The Democratic advantage could translate into congressional gains in next year's elections, the Pew Center poll suggests. On the other hand, there is good news for Republicans when it comes to their leading candidate for the White House, George W. Bush. Therein lies the potential for a winning coalition. If the election were held today . . . But of course the election will not be held today.
People do change their minds, especially as they get to know candidates.
The real value of a detailed and careful survey of the electorate is that it shows how difficult it is to simplify American politics into right versus left, or even right, left, and center. Both parties have strong centrist tendencies, while independents in the center are drawn left and right-to political characters as disparate as Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, Bill Clinton, and, presumably, George W. Bush. Or, as many polls have found in the past, that people don't trust the government to run a health care system, while a strong majority approves of keeping or even expanding Medi care and Medicaid. This is the subject of Reading Mixed Signals. The Cantrils argue that sending mixed signals doesn't necessarily mean the public is mixed up or that its contradictions are due to a lack of information, or a sign of weak opinions.