Weekend Rambler

Wow, what a beautitful spring day here in NoCal, the trees are full of birds singing for their mate to be, flowers are popping out everywhere and the veggie garden is off to a strong start.

I got polled today by proponents of a socialist program, the details of which are not the interesting outcome or point here. I always answer legitimate polls and have fun with the interviewer by being lighthearted and not grouchy about it. Legitimate polling places record comments as well as just the vote on a topic and it is a chance to be heard even just a bit more. I question who they are with and inform them that I am a political blogger and then answer their questions in a connversational way while voicing my opinion, invariably I get laughs to my dry jokes. Anyway, I chatted with the poll taker for a few minutes after the poll was concluded and she had thanked me for answering. I gathered from her that my opinion was valuable as most conservatives/republicans that identify as such in the initial basework hang up after the first few questions thus are left out of the poll. She said those that trend to the liberal side are much more open to pollsters and more friendly. I asked her if this could skew most national polls in a liberal bend and though she said she had never thought about it really, she agreed that it definately could. She was calling for a reputable Ca. polling firm about an initiative here, I agreed not to name the firm for her honesty in answering my follow up questions.

Hmm, this is why I take the time to talk to them, we always have a good conversation as I ask for clarification of the questions and answers and answer the questions with a qualified answer not just a yes or no. I could hear her typing away as we talked and asked if commentary was considered in the answers ans she confirmed that it was. This has been very typical of conversations I have had with various pollsters, all big name through the last few years as I took a different stance towards them.

Fellow conservatives, if you get polled, take the time and have a conversation with them while answering the questions, be heard and not as a clang on the other end of the line as you hang up. I have invariably brought them around to the conservative view point on a personal level. Quit hanging up and let your views be known, they always shed light on an issue, so lets help by shedding some of our own light as well. I suppositioned that since conservatives were generally quieter and less apt to be vocal and as I put it "poll burst" the numbers and she agreed the demographics fit the stereotypes I had suggested. Needless to say it was compelling enough to blog about it and I informed her of such early on and she was happy to talk for about fifteen minutes after the poll as long as the firm was not mentioned in my report. They are just commissioned to do surveys and given a list of questions to ask and she did not know the sponsor of the survey.

I encourage other conservatives to engage likewise, it's fun, go for it!