I'm Allergic To Pollin'

I am also absolutely incapable of making clever puns. This does not prevent me from making lots and lots of absolutely horrible puns, however, like the one in the title.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the only thing that really keeps my low-brow, uninformed commentary apart from the likes of a real polling blog, like this one: mystery pollster.
Then again, Mystery Pollster is created by a grizzled veteran of the polling industry, and not some twenty-year old undergrad with too much time on his hands. Not that that is me.

Anyway, luckily for me his page mostly concentrates on the polling process, while I'm trying to round up recent polls and help you figure out what they really mean. Or, in other words, he's doing real work, and I'm just posting half a dozen links every day. In other words, Mystery Pollster, if you ever get to read this - I like you like Carson Daily likes NBC for keeping him on TV even though he is an idiot, and I'm jealous.

So now that that is out of the way, lets get to the good stuff.

First, Hawaii is shaping up to be a real battleground state. It was thought to be pretty solidly Democratic, but if this state is leaning towards Bush it could mean bad things for Kerry. Then again, Ashley Simpson getting caught lip sinking didn't hurt her career, so what do I know.

Second, the most recent polls out of pretty much everywhere just aren't showing us anything. All signs point in opposite directions. Is Bush ahead in Florida? I'm sure tomorrow another poll will tell us completely different. Nationally, Zogby, the pollster who most pundits consistently accuse of being slanted Democratic, (besides the ones who actually have affiliations) is the one putting Bush solidly ahead!

This year alot of crazy things are going on. We've already touched on the cell phone issue pretty frequently. Also, due to changing rules, alot more voters can vote in advance of the election. Most Americans seem ready for a repeat of 2000. Me, I've got my popcorn and soda, and my Ashley Simpson lipsinking tape ready, in case I get bored watching all of the coverage we're sure to get and need something more informative/entertaining/meaningful.

Wired seems to agree with me. Not about the Ashley Simpson (though I'm sure they do on that count too) but about the state of polling in general. It pretty much argues goes along with the whole "fake news" idea I posted yesterday, which makes me happy, because I posted that yesterday but this article came out today, meaning that I am thinking of the same sort of ideas people who get paid to write are thinking of and therefore can be assured steady and satisfying work upon completion of my undergraduate degree. Right?

Of course not. I will faily in life, just like I failed in AP calculus. Which is why the sort of electoral vote calculus (great article!) practiced by electoral-vote.com is completely beyond me for the most part. And, by proxy, any actual insight into the election as well. But you're all smart people. You all don't even know who Ashley Simpson is. I'm sure you'll be fine.