Election polls are tricky business.

Numbers seem to be an absolute truth that can’t be denied, but the problem with that is people lie. They simply don’t always tell pollsters the truth about the way they feel and how those emotions will impact the way they vote.

Because of this, polls are not the most reliable way to measure the success or failure of a candidate but they CAN sway a candidate’s supporter — you.

No one wants to be on the losing side, so when people see their candidate up in the polls, they might feel like they don’t need to go out and vote because their guy has the election in the bag. But I repeat, polls cannot be trusted.

Case in point: There’s lots of talk about the “Bradley Affect,” — the idea of White people telling pollsters they would vote for a candidate of color only to vote the other way once they enter the booth.

Obama may not fear this but he’s definitely aware of the danger of relying on polls. That’s why at a rally recently, Obama told people to not pay attention to the polls, and be prepared to get out and vote.

As I’ve written about before, I don’t know anyone who has been polled, and very few of us do. These polls may be accurate in some small way on a local level, but no poll can accurately predict how people across the nation will vote.  What do you think? 

Are you people will get caught up in polls?  Tell us here.

Images courtesy of wikimedia.com.
 
(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One.  TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)

We all watched last night’s debates, and it was both a clash of titans and a last ditch effort by both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain to show America what they are made of. How they did depends largely on what you were looking for. McCain came out swinging: less robotic, more passionate and feisty. Obama came across as more of a teacher schooling a class. It’s rare when you can say that a Black man comes across as too intellectual, but many of the pundits are spinning his appearance that way.

I think the best thing about the debates is that they’ve been great indicators of how these people deal with stress and confrontation. If you like cool and laid back, then you probably scored for Obama (as did most polls which say 53 percent of viewers gave the debate to Obama). They feel it was a win for Obama as he has fought the steadier battle: his punches have connected more accurately and scored more points with voters than McCain’s.

However, if you like someone who deals with confrontation with a bit more hardcore aggression, you may have scored for McCain who is getting props from his base for finally getting in the mix and putting his credentials on the table to be scrutinized. They also liked that he faced off with Obama on William Ayers and pinning down on some specifics of his tax plan. This is what his supporters have been waiting for and word on the streets is that McCain’s base is more energized than ever. Of course, it’s about a day late by and a dollar short, but, as they say with all things, it ain’t over ’till it’s over, and the last ballot has been counted.

What do you think? Who won the debates last night, and overall?  Tell us here.

Images courtesy of dailyrepublic.com.
 
(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One.  TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)