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<p>They didn’t take into account voting machine fraud.</p>
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<p>I agree.</p>
<p>jclay2- the country also has a economy that is weakening tremendously, with many contributing factors. There are other issues besides the war in Iraq. Just because we are at war does not mean it is inevitable a democrat will be elected.
There are many other issues besides the war in Iraq. The media is just dragging out the war because of how controversial the whole subject is. </p>
<p>The republicans have the edge in national security which could be a very hot topic of debate. </p>
<p>The UN/ America’s position in the world (not Defense issues, but rather how the US should act on the world stage, as in unilateralism versus doing whatever the UN wants)</p>
<p>Bio-ethics such as abortion and stem cell research. Free trade/protectionism, etc. etc… It seems silly to assume at this point that war in Iraq will be the only issue yielding votes.</p>
<p>Plus we have to take into account cheating, which becoming more and more relevant with these elections.</p>
<p>I think if we’re going to take online polling seriously, Ron Paul is going to be the Republican nominee, and probably the President. ;)</p>
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<p>Very true!</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Comparison of Candidate Meetup Maps](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZngnWAQfM0]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZngnWAQfM0)</p>
<p>(about 1 minute long, very interesting)</p>
<p>For an excellent analysis of this flawed “poll,” see [Pollster.com:</a> Zogby Internet Poll Trial Heats are Odd](<a href=“Pollster”>Pollster)</p>
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<p>Oh, thank you for clarifying that no one runs for vp. From now on, I’ll believe that we have returned to the old tradition of giving the office to the non-elected presidential candidate, or that the vp is chosen after the elections!</p>
<p>Of course, Richardson is not a Southerner, and neither is he Hispanic since his lineage tracks all the way to the Mayflower. Again, I’ll guess that Bill’s education in a couple of Boston’s Blue Blood institutions erased the unfortunate mishap of being born on a Nicaragua-bound boat that plagued his father. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I’ll remember that driving a few miles out of El Paso in a western direction does equate to leave the South. Darn, I’m happy that Santa Teresa and Cruces are almost in California. :D</p>
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<p>What would we do without our daily conspiracy theory?</p>
<p>Xiggi,</p>
<p>? here why the anger?</p>
<p>Anger? Did you see that 
smiley? I should have added the clear /sarcasm off at the end of my post.</p>
<p>Did anyone see the Gallup poll that showed Hillary beating all Republican challengers? I believe it was released today.</p>
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<p>It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s a fact that software is easily manipulated, and, without a paper trail, there is no way to validate that the votes are counted as they were intended. There is a wealth of evidence that there were manipulations or malfunctions during the last election, possibly even changing the outcome. Why would anyone NOT want to ensure an accurate voting system? </p>
<p>Check out these scholarly articles on the issue:</p>
<p>[voting</a> machine fraud 2004 - Google Scholar](<a href=“Google Scholar”>Google Scholar)</p>
<p>[voting</a> machine fraud - Google Scholar](<a href=“Google Scholar”>Google Scholar)</p>
<p>“Why would anyone NOT want to ensure an accurate voting system?”</p>
<p>Of course we do, and we want to ensure that only those legally entitled to vote AND alive on the date of the election do so, and only once.</p>
<p>here is the gallup poll zooermom in post 30 was asking about</p>
<p>[Democratic</a> Candidates Look Good in Latest 2008 Trial Heats](<a href=“Democratic Candidates Look Good in Latest 2008 Trial Heats”>Democratic Candidates Look Good in Latest 2008 Trial Heats)</p>
<p>This country is turning into one of the most corrupt governmental bodies in the entire world. It is ridiculous the damage that is being done by these jerk politicians. I don’t know the extent of the truth behind the polls will be rigged, but I wouldn’t be surprised the least bit if it occurs once again in 08.</p>
<p>“This country is turning into one of the most corrupt governmental bodies in the entire world.”</p>
<p>I think that may be a bit of a stretch in light of some other countries in the world.</p>
<p>Well I didn’t say we are quite there yet, but it does seem as though we are getting there. The media does a great job of hiding the truth. The government lies to us about the economy, about national security, about ties to terrorism, who knows what to believe anymore?</p>
<p>Uria,
I believe you are too young to think that way. Cynism will not make you happy. If you believe this is one of the most corrupt, go to S. America, Korea, and many other third world countries. Our system isn’t perfect, but it is alot better then many countries in the world.</p>
<p>I wonder if Reuters likes the results of the Gallup poll better? </p>
<p>Yup, Gallup may be more random because the pollsters actually picked who they polled. (The respondents didn’t volunteer on line.) :eek:</p>
<p>In any case, if you read the fine print in the Gallup analyses, any slim lead for Clinton that this poll suggests is actually statistically INSIGNIFICANT.</p>
<p>Gallup:
“These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 897 registered voters, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 11-14, 2007. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±4 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.”</p>
<p>Who actually answers telephone surveys? Maybe those who historically vote democratic…hmmmm . I personally never answer political telephone surveys, but I vote.</p>
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<p>Our SYSTEM is definitely a lot better than many. But any system can become corrupted. </p>
<p>I don’t think UriA702 is cynical so much as s/he is QUESTIONING.</p>
<p>Questioning is a good thing. Youthful idealism can help shake people out of their complacency.</p>
<p>For example, most adults in this country refuse to consider that our system is becoming corrupt, because they’ve been told all their lives that our system is the best in the world. Our system may be the best in the world, but it is not immune to corruption.</p>
<p>Sometimes we need youthful perspectives to tell us that the emperor has no clothes.</p>
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<p>1) Please do not assume that just cause someone is their 20’s that means their opinion and education in these matters is inferiors to yours. </p>
<p>2) Show me where I implied that the US is worse than those countries? I simply stated that if things keep going the way they are we will be on our way there. If we sit back and disregard opinions based on a subjective criteria such as you attempt to do by belittling my opinion our country things will just get worse off.
I am no hippie, government propaganda is on the increase. Politicians nowadays are just sneakier and slimier than they have ever been. Since this is the case, how do you expect young aspiring politicians to be inspired? If that is what it takes to get to the top corruption will not seize, only grow. This of course over time but it is inevitable. Maybe they are not getting worse, but rather technology developing providing us with more information about candidates, such as websites that now allow you to trace campaign contributions which can provide a comprehensive understanding as to how policy makers’ votes are being influenced by those laying out $$ to yield voting in the direction of their interests.</p>
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<p>Precisely what I mean, how often is it that we practice what we preach? The above statement can applied to the way the media tells Americans how to vote. I am not being cynical of American government. I am just saying that how many elections nowadays are based on candidates opinions on society’s issues, as opposed to a popularity contest, who can raise the most money and bash the other. It is no longer a political race, more of a cat fight.</p>
<p>If the youth aren’t as passive as previous generations, we might be able to control part of the corruption using our freedom of speech and freedom of press. With the way technology is developing, and with the growing popularity of blogging, it is becoming far easier for the public to get their voices out there and make an impact. The little guy is always being crushed by the big media companies propaganda and it is just better for the entire nation in general. The youngsters have technology on their side, we have been raised a different way and do not base opinion on the same content that you kind folks grew up with. The government has always been corrupt and scandalous, we are just using what we have available to yield the truth. Inevitably, more people will get involved with public agenda if more means of truth are developed.</p>