THE Meme we must snuff. And now...

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

The myth of the Bradley Effect.

This meme accomplishes two things at once. First, it's the ol' "pssssst, he's black" message. Second, it perpetuates the myth that white voters lie to pollsters about voting for an African American candidate and suggests the race is closer than it is. 538.com found no such Bradley Effect existed in the 08 primaries, but that the opposite effect did. In some states, especially in the South, voters were less likely to admit they would vote for Obama, and he outperformed his polling numbers. Thus, our countermeme: the Obama Effect. New voters, cell-phone-only users, more enthusiastic voters, and an amazing ground game mean that Obama will be outperforming his poll numbers this election. The media ought to know this and parrot it.

After the debate Wednesday, we're going to hear all about the Bradley Effect nonstop. It's bullshit. Drudge will have a nice front-and-cneter piece about the Bradley Effect the week before the election, and we'll have to be ready.

The Obama Effect will be the real story of this election.

[Ian David]

1. Let's not forget The Timothy Effect that keeps people from voting for a woman.

1 Timothy 2:11-12)
"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/1tim/2.html

[Avalux]

2. A reverse Bradley effect (or Obama Effect) is more likely.

People who, for whatever reason, will not publicly admit they are voting for Obama. Call them closet Obama supporters; they will get in the booth alone and make the right choice.