Gallows Polls: Democrats, Beware the Internals
By Mark Ellis Oct 18, 2020 12:29 PM ET
In May of this year, political light-years ago, a syndicated piece by David Limbaugh was published on this website, “Trump Supporters: Fear Not Those Discouraging Polls.â€
Light years, yes, and much has changed since May. But the fact remains that the polls could not be reliably trusted then, and cannot be trusted now. Many of them are intentionally designed to dishearten and dispirit voters who support the president. Their designers and the people who work for them are in the business of seeding the ground with hopelessness.
The idea that Joe Biden’s catatonic campaign could be eclipsing the invigorated Trump sweep across America seems patently counterintuitive. While Biden struggles to attract a clutch of die-hard Democrats into a gymnasium, Trump is pulling up in Air Force One to overflow crowds and rock-star excitement.
Crowds on the ground do not necessarily a winning ticket make, that’s true. But enthusiasm gaps cannot be dismissed.
Some leftist pundits have floated the notion that since Biden supporters are more likely to harbor realistic fears about COVID, they are astronomically less likely to turn out en masse. Even if that’s true, it registers as impolitic. It creates a contrast that doesn’t do the Biden campaign any favors: Biden’s base cowering in their homes, and walking dogs in parks with masks on, while Trump’s base refuses to allow an admittedly nasty but ultimately surmountable virus to stop the workings of the country, or forestall their willingness to brave a virus to show support.
It’s a pretty good metaphor for the whole election. More alarmingly, it’s a good metaphor for the respective fate awaiting the republic dependent upon which candidate prevails on November 3rd.
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https://pjmedia.com/columns/mark-ellis/2020/10/18/gallows-polls-democrats-beware-the-internals-n1066192
