Voters will get the last word on November 2nd; not the pollsters

Commentary

 By Juanita Bratcher

I’ve never been one that fully believed in the results of political polling. Even in this Election Year, I am apprehensive about the overall poll data I have read from various sources. However, I do believe that the data from these polls can sometimes have a resounding effect on public opinion.

 Pollsters survey a small group of people (who knows who – party affiliation, background, race) and use that data as a determining factor as to how thousands or millions of people – depending on whether it is a local election or a national election – will vote at the polls on Election Day.

 Remember the Exit Polls on Election Day where voters were asked how they voted when exiting the Polling Place? And when the news media would report the exit polls’ data, reportedly some voters whose candidate were not ahead in the late hours of voting would call it a day and lose interest in going to the polls to vote.

 In this Election Year, on a daily basis the media is giving a dim outlook for Democrats running for election or re-election; especially incumbents. That’s because, they report, Americans are “angry” about the economy and the policies of the Obama Administration.

 I agree that most Americans are aggravated and certainly attentive to the state of the economy, job losses, foreclosures, and a lot of other issues. But some are quick to forget or have a memory loss about eight years of President George Bush’s Administration that drove us into this ditch. When President Barack Obama took over the helms of the federal government, he took over a sinking ship that needed to be put back on the right track, the right course, from his perspective.

 One wonders what the state of the economy would have been like if President Obama had not bailed out financial institutions, the auto industry – which kept jobs for many; credit card overhaul for consumers’ protection, and an overhaul of healthcare. If not, the economy would be in worse shape than now. Just as it took years to push the economy into such a dire mess, it will take time to get it out of this dire mess.

 As one who keeps up with the political landscape, Republicans in Washington have done everything in their power to see that policy changes made by the Obama Administration to get things back on the right track were sidetracked, derailed or ridiculed. Washington Republicans have been looked upon as the “Party of No” when voting on major pieces of legislation that passed the Congress, without their support.

 First, let me make it clear: I am an Independent Voter. I don’t vote for a Party, I vote for the individual running and his/her ideology. Is it somewhat in line with mine or the good of America and its people? I don’t care what party they belong to – whether they’re Democrat or Republican.

 I talked about that independence in voting in one of my book of poems, “I Cry For A People: In Their Struggle For Justice and Equality” (1994), which follows:

                                     The Dynamics of Politics

                                     I am not a party Republican

                                    I am not a party Democrat

                                     I’m an Independent voter

                                     That’s just a political fact

                                     Makes no difference to me the party

                                     It’s the man/woman who carries the plan

                                     They’re considered the main attraction

                                     Whether a Democrat or Republican

                                   I don’t belong to either party

                                     Neither do I choose to be

                                     I’m an Independent voter

                                     That’s the choice I made for me

                                    Impotent rhetoric I have no use for

                                     Mistakes and blunders I can understand

                                     But broken promises are unacceptable

                                     Whether from a Democrat or Republican

                                     Many support over burgeoning war chests

                                     Have deceitful agendas twenty feet long

                                     The most they’ll give is a slanted assessment

                                     And they’re too arrogant to admit when they’re wrong

                                     Sure, I’ll vote for a fair-minded politician

                                     Whose ideology coincides with mine

                                     I don’t care what party he/she belongs to

                                     As long as he/she is diplomatically inclined

                                    Give me a corrupt-free politician

                                    God-fearing and a honest woman/man

                                    Someone whose hands are in his/her own pockets

                                    Whether a Democrat or Republican

                                    I am not a party Republican

                                    I am not a party Democrat

                                    I’m an Independent voter

                                    And that’s just a political fact

When we go to the polls to vote on November 2^nd, we should be mindful of our actions – and vote for those candidates whose main agenda is to make America a great country, and that their motivations and actions are in the best interest of all Americans.