2008 Woodie Awards
Pollster: 'Middle Voter' is bad
By: James Fernandes
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
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They are an insight into the voter's psyche, said John Zogby.
Zogby, president of the polling company Zogby International, came to campus Friday to speak on politics, the impending election and the factors that influence voting behavior.
Zogby told students polls serve a higher purpose: They provide knowledge of how the voters think and of the overarching mood of the country.
"Is the country heading in the right direction or is it off in the wrong track?" he asked. "(When we polled voters), 19 percent of people say it's going in the right direction and 74 percent say it's in the wrong track. That is by far a record."
Another factor that shapes elections is the "middle voter," Zogby said
The middle voter is the voter who is not ideological in nature and votes based on the candidate's potential to solve problems, whether they belong to Republicans or Democrats.
"The non-ideological voter is bad," Zogby said.
The extreme, conflicting partisanship of today's American politics also is a factor in voters' minds, he said.
"What is gone is the spirit of camaraderie," Zogby said.
Just as serious, Zogby said, is the feud inside the Democratic party itself.
"The Democrats - since the 1970s - have been a composite of self-interests," Zogby said.
He said the rating for Democrats in Congress now is lower than the favorable rating for O.J. Simpson during his trial.
Transitioning to the significance of this year's election historically, Zogby said it will be a "1932 moment," referring to the election when Americans reputed Herbert H. Hoover and elected a president, Franklin Roosevelt, who could bring to a close the problems of the Great Depression.
Zogby also discussed the Democratic race between New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, saying there are four warring demographics that will decide the election.
Older women, Latinos, African-Americans and young voters who have distinct objectives in the election ultimately will decide the Democratic party's nomination, Zogby said.
Those who went to the event said they were pleased with the lecture.
"It was great," said professor emeritus Robert Newby. "You don't get an opportunity very often to talk to someone so central to the electoral process ... Really extraordinary."
Students conjured a great turnout for a Friday, said psychology professor Tim Hartshorne.
"I was very pleased with the turnout - I wish everybody could have heard this," Hartshorne said.
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Frank Murphy
posted 3/31/08 @ 12:46 PM EST
Seems that the partisanship that he is against is a result of the ideological vote not the "middle voter."
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