… The public opinion polling business and apparatus has often come to dominate the dialogue in political campaigns, especially at the presidential level. The emphasis on horse race polling sometimes seems to pollute the process almost as much as the influence of wealthy donors in propping up particular White House wannabes.
The horse race game has undoubtedly spiced political reporting, but at the price of overvaluing its reliability and constructive contribution to the quadrennial national discussion on where the nation should head in the following four years. CONT.
Jules Witcover, Baltimore Sun