It appeared at first it was Gore winning Florida. No, wait. It's
Bush. He's the next President. No, now it's too close to call. All
of it based on the exit poll consortium used by the networks. This
appears to be the reason all the networks got it wrong. To save
money, the networks pool their resources and receive one set of
predictions. Now, the talking heads are blaming (pick one): bad data,
goofy statisticians, precinct fraud, and on and on. As I have
indicated in earlier years, these telephone polls and "exit"
interviews are very troublesome --- particularly in close races. How
many people are willing to detail their "secret" ballot to a stranger
whether on the phone or in person? I think there are many who either
refuse or ignore such requests. I know I would. It is no one's
business how I voted. Precinct history is not etched in stone either.
Sampling and the consequent polls have taken a hit. I suppose I can
understand how the general public and various courts are concerned
about how the Census should be conducted vis a vis sampling instead of
actual head counts. Cynicism about sampling and polling will be alive
and well after this election---regardless of who wins.
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