch a lot of tv.
Mostly movies, sports, and politics (mostly MSNBC).
So, it’s unusual for me not to watch any political shows.
But, I’m not. I especially can’t stand to see khaki pants boy smiling like a Cheshire Cat at his magic board while gloating that his Republicans will flip both houses.

So, to save my blood pressure from going thru the roof, I don’t even go there anymore.
I do my political post cards while watching movies and will door knock this weekend.
Then, on November 8th about 7pm, I will log on to DU to monitor the results.
Just wondering if I’m the only one doing this.

[BigmanPigman]

1. Hell, yes!

As as I hear the word "poll" I change the channel or "mute" it. Polls are BS and it is best to ignore them if you want to maintain your sanity.

[GenThePerservering]

2. Nope. I tune them out

because many polls have poor methodology. I also think they're used to try to affect election results as much as this purported 'information' which, in fact, is no information.

And you're spending your time far more fruitfully actually DOING something positive!

[LakeArenal]

3. Haven't listened to polls all year.

[pstokely]

4. maybe we trust academia too much

Last edited Thu Nov 3, 2022, 02:32 AM - Edit history (1)

many pollsters (and the corporate media) seldom mention polling has been increasingly difficult

[HubertHeaver]

23. They are not capturing the never-before-voted.

Their polls are skewed by their outdated assumptions.

[Prairie_Seagull]

44. In addition: Polls underrepresent youth in general.

Due to the fact that many if not most no longer have land lines and do not answer their phones if they do not recognize the name on the caller ID. They text more than they talk on the phone anyway. Question would be at what age does this generally cease. 40 maybe. So maybe it's not just youth. Maybe polls under-represent a very large swath of the American electorate in general.

One argument could be that youth don't vote in great numbers in general anyway. In my discussions with my own daughters (ages 27,29) about voting, they indicate that they are hearing in their own friends a political seriousness they have not heard before. Will this translate to more voting? Seems to me it will.

Because of the nature of polling these days and the above.

I believe the polls are way off.

The media always wants to make it seem like an even horse race.

Keep remotes handy.

[lindysalsagal]

45. and polls are not always who shows up, either.

[Lucinda]

5. ❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️

[Polybius]

6. Steve Kornacki is a Democrat

He just doesn't talk about it. He's very good at his job and wants to remain non-partisan.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. Years ago, When he was hosting an MSNBC weekend show, he let it slip that

he is a Log Cabin Republican.

[Polly Hennessey]

30. He is?

I remember him from the early days. He started out writing for an obscure paper or weekly and leaned Republican/Libertarian. Anyway, something like that but never a Democrat. Also, said he likes hot dogs and khaki pants. Has tended to be on the negative side?

[calimary]

36. I can hardly stand to watch him. He's a freakin' windmill.

On steroids.

Can’t deal with the waving arms and wild gesticulating, the arms sweeping across the graphics and the numbers he’s telling you about but his maniacal pointing won’t let you SEE! His damn hands poking in and out, hack and forth across whatever he’s supposedly explaining.

For the love of Mike, switch to decaf, dude! Or light up a doob. Or SOMETHING!

[Geechie]

7. I treat polls like commercials

and hit mute or change the channel (the analog to scrolling past)

[usonian]

9. I'm retired and haven't turned on a TV in 7 years.

I get all my mostly political news leads from DU and ignore all the Debbie Downers, and in fact, post GOTV pages and other positive encouragements. There's nothing like doing something positive to make you forget the doom and gloom crowd. They aren't helping you. They're working on some contract renewal, or subconsciously working out some guilt for not taking action.

SHUT OFF THE TV.

I am listening to Beethoven's Sonata #31 and am using an ancient ipod with the WMHT app to get music right now, via wi-fi.

When I am not fixing things or straightening the house and yard (7 acres of what used to be a lot of brush), there's always piano to practice and photos to take (the brush I cleared was hiding hundreds of gorgeous manzanitas), wildflowers much of the year, and there are sunrises and sunsets.

I have only accidentally, for less than a minute, seen or heard the orange Oompah Loompah EVER.

Note that the exercise of hiking, observing nature, classical music and avoidance of hideous sights and sounds are all heart-savers and life-extenders.

Call all your good friends, urge them to vote. Getting out the vote is the key to winning, and it's the simplest thing to do. And if you run into a so-called friend who believes the magat philosophy, you have gotten rid of a useless zit on the proverbial backside. BUT DO REMIND REPUB FRIENDS TO VOTE IN PERSON, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9th.
https://democraticunderground.com/100217258988 (memes!)
The space lasers will be turned off Tuesday night.

Fill your life with music and flowers (I'll send photos to get your attention away from TV, if that will work for you) and take positive actions.

GOTV stuff:
https://democraticunderground.com/100217211502

California. Let's gain 5 house seats.
https://democraticunderground.com/100217194350

Wednesday's awesome action list:
https://democraticunderground.com/100217276427

Consider this:
CALL, TEXT, EMAIL YOUR GOOD FRIENDS
Thanks to jxla for the tip.
Friends Ask Friends to Vote

https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/midterms-friends-ask-friends-to-vote
First, make a list of your people: friends, family, and community groups you are a part of; people you see regularly; and people you work with. Next, identify who on that list aligns with our ACLU values, but may not always vote. Then, let them know there’s an important election coming up and help them make a plan to vote (when, where, and how). Call them if you usually call them, text them if you typically text them, or talk to them when you see them next. We’ll also provide you with a conversation guide

Download the ACLU Midterm Conversation Guide https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/frontend/bundles/midterms/assets/files/aclu-conversation-guide.pdf

[yankee87]

10. Same here

Polls are so bad now. No one answers phones now. Also Qpublicans flooding the news with BS polls. Always turn them off now.

[Bev54]

11. Yes!

[SlimJimmy]

12. Polls have no real meaning this close to an election.

Just like they have no real meaning two months before an election, or they're using "registered" voters or "adults." I take them all with a grain of salt now.

[vercetti2021]

13. Got that right

I've tuned it out.

[calimary]

37. So have I.

Husband dug up “Dinotopia” and that’s what we’re enjoying at the moment.

[usonian]

14. If polls were ANY good (I mean greater than zero) THEN HILLARY CLINTON IS PRESIDENT.

They are WORTHLESS.

[pnwmom]

19. The polls were correct, because she won the popular vote by 2.9 million.

The polls unfortunately couldn't account for the electoral college, but the electoral college won't be a factor for this off-year election.

There are other reasons to distrust polls this year, but not because of the performance in 2016

[StevieM]

20. She would have easily won the electoral college had it not been for James Comey's antics. (eom)

[pnwmom]

22. Agreed. Also, the third party vote to Jill Stein was enough to flip the election. nt

[StevieM]

24. Gary Johnson also took more votes from her than he did from Trump, contrary to popular opinion.

I don't focus too much on the impact of the third party candidates, though. Without Comey's repeated interference, she would have destroyed Trump. What he did made that election illegitimate.

[pnwmom]

29. But Jill Stein was supposedly progressive, and yet she knew that every vote

that went to her was one less vote for the only progressive who could win. And she let herself be Putin's puppet.

Comey didn't have progressive values. He didn't betray anyone who shared his basic beliefs.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

42. And that recount afterwards...

Yeesh

[lindysalsagal]

46. If the electoral college were eliminated, and we voted just popular, the GQP

would be relinquished to nothing more than an amendment approval board. Their votes would be too small to effect any legislation other than the 2/3 for amendments. That I'd like to see in my lifetime. We wouldn't have to endure all of this drama.

[StevieM]

21. Actually, by the time James Comey got done destroying her, the polls showed a close race. (eom)

[PortTack]

15. Yes..I am so done. Why pay attention to them when they've proven themselves to be about as

Useful as the 1950’s weather man’s forecasts. Seriously..oh the sky is blue..gonna be sunny, but take your umbrella it rains this time of year.

[AdamGG]

16. I've been following polls on fivethirtyeight.com for the last 6 months

I posted a thread in here when that site first put the Democrats at a >50% chance of holding the Senate and I followed along pretty much daily as it climbed to 72%. I'm not going to stick my head in the sand now that the the polling looks less promising, but a supposedly tightened race is even MORE of a reason to turn out and I hope all reasonable people see it that way.

If I lived in Georgia, a poll saying that Herschel Walker could possibly win would have me running hair on fire to turn in my ballot. ALL the polls said that the anti abortion ballot measure in Kansas was going to pass in August and we see how that turned out. It comes down to turnout.

[Hekate]

17. Yes I am. I mute or turn off the TV and I bypass post after post at DU. The stuff is crazy-making...

Reading down the post titles at DU is an exercise in doom-scrolling these days, every emotion flapping in the wind with each new poll.

To hell with it.

[claudette]

18. Me

Remember those mail in ballots count later

[2naSalit]

38. I think it depends on the state...

Some states count them first and don't separate them from in-person in the Tuesday tally.

[SuperCoder]

25. Thankfully...

Voters decide the elections. Not polls.

And yes all the polls this year against dems are total junk and completely underestimate the number of women who are pissed off against the Supreme Clown Court for turning this country back 50 years.

Time to vote out the republican trash.

[RockRaven]

26. Why stop at the doom and gloom people? I'm tuning out the cheerleaders too. Fuck polls.

Vote. Encourage everyone to vote. Help everyone vote who needs help (assuming such help is legal). That's it. The horse race watching is bullshit. The outcome is the same whether you are watching watching or not.

[Scrivener7]

41. THIS! It's so childish. Just do whatever you can do to get Dems to the

polls, don't be bashing your fellow Democrats, whether they approach the information coming out the same way you do or not, and hope for the best.

I'm with you!

[PlanetBev]

27. I refuse to surrender one more brain cell to the talking heads

The pundits and their polls play with your head like a kitten plays with a ball of yarn.

[AKwannabe]

28. Yes

Polls = useless

[BadgerMom]

31. Same.

[SheltieLover]

32. Absolutely! Not buying it!

[raccoon]

33. Yes.

[Kaleva]

35. There's a great deal of negativity here at DU

People who apparently watch a great deal of cable news report back on the latest polls and what the talking heads are saying.

[ananda]

39. you're not alone!

!

[snowybirdie]

40. Yes!

Both on tv and in postings. Ya gotta stay positive!

[brooklynite]

43. Answer: no

I don't watch endless hours of cable news and opinion shows. But neither do I ignore data that becomes available to understand what might happen. But neither do I obsess about the minutiae of each poll that I look at. I take in a lot of data from different sources (whom I don't discount as biased when I don't like the results) and assemble as broadly accurate an analysis as possible.