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As we've all seen, voters in those all-important states are being swamped by ads and canvassing in a last ditch attempt to close the sale. In one of the more novel tactics, the Bush campaign has taken to sponsoring local radio traffic reports. In many swing-state markets, listeners can now tune in for updates on their commute, courtesy of Bush-Cheney '04. OTM's Paul Ingles reports from New Mexico.
On Tuesday, the networks will rely on a new apparatus for determining poll results. It's called the National Election Pool, and it has risen from the ashes of the Voter News Service, which led the networks to call Florida for Gore in 2000. The NEP will be doing exit polling, while the Associated Press will be responsible for the actual vote count. But both sets of numbers were flawed four years ago. Bob talks with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jonathan Storm about the possibility of another long night.
A few weeks ago, a British newspaper kicked off a campaign to win hearts and minds in the swing state of Ohio. The Guardian asked concerned Britons to write directly to voters in a hotly contested county, and implore them to vote for Kerry. Ohioans were less then impressed. While it remains to be seen how they'll vote, their passionate letters make it clear that after more than 200 years, the spirit of anti-colonialism lives on in Clark County, Ohio.
The conflicting methodologies of the various pollsters, from ABC to Zogby, have resulted in election forecasts that are all over the map. But the media are unswayed by the lack of certainty, and continue to shower us with more polls. Philip J. Trounstine, director of the Survey and Policy Research Insitute at San Jose State University, compiled a polling primer for the LA Times. He joins Brooke to shed some light on the way polls work, or as the case may be, don't.
Election polling will soon come to an end, and the public will once again be free to keep its opinions to itself. Pollsters will likely use the quiet to recalibrate their methodologies in preparation for the next big race. But some skeptics aren't convinced that progress lies in creating a better poll. They want to get rid of polls altogether. Bob chats with Arianna Huffington, one such skeptic, about her Partnership for a Poll Free America.
Two weeks ago, Sinclair Broadcasting Group unleashed a hornet's nest when it ordered its 62 local TV stations to air a documentary attacking John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities. Advertisers pulled out in the face of a boycott threat, and Sinclair's stock plummeted. This week, Sinclair appeared to backtrack, announcing it would only air segments of the film as part of a larger documentary about…political documentaries. Brooke talks to Legg Mason managing director Blair Levin about the dubious wisdom of Sinclair's politically-oriented business model.
There's more than a week left before the election, but many have cast their votes already, including Americans abroad, shut-ins, and newspapers. Editor & Publisher senior editor Joe Strupp has been tracking editorial endorsements in a daily roundup, and joins Bob to discuss the backroom process through which editorial boards arrive at their endorsements.
Another weekend, another round of endorsements. But in the end, how much influence do the editorial pages have over voters' choices on election day? The answer depends on the candidate's position on the ballot. The further down you go, the more voters depend on their trusted dailies. But where presidential hopefuls are concerned, editorial boards might just as well be shouting into the wind. Bob examines the influence of endorsements.
