Monday, November 9, 2009

Opinion

John Aloysius Farrell

Barack Obama, Pollsters, and the Youth Vote

September 18, 2008 09:18 AM ET | John Aloysius Farrell | Permanent Link | Print

One thing has struck me when I listen to pollsters talk about the 2008 election: They sound far more certain about their ability to gauge racism and ageism in the electorate than they are about their ability to correctly gauge how young people will vote.

It's those durn' newfangled cellphones the youngsters got glued to their ears, dagnabbit. Why some of them don't even have a telephone at home—just their portable smartituneyberries!

Anyhow, the polling wizards sound downright humbled when they talk about the challenge of determining how and how many young folks will vote.

Our pal Carl Cannon has written an intriguing piece about the youth vote here, in which he suggests that Barack Obama's strength in the polls is consistently underestimated.

Tags: presidential election 2008 | voters | Barack Obama | polls | young voters

Tools: Share | | Comments (13) | Print

Reader Comments

young voters

i think that young people should always vote because our vote does count so we should take advantage of it

youthofamerica

There are over 28 million registered voters aged 18-24 and more than 70% are either democrat and/or an Obama supporter. An interesting stat, all they would have to do is show up at a 56% improvement in turnout from 2004 and Obama wins with over 300 electoral votes. If its anywhere near the turnout in the primaries, then he wins in a landslide. The polls underestimate his lead. The youth are almost never polled due to exclusive cell-phone use and thin voting history. The youth will decide this election in Obama's favor, no doubt.

More Creepy than Intriguing

On Obama, Inc.'s use of "action alerts," using money to influence Google search engines, MoveOn indoctrination, computer hacking, etc. etc. etc. in conjunction with the unwillingness exhibited by individuals employed by the corporate Media [Matters] monolith to "correctly gauge" the implications of such things as blatant legal intimidation of Jewish organizations in order to dictate who they are permitted to host at their own events (merely one example):

"The last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled

Was a trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field."

-----Bob Dylan

trust your instincts

if a politician tells you to "get in people's faces"---the faces of your family, friends, coworkers, etc., and to intimidate them into voting a certain way, they do not respect your abilities to make decisions affecting your own interpersonal relationships, nor the freedom and dignity of others....and you could become one of the "others" some day

Add your thoughts

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

advertisement

U.S. News Weekly

Subscribe Now

Order the new U.S. News Weekly digital magazine at a special low introductory price!

John Aloysius Farrell is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report. An award-winning Washington reporter, he has written for The Boston Globe and The Denver Post and is the author of Tip O’Neill and the Democratic Century and an upcoming biography of the great American defense attorney, Clarence Darrow.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

People who read this also read ...

Thomas Jefferson St.

Voters' Top Priority: The Economy

Obama Democrats should stop rushing healthcare reform and address more important issues.

H1N1 Vaccine for Wall Street?

Another example of what's wrong with government run healthcare.

Healthcare Vote Delays a Bad Sign for Dems

Expect more waiting, and arm twisting, as vulnerable reps take the hint from voters.

Americans Want Jobs, Not Healthcare Reform

As the unemployment rate reaches double digits, the public makes its preference known.

California Candidates' Poor Voting Record

Couldn't Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman have put a note in their BlackBerrys about voting?

Pelosi Cracks the Whip on Moderates

She's using fear of payback to push middle-of-the-road Democrats to vote for the House bill.

A Dollar a Day to Keep the Babies Away

North Carolina program aiding at-risk kids needs to go nationwide.

The New V Takes Swipes at Both Sides

Are they sniping at Obama? Sure? Bush too.

Cartoon Gallery

Editorial Cartoon

Political Cartoons

Check out our most recent cartoons.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.