[lbo-talk] Ruy Teixeira on why most of the polls are crap

Jon Johanning jjohanning at igc.org
Thu Sep 23 21:28:33 PDT 2004


On Sep 23, 2004, at 12:27 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:


> But they're supposed to compensate for this in the weighting scheme,
> or at least try to.

I don't know anything technical about the polling industry, but it seems to me that the more they try to fix things by piling weighting schemes on weighting schemes, the more subjective the whole thing gets. I think that is one of Teixeira's arguments. It reminds me of the epicycles of Ptolemaic astronomy.

On Sep 23, 2004, at 4:35 PM, snit snat wrote:


> That could account for the disparity. Or, it could mean that they
> didn't register as Democrats.

I'm registered independent, but I'm voting for Big John. Why do the surveys assume everybody is a donkey or an elephant? I'll bet a majority of registered independents who vote will go for Big John rather than Little Shrub.

Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. -- Attr. to Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile



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