I hope that some of the goofy presidential preference polls taken recently are not indicative of a public that has no understanding of what electing a president is all about, and what is at stake in this November’s election.
According to a new poll, fifty-five percent of the people surveyed by the Associated Press and Yahoo News said they’d pick Obama to be their child’s teacher. Forty-four percent said they’d pick McCain. Poll respondents were also asked with whom they would rather watch a football game. The majority said Barack Obama, 50 percent to 47 percent. They said that for viewing a football game, they wanted someone they’d feel comfortable spending time with.
I don’t know who thinks this stuff up, but it suggests to me that at least far too voters among us completely misunderstand the gravity of the ballot they are about to cast.
Electing a president isn’t supposed to be a popularity contest, but for many, that’s all it is. Selecting a new Chief Executive isn’t supposed to be about which candidate would make the best superbowl party guest, but for far too many, sadly, that’s what it comes down to.
Responsible voters elect candidates because they perceive them to be the leaders we need, not because they might make good teachers, or because they play a mean saxophone, or wear trendy glasses but God help us, many voters consider no credentials more substantive than these.
By now it ought to be pretty darn clear that the choices we make in November and not only for the office of president, but for the Congress and the statehouse, could literally break us, as a nation, and as households, if we don’t get it right.
We therefore have no time for superficiality … no time for silly polls … no time for mindlessness. People who think this is just a popularity contest would do us all a great service, if they would just leave the voting to responsible adults.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Strange how you in the media were so in love with bush and thought he should be elected 8 years ago (and he almost was elected ..see Florida/Supreme Court victory) because he was ’someone you could have a beer with’. Now those silly polls (and yes they are silly to the point that you want to rip your hair out) point say something else and you don’t like them any more.
Too bad we don’t have an independent Media any more to point out the differences between the candidates. Instead they spend too much time with these silly polls or trying to make controversies where there aren’t any.
Just report on the candidates plans, platforms, etc. The public will choose the right person and we will get out of the abyss we have been in the last 8 years.