Poll Cats

Poll Cats
by Lyla Blake Ward
Each morning when the results of ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬the Pew, New York Times/CBS, Zogby, Reuters, ABC News/Washington Post. Bloomberg polls come out, I thank my lucky stars I’m living in a country where my pulse and that of other Americans can be taken with such unremitting regularity. Where else in the world can you find out how many people approve of what a candidate had for breakfast that morning, almost before it’s left his spoon? (According to the latest polls, 35% of the people would not vote for a man who ate a Muslim cereal such as Kashi ; 25% said they would and 40% were undecided).
Assuming the fervor for Rick Santorum will fade just outside the borders of Pennsylvania, it will be Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in serious contest for the Republican nomination. What they wear, what they eat, whom they touch warmly on the shoulder will be determined on the basis of the latest poll results, which, incidentally have just come out. No doubt their PC’s (Poll Consultants) are busy deciphering these eagerly awaited numbers that form the basis of every candidate’s campaign. So without further ado, here is the new Pew.
Among Republican women, only 34% will vote for Gingrich, whereas 46% will vote for Romney. And of those 46%, 89% of African-American women favor Romney, while only 32% of the 34% will vote for Newt Gingrich. But of the 89% of the 46%, those who are single mothers account for 43% as opposed to 15% of the 32% of the 34% who favor Gingrich.
Figures about abortion and contraception are equally enlightening. 95% of women 75 and older who are prolife, favor Newt Gingrich, 3% Mitt Romney.And of the 95%, 30% had more than 2 ½ children, and 95% of the 3% had six ½ or more. But 85% of women 25-35 would vote for Romney as opposed to 5% for Gingrich. And 43% of the 85% were stay-at-home Moms, against 3% of the 5% who would vote for Gingrich.
Men polled on the major issues gave Newt Gingrich 65% and Mitt Romney 30%, and 85% of the 65% didn’t think marital fidelity was a qualification, whereas 20% of the 30% thought it was. 32% of the 85% of the 65% had been divorced from sick wives, as opposed to 3% of the 20% of the 30% who would vote for Mitt Romney.
Clearly, the value of polls is indisputable. It allows a candidate to find out what the thinking of the public is so he can adjust his own. Although the findings may be a little difficult to read, the results of these probing questionnaires are the best political tool we have until maybe at some future date, someone will come up with a cure for the common poll.