Tag Archives: Voting

Because it is hard to persuade people…

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“…Because it is hard to persuade people who think like this to switch sides, electoral strategists argue that chasing swing voters is pointless. The easiest extra votes come from the 40% of the electorate who typically stay at home in a presidential poll. Each side therefore concentrates on stirring up people who support it but might not vote. That raises the anger to a new pitch.”


“…Despair over Mr Trump has reached such an intensity among some Republicans that the usual rules about there being no swing voters may no longer apply.”

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21693924-prospect-trump-v-clinton-grim-look-carefully-and-2016-offers-faint-promise?fsrc=scn/tw/te/pe/ed/battlelines

My sense is that what we have…

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“My sense is that what we have here is a feedback loop. Does media attention increase a candidate’s standing in the polls? Yes. Does a candidate’s standing in the polls increase media attention? Also yes.


“And everything else which sways both journalists and voters in the same direction just increases the correlation. The media and the public and the candidates are embedded in a system where every part affects every other.”

http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/01/how-much-influence-does-the-media-really-have-over-elections-digging-into-the-data

Politicians patriots and statesmen The politician…

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“Politicians, patriots and statesmen

“The politician used to be what we called a bureaucratic operative, someone who carefully chose his words and actions so he would offend no one. (Today, it’s more likely to be someone who intentionally slows things down, who works hard to point fingers at the other side and is constantly on the hunt for money).

“The patriot used to be someone who put aside his own interests in exchange for the organization he represents. (Today, it’s more likely to be someone who’s merely jingoistic, with a bit of short-term thinking thrown in for good measure). Plenty of blustering tech company CEOs could be put into this category.

“And the statesman? The statesman is the person who will speak the truth, take the long-term view and do what’s right, even if it hurts his position in the short-run. Fortunately, this definition hasn’t changed much over the years. This is the leader who doesn’t want to know which side someone is on before he can tell you if the decisions made were good ones or not. He’s the one who works hard to see the world as it is, as opposed to insisting it must only be the way he expects. And mostly, he’s the one you should work with, vote for or follow as often as you can.” — Seth Godin

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/05/politicians-patriots-and-statesmen.html

The personal qualities necessary for attaining office…

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“The personal qualities necessary for attaining office are practically the opposite of those demanded by the office itself. The trouble with the damn system is that it selects for the skills needed to get elected, and nothing else. A test that you can only pass by cheating can’t possibly select honest people.” — James P. Hogan

http://www.freedomkeys.com/politicians.htm

Every day politicians do mundane things They…

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“…Every day, politicians do mundane things. They sit through hearings or review boring proposals. But here, in front of the voters, voters who cared deeply about a single issue, each politician had a chance to really shine. And they failed. Miserably.


“People don’t renew or cancel their cell phone service because of the ads (the ads that might have gotten them to sign up in the first place.) They do it based on the service and the way it makes them feel. And people don’t vote to re-elect a candidate because of her debate performance or speeches.


“Voters decide because of the intense emotion they feel during isolated moments. The challenge of being a politician, whether you’re national or in a tiny village, is the same—to exceed expectations in the most intense interactions you have each day.”

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/how_to_get_reel.html