Byrd's Eye View

I know it's not a new way of gathering information, but this election cycle seems to have brought poll after poll to news outlets.  We can see how voters of every race, gender, creed and economic level are voting.  We can even speculate on what people think about one candidate's chances against another.

My question to you, the voter and the viewer is, does any of that matter to you?

My personal theory is that polling reflects more than the bare statistics that are passed along.  They also reflect what the media is presenting and how the people in the media are doing their jobs. 

I suspect that polls don't have a great deal of influence over voters other than to let them know if their preference is in the majority or the minority on a certain day.  More than anything, I hear voters explaining their choice in candidate by pointing to policy, values and ideas -- not the polls.

So... do polls matter to you?  How do you use them (if you do)?  Do they influence your decision about who will get your vote?

Barack HUSSEIN Obama is a Muslim terrorist who was sworn in on the Quran, trained in radical Muslim schools, refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance, is endorsed by the president of the Ku Klux Klan, belongs to a radical church that excludes non-blacks and has a non-negotiable commitment to Africa.  He said he wants to change the greatest nation in the world (that would be the U.S. in case you're wondering) and his campaign is being funded by Hugo Chavez.  Oh, and he's still trying to learn how to hold a telephone correctly...

Come on, people.  How dumb does a person have to be to believe this bunk?  It's all lies.

Or do you think that 70% of voters in Illinois are stupid?  Obama won the Senate seat 70% to 27% over Alan Keyes in 2004.  That's 3,597,000 people who were apparently snowed into thinking this "radical Muslim" was the best person to represent them in the Senate.  13.3 million Americans have voted for him as their presidential candidate.

From the Clinton side of things, 12.6 million Americans support Hillary as their presidential candidate, and I won't even go into the hate and discontent that's directed towards her.

Luckily, I haven't seen any falsehoods about McCain, but I'm sure they're out there. 

The point I'm trying to make here is that desperate people write terrible things when they're ignorant and scared.  They cut and paste when they're ignorant, scared and lazy.

I'm getting very tired of partial "facts" and flat-out lies being passed along through e-mail and in blogs.   It's not just for the presidential race, it's present at all levels of politics. 

If you disagree with a candidate's politics and philosophy, that's completely fair.   Choose the person who represents your values, your outlook, and your vision for this country.

Check everything out on every candidate.  Stop with the cuts and pastes and please make an informed, intelligent decision when you vote.   

www.snopes.com is a pretty good resource for sorting through the muck.  Enjoy.

For the first primary vote in my memory, North Carolina's delegates MIGHT actually matter. 

After Pennsylvania's primaries on April 22, the Old North State has the most delegates of any state left to have a primary or caucus, (134 for Democrats and 69 for Republicans), on May 6th.

So I'm curious... are you planning on voting in the North Carolina primaries?  Do you feel our state will have a notable impact on the nominees for the 2008 Presidential election?

During a campaign season, it becomes more difficult to sort through the truth and lies that get swapped around.  There are some pretty inflammatory accusations out there, and they can make a candidate sound almost criminal.

Here's something important to remember:  All of the Presidential candidates have been vetted prior to this election.  All of them have been elected to public office prior to this election.   Thousands of people before now have considered their records and felt they were the best choice for public office.  Do you really think that something earth-shaking has been overlooked at this point?

Hateful, desperate people will spread rumors as if they are fact.  Sometimes they sound pretty convincing. 

Voters must check out every single e-mail, every blog post, every online article carefully.  Consider the sources of the information that you get and make an informed decision before you forward information to others.

Your vote should be thoughtful and smart -- just like you. 

Last night, I just had to watch the CNN/You Tube Democratic "Debate".  The premise was great -- regular Americans posing their questions on the website, YouTube, for Democratic candidates to answer.  I loved it because the questions were direct and in many cases, tough and sometimes irreverent.

It was NOT a debate, however.  It was more of a random, "getting to know you" session.  There are simply too many candidates (from both parties) to have a debate.  I wonder if the networks shouldn't hold off on using the term "debate" until there is clearly a duo or trio of candidates with enough delegates' support to recognize as the top choices from each party.

Did you watch?  Would you (or did you) submit questions online for the candidates to answer?