Polling, a once-trusty tool for understanding public sentiment and predicting outcomes, has come under fire for its recent failures. The problem with modern polling methods, it seems to me, lies in the attempt to reduce the complexity of human behavior into neat mathematical equations. By treating individuals as mere data points, pollsters miss the nuanced and dynamic factors that truly shape public opinion. It sort of reminds me of the perennial debate in Washington between liberals and conservatives over the issue of cutting taxes.
Since Ronald Reagan rode into Washington in 1980, promising to cut tax rates across the board, the debate has centered on the “cost” of tax cuts. Hence the often-repeated question: How will we pay for them? As though individual taxpayers are somehow obligated to find the money to make up for the money they are allowed to keep. It reeks of the…
