Polling

Over the past few years political campaigns have become increasingly complex and as a result of this, there has been a dramatic increase in public opinion polling. It not only helps to guide political campaigns strategies but it also helps to guide the political decisions made by candidates , elected officials, and their advisors.(Hollihan Pg 168). According to Dictionary.com polling is define d as “a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis”. Political polls are not only important to political candidates but are also now being used by reporters to see what stories the public wants them to cover in their newspaper articles. In this blog I will discuss the history of the polling process, the most important strategy used to conduct polls, and the different types of political polling that are currently being used in the United States today.

I would like to start off by discussing the history of political polls in the United States. According to Hollihan “the first public opinion polls in the United States were probably the pre-election straw polls conducted by Harrisburg Pennsylvania during the 1824 presidential campaign”. (Hollihan Pg.170) These polls were a lot different than the polls that we conduct in today’s society because they were not scientific polls, but rather polls created by partisans to help express their own opinions and possibly help shape the outcome of their elections. According to Wisegeek.com straw polls are “an informal opinion survey. The term "straw poll" is thought to have come from a 1800s American farmland practice of tossing "straws in the wind" to test wind direction. It was used in the 1820s; some American newspapers included a straw poll that informally surveyed public opinion as a way of testing the direction of the political winds.” The first known straw polls to be truly effective were held in 1924 by the Literary Digest. They gathered names from registration polls, tax lists, and telephone directories and then distributed the ballots by mail. The literary Digest found these polls to be strongly effective and it helped them to predict the outcomes of the 1924, 1928, and 1932 elections. (Hollihan Pg171)

Out of the Straw Polling process, came the scientific method of polling. It began in “the 1930s when George Gallup conducted surveys on behalf of his mother in law Mrs. Alex Miller, the first women secretary in the state of Iowa” (Hollihand Pg. 171). At first this new style of scientific polls were incredibly in accurate compared to the straw Polls conducted by the Literary Digest, but this new style of polling lead the process for the way in which we use polls today in the United States. This new scientific polling process was incredibly expensive to conduct, so only the wealthiest of candidates in the 1950’s could afford to use them. As a result of this, candidates who were not wealthy fell far behind in the political campaigning process. As the scientific process of polling continued, “new advances in technology allowed for rapid analyses of poll results and made the polling process more efficient than previous time consuming methods of manually analyzing them” (Hollihan Pg. 172). There is no doubt in my mind that political polling provided both the candidates and citizens of America with a new way to process and present information in the United States. I feel that the invention of the polling system is still one of the most important inventions used by politicians in today’s society.

The next idea that I would like to discuss is the strategies used by political candidates to conduct polls in the United States. According to Hollihan public opinion polls were used by candidates in many different ways. Some used them to determine whether they should run for a specific political office, or to determine how to steer the course of their campaigns. They also helped to provide a way to identify what issues were of most concern to voters and provided suggestions on how those issues should be addressed. They helped to identify possible supporters and helped to determine how much knowledge voters truly had on the subjects they were voting on. Polls were also used to monitor the effectiveness of campaigns and helped candidates to spot trends as the election drew closer. (Hollihan) There is no doubt that the political polling process, if used correctly, would not only help candidates to win the election, but also provided a way for citizens to determine who they were going to vote for.

There are several aspects that are common in the polling process, aspects like sampling, constructing the survey, and pushing polling. According to Hollihan, sampling was the most important aspect of political polls and he stated “Perhaps the most important aspect in the creation of any research study is the design of the sample and the careful control over its implementation” (Hollihan Pg. 173). This process of sampling uses the theoretical objective of sampling to sample every person in the population who has a chance of falling into the sample. They then used the probability theory to compute the likely hood that respondents will be included and it also helped to predict the size of the sample. The next process was to use stratification to divide the sample into characteristics that measure the elements of the population. (Hollihan) All of these processes helped to reduce sampling error, which in turn could lead to ineffective results that could cost candidates money and provide them with a large percentage of result errors. Throughout my life time I have participated in several polling’s which were conducted over the phone. I found them to be interesting at first but soon got tired of people calling me to take a poll all the time. Although I feel like I did contribute to the political process, I do not believe that my opinion really mattered that much, due to large population of America and the mass amounts of people participating in these polls.

The final issue that I would like to briefly discuss is the different types of political polling used by candidates to day in the United States. There are six different types of polls currently being used in the United States today but I will only discuss the three most commonly used in the United States today. Political polls used in the United States today include mail surveys, telephone interviews, internet polls, personal interviews and exit polls. One of the most common poll surveys conducted are mail surveys. According to Hollihan “mail surveys are one of the most common polling processes because they are cheap to conduct, Unbiased because there is no interviewer trying to persuade them, and the privacy that is offered by conduction the survey in the comfort of your own home”(Hollihan Pg.176). Some negative aspects of mailed surveys is the fact that many people address them wrong or do not mail them in properly, so the candidate never receives the results. This can prove to be a waste of both time and money.

The next most commonly used survey in today’s society is the telephone survey. According to Hollihan, most political polling today is conducted through telephone. These surveys can be completed fairly quickly and provide instantaneous results. Some negative aspects that telephone surveying brings to the table is the fact that some Americans don’t have telephones at all and others simply ignore the calls from the polling candidates. The time of day in which these surveys are conducted can skew the results and many people have to work during the day. This makes people tired when they get home from work and they end up not unwilling to participate in the survey. Although the telephone survey has proven to be effective over the years, it has many draw backs to it that candidates and the surveyors must deal with.

The final type of polling that I would like to discuss is internet polling process. There are many benefits to online polling according Hollihan. Some of these benefits include reaching large numbers of people, lower costs, and increasing access to the internet. Hollihan states that “online respondents might give more truthful responses to questions and would be more willing to respond to an internet poll” (Hollihan Pg. 184).
Overall, political polling has changed the way in which we elect our officials throughout American history. It is a process that continues to change and become more efficient and less expensive for candidates to do. Political polling has contributed to greater accuracy of change in America and has provided the American people with a way to truly express their views and opinions on political issues.




Works Cited
Hollihan, Thomas A. Uncivil Wars: politcal Campaigns in the Media Age. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. Print.

Cyprus, Sheri. "What is a straw poll?" Wisegeek. Google, 14 Apr. 2004. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. .

"Polling." Dictionary References. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. .

Political News

Political News

Political news is a very important concept that we all participate in some way or another. According to Hollihan “news, both local and international, gives us a sense of ourselves and the world” (Hollihan Pg.101). Political news helps to form and inform people about all sorts of political issues and ideas. It provides links between groups of people and places that were previously disconnected. It also is one of the key communication methods in our democratic society. It helps to provide facts and the frame work for how these facts fit together. Without political news, our society as a whole would have a hard time functioning and many people would feel a sense of isolation. In this blog I will discuss the importance of political news and the ways in which it helps our society communicate through different primary sources that portray it, as well as the role they play in today's society.

I would like to start off by talking about the importance of political news and the ways in which it helps our society communicate. Political news in our society is very important because it provides the public with a way to understand the political messages that are sent out by our leaders. These leaders are not just sending out raw messages to the public because many of these political issues are complicated. According to Hollihan “raw information is made useful when citizens can understand it, structure it, transform it, and use it as a resource in their interactions with other citizens” (Hollihan Pg.102). This restructuring of our political news makes it so citizens can discuss politics and the issues which they are concerned about. It is an important process because if people cannot understand the information, than they cannot make the important decisions which help to run and structure our country. If people cannot understand the political news they are presented with then “they may begin to nurse personal grievances and become isolated from society” (Hollihan Pg.102). Political news also allows us as Americans to get facts and information about the ideas which are presented to us and then allows us to form our own opinions or conclusions about the ideas. It is important to realize that the political news we read, see, or hear is coming from the person who is presenting it. Sometimes the information is presented in the reporter’s point of view. We must then decode the information presented and draw our own conclusions from it. There is no doubt that political news not only helps our society faction as a whole but it also provides a crucial way for us to communicate with one another in the United States and around the globe. Without political news we would have no idea what other people around the world were doing and we would not be able to learn from their mistakes.

The next ideas that I would like to discuss are the many sources which we use to get our political news. These sources include newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the internet. Many of these sources have not always been around and the invention of new sources like the internet continually change the ways in which we receive our political news. It all began with people holding up signs and billboards, which relayed a short message to the public about politics and who they should vote for. This was truly one of the first sources of political news that Americans relied on. The invention of the printing press in the 1440’s helped revolutionize the way in which Americans would receive their political news fix in the future. This new printing press allowed newspaper companies to mass produce their papers and spread political news to a much larger audience. The industrial age and factories also played a key role in the availability of political news.

One of the first sources of political news was the newspaper. News papers were a popular source of news during the 1920’s and 1930’s but according to Hollihan the number of people who use it as a source of their political news has slowly been declining since the 1940’s. Hollihan states that this was due to the advent of the television. Although readership has fallen, “ 54% of Americans still read the newspaper in the United States daily and 67 % read it on Sundays”(Hollihan Pg.105). News magazines have also played a minor role in spreading political news. News magazines like Newsweek and Time magazine are a few of the publications that Americans still rely on today for political news. According to Hollihan “the impact of these magazines is not in the content in which they present but rather which candidates they will feature on the cover of their magazine” (Pg.107).Therefore, I do not believe that political magazines deeply inform readers about the arguments in political news but rather they are used to help persuade the reader about a political issue that they are already knowledgeable on. These magazines not only help to persuade the reader but also provide “instant credibility for whichever candidate they decide to put on the cover” (Hollihan Pg. 107). Although news magazines can provide some credible information about political news, I recommend that you use another source for in depth political news.

The next source of political news that I would like to discuss is the television. “The television was created in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth and it provided a whole new way to receive political news and information in general” (Bellis 2005). Even though news magazines, radio, and newspapers were the standard source of news before the television, this quickly changed. According to Hollihan “Despite the depth, variety, and wealth of political campaign information available through daily newspapers and news magazines, most people report that they get the bulk of their political information from television” (Pg. 108). For me, the television is the primary source in which I receive political news. I watch about four hours of television a day and I know that much of the information presented is biased and unreliable, but I still turn to it for my political news fix. The television provides me with channels like CNN and CSPAN which broadcast uninterrupted coverage of important political news 24 hours a day. Even though other sources of political news like newspapers and radio provide more in depth information, television is still the source I turn to when I want a quick synopsis of current political issues. Although this is one of the most commonly used political news resources, it does not provide the quality of information like other news sources.

Another source of political news that is commonly used in America is the radio. The radio came about in the 1920’s and was one of the first ways that political news was spread to a large audience. According to Hollihan “90% of Americans 12 or older listen to the radio each week and the information that is presented through the radio has a higher penetration rate then TV, newspapers, magazines, or even the internet.”(Pg. 114). This to me shows that even though the radio was invented 90 years ago it is still the most important source of news that America relies on for political information. It is also one of the most credible sources, due to the many regulations that are set in place. Information presented through the radio is regulated by the National Public Radio organization, which helps to filter and research the information that is presented to audience and make sure that it is correct. The invention of commercial talk radio also helped to revolutionize the radio and made it a main source for political discussions. It allowed people to call in and express their views about political issues and ideas. When I listen to the radio I find myself listening to commercial talk radio because it is what interests me the most. The radio is one of the greatest ways to discuss and spread political news and many Americans today still rely on this source of political news more than any other.

The final and most recent source of political news that I would like to discuss is the internet. According to Hollihan “the internet offers a rich and wide variety of news about political issues and campaigns” (Pg.115). Many newspapers and magazines have also converted their product to an online format so that readers can access most of the common newspapers without even leaving their homes. In a society where people are multi tasking and constantly on the go, the internet can provide a mobile resource for people who don’t have time to sit down and read the paper. New cell phone technologies and smaller computers have made it easy for people to access political news while there on the go. Although the internet is a great source for political news, it can also be a very bad source due to the vast amount of information one must sort through to find credible information. I know from experience that this can be a very time consuming process which can frustrate the reader and provide them with faulty information. If used correctly the internet can be a great source for all political news and can allow you to access many sources of political news from the comforts of your own home.

Overall political news plays a key role in the ways in which we view ourselves, view the world, and communicate with one another. The many sources of political news provide us with many different views and arguments when discussing political issues. We rely on it to elect our officials and run our democratic society. Without political news, America would not be the functional, educated, democratic society that we are today.



Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. "Television History." About.com. 13 May 2005. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .
Hollihan, Thomas A. Uncivil Wars: politcal Campaigns in the Media Age. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. Print.

The U.S Presidency

The United States is the most powerful country in the world and the U.S presidency is the most important position someone can hold in our government, because not only do they determine how our country is run, but their decisions also affect countries around the globe. In the Unites States we hold elections for president every four years and these “elections at all levels help to shape our nation and preserve our democracy, campaigns for president attract the most public attention”. (Hollihan Pg22) The president of the United States is considered to be one of the most powerful people in the world and the president is the one who articulates these ideas and uses these ideas to make positive change for America. “Being an American president is not based on common ancestry, a common religion, even a common culture, it’s based on accepting an uncommon set of ideas. It is of course, U.S presidents who are most force fully communicating and articulating these ideas”. (Hollihan Pg22)The president not only articulates ideas but he also represents how we conceive ourselves as a nation. In this blog article I will discuss the critical roles of the president, the impacts he has on the global economy, and the steps necessary to become the president of the United States.
I would like to start off by discussing the critical roles of the United States president. The United States president plays many important roles in both our society and in the world. He is the head of the executive branch, head of the U.S military, and chief of the government. Any final decisions that have to be made are made by the president. As head of the executive branch the job of the president to approve the laws that congress creates. After both the house and the senate approve the bill, they send it off to the president for approval. If the president agrees with the law then he can sign the bill. which then goes into effect and citizens now have to abide by it. If the president does not like the bill than he can refuse to sign it and this is known as a veto. “If congress feels really strongly about the bill, than they can override the president’s veto with two- thirds vote from congress”.(Read Pg1) Although the president can be overridden, this is rare because great debates go on before the president even sees the bill and most of the time the president will compromise with congress and the bill will go through. Although I believe it would be cool to be able to control the laws that go into effect in the United States, it is scary to think about because it is up to one man to determine how we as Americans live our lives. The president is not only the head of the executive branch but he also the head of the United States military. The president can start war with other countries fairly easily. In order for him to officially declare war, the president must converge with congress and discuss the issue. Once the issue has been discussed, congress can then give their approval and the war will begin. A good example of this was the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After America was attacked by terrorist on September 11th 2001, the president quickly met with congress and then gave the order to start the war against terrorism. This helps to show the immense power of the president and how only several men could end life on this planet as we know it, via nuclear war. This also scares me because the fate of the world can lie in one man’s decision and if the president makes the wrong one, then life as we now it will end. The final role of the president that I would like to discuss is his role as chief of government. This means that the president is the boss of every government worker throughout the United States. He can use this to boost the economy by creating more jobs and projects for government employees to work on. He controls government institutions like the FBI and the CIA. The jobs of millions of people lie in the president’s hands and his decisions directly affect the workers. Overall the president plays many important roles in the United States and people rely on him every day to make important decisions, which will directly affect their lives and the lives of all Americans.
The president of the United States not only controls America but he also has helps to control the global economy. For years the global economy has relied America for global growth. According to the Washington Post article U.S Signals New Era for Global Economy these days are over. “President Obama delivered an unusual warning Wednesday for an American leader: The "voracious" U.S. economy can no longer be the sole engine of global growth. The statement signaled recognition of a new economic era with a less dominant U.S. role”. In the past, the United States has helped many other countries with their struggling economies. One example of this is the Asian crisis in the late 1990’s which spread fear throughout the global economy. America stepped in and helped Asia to recover from this crisis. According to our current president Barack Obama these days are over because America is currently suffering from its own economic crisis. We have turned our attention from helping others in the world with their economies to trying to keep our own economy running. This is important because the United States economy provides the foundation for many other economies around the globe. If our economy crashes, then other economies throughout the world would likely crash as well. The United States is currently in a recession which is lowering consumerism and creating huge losses in American job markets. Since America imports huge quantities of goods from other countries, the loss of consumerism has greatly affected America’s biggest importers like Japan and china. This has hurt their economy as well as our own. Now that Americans have to pay back huge amounts of debt that they have accumulated over decades of spending, it is time for the United States to focus on our own economy. In order to reform both Americas economy and the global economy president Obama said that we must work together “In this relatively new forum, leaders of industrialized powers including the United States, Britain and Japan as well as emerging giants such as China, India and Brazil are grappling together for an answer to the global economic crisis. Nations will produce a communiqué Thursday with a list of carefully worded prescriptions, including the regulation of hedge funds and more rigorous standards for banks, a move to shed light on the secrecy of tax havens, new ways for regulators in different countries to coordinate their oversight and dramatically increased funding for the International Monetary Fund, according to a draft of the agreement”(Fiola Pg1) With the most powerful nations in the world working on this problem Obama hopes that we can reform both the united states economy and the global economy together. This new reformation of the global economy shows the power of the president of the United States and the huge impact that he can have on our global economy. He basically is reforming the way in which the global economy functions as a whole and encouraging the world to work together and overcome this crisis.
The final idea that I would like to discuss is the requirements that one must meet to become a United States president. According to the article Requirements to Become United States President by Pheadra Trethan one must have “nerves of steel, the charisma, the skeleton-free closet, the fund-raising network, the thick skin and the legions of loyal folks who agree with your stance on all the issues.”(Trethan) Not only must you be a strong person but you must meet specific qualifications to even be considered. One qualification that must be met is that you have to be a native born United States citizen, you have to be at least thirty five years of age and one must live in the United States for 14 years. There are many more qualifications that one must have to be a United States president but these are the only ones that are stated in the United States constitution. I would also assume that one must be highly educated, have served in the military, and have worked their way through the political system. Being the United States president is certainly not something everybody can do. People spend their entire lives trying to become president but most never reach their goal. This to me is the hardest job on the planet and probably the hardest job to get on the planet. With this being said, I don’t know if I would ever want to become president of the United States. It appears to be an extremely stressful job and one in which billions of people are relying on you to be good at. This is a lot of pressure put on you all of the time and not to mention the amount of work you must do just to be considered for the job.
Overall the United States presidency is the most powerful job on the planet and is probably one of the most stressful ones on the planet. It has many roles in which you must play, it helps to control the entire global economy, and has a list of requirements as long as your arm. So before you say you want to be president of the United States consider these factors and then make your decision.







Works Cited

Fiola, Anthony. "U.S. Signals New Era for Global Economy." Washington Post 02 Apr. 2009: 1-2. Print.

Hollihan, Thomas A. Uncivil Wars: politcal Campaigns in the Media Age. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. Print.

Read, Harry. "The President of the United States." 03 Jan. 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. .

Trethan, Pheadra. "Requirements to Become President." About.com. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. .