Whenever people discuss political polls, you're likely to hear the old lament, "Well, polls don't mean anything to me. No pollster ever called me."
Well. I can't say that anymore. Having lived in a non-swing state, Montana, and having been of voting age since 2004 (and volunteered for both Kerry and Obama campaigns--mostly as a way of local Democratic GOTV) I have not been polled until today.
Needless to say, this poor pollster got a heavy dose of pent up, un-polled opinion!
Story after the break.
She asked me how likely I was to vote this year, and I said, "It's a certainty."
The pollster was with some 'blah blah' research group (I don't recall exactly the name). She was nice, and asked me if she had called a cell phone (so I assume that this polling group calls cell phones).
She asked me my opinion of local candidates, and of course my approval of Denny Rehberg. I put Rehberg at second-to-lowest possible approval because I wanted to be able to express how much I dislike Romney even more. My favorite question regarding Rehberg was, "Do you think Rehberg respects firefighters and policemen?" To which I replied, "Yea, if suing is a form of respect!"
When she got to a series of questions about John Tester, my favorite one was, "Do you think that John Tester is too much of a politician?" To which I replied, "Not with that haircut. Now Mitt Romney has a politician's haircut!"
The woman who polled me didn't seem like a conservative type (she laughed at all my Mitt Romney jokes). She said that she hadn't really studied up on the issues and I told her how much student loans matter to me as a student, and I told her the story of Sensata and Bainport. "This guy is a pioneer of outsourcing--the last thing this country needs!
It feels good to have someone finally ask me my opinion--I'm so sick of hearing the dumb opinions of other people. Sometimes it feels good to get on the old soapbox and preach!
So, what are your experiences with polls?
This is my first diary, so please, be gentle.