MIRSKY: Don't Count Your Candidate Out

This article is about political polls, where the news media tries to tell you something specific about an election that is not yet occurring based on telephone calls to random samples of people who will be in a completely different state of mind when they actually vote.

As I’ve said previously, for the 2016 Election, I am supporting Hillary Clinton for President, so you should keep that in mind as you read what I have to say here. The picture of Ms. Clinton that I have provided was taken at her appearance in Exeter on Monday, at Exeter High School, home of the Blue Hawks, where Hillary announced a comprehensive plan to make a college education affordable for our children, and to remove the specter of debilitating college debt that many are facing right now.

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In August 1971, 44 years ago, I was privileged to be present at a campaign event in the Lexington, Massachusetts Armory that was held on behalf of Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, who eventually became the nominee of the Democratic Party, but was defeated by Richard Nixon in the fall of 1972, largely because of divisions within that Democratic Party that made it nearly impossible for a Democratic candidate to prevail. At that event I was wearing a cast on my right arm, which I had broken during horseplay at a neighborhood swimming pool. George McGovern signed my cast that day, and I still have it.

I’m telling you about George McGovern’s campaign in August 1971 because at that point Senator McGovern stood at approximately 7 percent in the national polling on the 1972 Presidential Election. As I’ve said, McGovern was the eventual nominee of his Party in 1972.

You may have heard about some pretty surprising polls regarding the 2016 Presidential Election and the February 9, 2016 New Hampshire Primary. You should pay attention to these polls for amusement, but if you really care about what is going on in the presidential race, if you support a candidate, you should pay no attention to these poll numbers, unless of course your candidate hasn’t gotten to 1 percent; then you might have problem.