Elections by Polls - Feeling Manipulated?

[bigtree]

...well, that's because you are being manipulated.

My presidential choice has polling problems and that's certainly a drag for me, but I've always rooted against presidential polls. I remember how pundits and press tried to drum Obama out of the last contest with polls that supposedly predicted his demise.

There used to be a reasonable measure of skepticism, but there's been a recent embrace of the voodoo which has infected the debate to the point of a kind of self-actualization. When was the last time you heard 'snapshot' when referring to a poll? Now they're reported as is they're cast in stone, sometimes on the basis of only 500 or 100 respondents. It's madness, and it's a fools game to invest in polls as a predictor, especially this far out from the voting.

That said, I'm certainly hoping for a better showing for my guy in the polls. After all, they've become one of the hottest games in town.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. We really arent making decisions anymore. Other than Bernie Sanders, to some degree,

all your choices are made for you.

Polls and wealthy people on both sides force you to choose from their choices.

Bernie does not fit into this, but he is also unable to make much change if elected. The same forces wont allow it.

You see the problem is capitalism and democracy cant work together if you use almost unfettered capitalism like we do.

[questionseverything]

3. actually we do not have capitalism because we do not have competition

the monopolies are a huge part of the problem

i can't fire comcast because they have no competition

look at the generic drug prices shooting up at astronomical rates because some jerk has cornered the market..and the tpp is going to make that worse

just a couple examples but i don't want to leave folks with the idea i wholly support capitalism...i think some things like healthcare are just too important for it ....... but i did want to point out there can be no capitalism w/o competition



we will never know what change can be made if we don't try!

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

4. Capitalism goes to this extreme when unchecked, this is the point.

Contrary to what the idiots in the teaparty think, we do very little regulation and what regulation we do BENEFITS the biggest corporations. By keeping the little guy out of the game.

Capitalism is how we eliminate competition and end up with Walmart, for example.

Elimination of unions, to maximize profits, a major component of capitalism, is also responsible.

Taxes that benefit capitalists, etc.

[questionseverything]

6. what we have is some dark thing past capitalism

yes that has happened because of the "unfettered" part...regulation should be about making competition easier for the start up business, not eliminating it

another example of monopolies..the libor scandal...supposedly banks competing with interest rates but instead conspiring together for beneficial results for themselves

Capitalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the economic system.

Capitalism is an economic system in which trade, industry, and the means of production are privately owned and operated via profit and loss calculation (price signals) through the price system.[1][2] Central characteristics of capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labour and, in some situations, fully competitive markets.[3][4] In a capitalist economy, the parties to a transaction typically determine the prices at which they exchange assets, goods, and services.[5]

The degree of competition, the role of intervention and regulation, and the scope of state ownership vary across different models of capitalism

[mmonk]

2. Always do.

[elleng]

5. Hell yes, especially here at DU, bigtree.

As I spend much of my time here (retired,) they're just about the only thing to read these days.

And it's SO foolish at this stage! 'When Jimmy Carter entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries in 1976, he was considered to have little chance against nationally better-known politicians; his name recognition was two percent.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter#1976_presidential_campaign