http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/09/how-much-faith-do-you-have-in-polls/

How much faith do you have in polls?
Posted: 02:18 PM ET
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

With the midterms fast approaching, get ready to be inundated with polls.


They'll be coming fast and furiously between now and November, as pollsters try to figure out what's going to happen before it does.

And it can get a little confusing.

For example, one national poll showed the Republicans with an "unprecedented" 10-point lead over Democrats in a generic congressional ballot a week ago. That same poll shows the two parties even today - from 10 points to even in a single week.

Depending on which poll you read, predicted Democrat losses in the House in the midterm elections range from a low of 28 to a high of 55, maybe even 60. Republicans would have to win 39 seats to control the House.

Polls of most likely voters continue to favor Republicans by varying margins. And it seems certain barring some "October surprise" that Republicans will gain seats in both the House and the Senate in November. The party in power almost always loses some seats. The questions the polls try to answer are how many and why.

To try to get the answers there will be polls on the economy, the deficit, job creation, the Tea Party, consumer spending, and on and on. There will be polls that will measure the job approval ratings of both parties in Congress. There will likely be some consistency here - they will continue to stink.

The experts say polls are but a snapshot of a moment in time. But the media lean heavily on them for talking points, and the public is barraged with an ever growing number of poll results as the election draws closer.

Here’s my question to you: How much faith do you have in polls?

Personally....and I have said this many times before. I don't trust polls. You don't know who is being polled.

I know I was never polled and many people I know weren't asked either.

Makes you wonder who people target and how accurate they are.

Whether it's for or against something I believe in....doesn't matter. Not accurate to me.

Intelligent voters will check the persons past voting record to see if they are consistent in what they are promising.

I see a bunch of 'em jumpin' off the pro-Illegal wagon just to try to get votes.

Wise folks will see right through them.

Then again, a good many will only vote for what CNN or MSNBC sells them. 'Big Sigh'!

Being I work in politics(just got promoted to Campaign Manager of a major statewide campaign), I put a lot of faith in them since they are almost always accurate. Especially internal polls that the public never see's.

you know more about this than I do I've never even been polled.

How do you get your target audience....so to speak?

It depends.......... Genreally I goto the county registar\clerk or recorder and for normally a penny a name I can get the name address and phone number of everyone registered to vote hell even anyone who has registered for an absintee ballot also.

They are other ways too. It really depends on who's conducting the polling etc.

that's what worries me about polls. Unless you are involved in taking the polls....you don't know who is targeted for the questions.

I have never been polled or did a poll.

Can I poll you?

OMG.....you are hanging around willing too much now

Even if they don't target a certain pollee, the chances of them getting an exactly accurate percentage to the voting public are slim to none.

Polls are just a sampling of people.

So in a sampling, how accurate can they be?

I've always hung around Willing! Your just one of the most attractive women on this site, I couldn't nelp myself!

Once again, I work in politics and I have for years. You get your information from un reliable sources. I have experience in this department, you do not.

ok back OT

Unless you poll all of something...how can it be accurate?

Example: The presidents approval rating. Unless all voters are polled and you include the percentage that didn't comment.....how can it be accurate.

(ps...watch out. willing may put you in that pink tutu he has )

Sorry MsHarmony.

Let me guess, your last name your registered to vote under begins with one of the later or last letters of the Alphabet?

nope F actually. My married name wasn't far after that either, but I went back to my maiden name

Still, you have to figure that around 1,000 people get polled. 333 will be registered Republican, 333 will be registered Democrat and 333 will be registered Independant or IAP. So they will just pick the first 333 people they come across from each party then they are done.

F eh? Oh boy, the last names I can come up with...............

honey....I've been called every name in the book in my time even some that aren't in the book

I don't get the whole poll thing. I have to agree to disagree with you there don.

I just think it's too easy to be fixed by people wanting certain results.

Every name in the book? I can make up some good ones too!

That's why I said internal polling is much more accurate, because we don't publish those.

I think people are scared to ask me what I think. They won't hear the end of it then