By and large, all of us do a good job of representing the mood and behavior of Americans. As with good consumers dealing with retail items and HMOs, good citizens must also be good consumers and evaluate for themselves which polls they trust. In a democracy, public opinion must be a factor in any policy discussion. I personally have some trouble when polls drive policy or decisions by our leaders, but the opinion of voters must be somewhere in the mix. Ultimately, we elect our representatives to make decisions on principle and conscience, but we also expect that they not be contemptuous of the people who elected them.
Polls predict the winners and losers.
Actually, a poll is only a snapshot of a moment in time. It can point to trends, but things can change on election day, when a lot of undecided voters make up their minds. Early polls can have an effect on a candidate s ability to raise funds, but they do not shape how an election will turn. Polls are a good thing. They let us know if our opinions are in the mainstream or not.