Everyone knows that polling, especially for political purposes are done to influence voter's perceptions on the issues the pollster wants to talk about and not the knowledge those polled actually have on the subject matter. And it was evident by Faucheaux's column of April 25 concerning a poll by Politico/Morning Consult.
Faucheaux writes in his second to last paragraph,"based on public perception Democrats have lost the key issues to the GOP over the past year, especially the economy, national security and immigration." Of course those who pay to have the polls taken and the pollsters themselves prefer to ask about perception instead of the actual knowledge and facts about the subject issue. We see it take place everyday on the internet, in opinion columns and cable shows where misinformation is given out that is meant to have the reader or listener perceive a certain statement as being true. And it is done simply because they know a large percentage of the public do not bother to seek the facts.
That is how Trump was elected in the first place. The voters thought through perception he was a strong leader and we know how his administration ended with an insurrection by his urging to storm the Capitol and over turn a legitimate democratic election. The media and pollsters have encouraged perception to prevail over facts. And today Trump is still trying to sell the fraud election as facts and his followers through perception, still believe him. Facts have a way of making the ignorant, look ignorant.
For years, the media and pollsters have ran with the GOP claim and talking points that democratic administrations were job killers. Yet history and the facts tells us that over the past 100 years, job creation under democratic administrations have been robust. While job creation under GOP administrations have been anemic at best. A good example is the Clinton administration created more jobs in the 8 years he served than Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump created in the 24 years they served. The facts prove that but the media publishes the GOP talking points and never counter with the facts. The same thing goes for the GOP talking point and claim that democratic administrations are the big spenders. Fact is in the last 42 years the largest increases in federal spending have taken place on the watch of Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump and the smallest increases have taken place on Clinton's and Obama's watch. And as of today, the media still runs with that GOP claim and talking point.
Those who push perception and those who vote by perception explain why the large issues facing the country are so difficult to correct and turn around. It also explains why every GOP administration in the past 100 years has given the country an economic recession. And in the last 42 years all took place on the GOP watch of Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 and Trump. There was no recession that began on Clinton or Obama's watch. And to think that Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump cut taxes for you know who that was going to create jobs, jobs, jobs and great economic times. Yeah, right.
If those who were polled switched their perception over the past year in favor of the GOP does that mean they think the economy under Trump and the GOP the previous 4 years was better than the Biden economy of 2021, last year? Those who understand the facts would never be swayed by perception. Nor would they be swayed by perception if they knew the economic facts verified by precedent over the past 70 years and especially the last 42 years.
So the negative comments will continue to flood the media to influence voter perception before the November elections. It has worked in the past on the un-informed and that is why major issues such as immigration reform legislation has been kicked down the road. Maybe one day a pollster will come along and do a survey to test those polled on their knowledge of facts concerning the issues. It may not change their perception but the answers would provide the public with their lack of knowledge on the issues and people will more fully understand how someone like Donald Trump could become President of the United States.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
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