Do Polls Mean Anything?

Local and national media are quick to re-emphasize the single digits Kucinich has been receiving in the CNN/gallup poll - scientifically selecting handfulls of hundreds to determine the fate of the democratic primaries. One would think it would be newsworthy that different candidates are receiving wide support though other venues than television. Internet campaigning is all the buzz this election; Howard Dean, as well as his media fan club have credited the net for his popularity. You'd think you'd hear something about Kucinich being second on the net and gaining ground on frontrunner Dean. Well, you are hearing it now.

As of Tuesday, January 6, 2004, ranks second in web traffic according to alexa.com, an amazon.com company which has been tracking the world wide web since April, 1996; the same site Gen. Clark refers to when he credits his internet success. Both Kucinich and Clark have been battling for second and third place with continual fluctuations. Currently, Kucinich is skyrocketing over Clark and has gained notable ground to threaten Dean's comfortable net lead; even surpassing Kerry's recent surge. Other polls show Kucinich's support, perhaps where they count the most. Newstation and The Iowa Channel's KCCI's ongoing people's poll shows Kucinich in a close second in the primary crucial state. Dean leads with 47%, Kucinich 37%, Clark 15% and the other candidates with 1 or 2%. Web rankings and public opinion polls are not scientific. However, they do reflect interest and recognition in real time. No one has been able to to come close to Dean's traffic ratings since the beginning. Not even Clark could break away from the rest of the pack after his immediate surge during his candidacy declaration. It has only been in the last few days that anyone has even come close to Dean territory. Those candidates are Kucinich and Kerry, with Kucinich currently closer. It can't be determined now if Kucinich or Kerry can hold their recently high surges. By walking the Kucinich beat, I can guess that Dennis' notable jump this past week was probably due to his New Year's Eve fundraising party webcast and the sold out Austin concert also webcasted live. What this does reflect is that in the past few days almost as many internet users as Dean have become aware of the Kucinich campaign. Perhaps more Dean supporters who are questioning his support for the continued US-led occupation will realize after watching the webcasts that it is Kucinich who opposes both the war and the occupation. Whaterver these polls show or do not show, they are more newsworthy than CNN.com headlining Madonna's endorsement of Gen. Clark.

  • Alexa.com only posted results of the four listed candidates on the graph, which was first listed in a Dec. 3 feature noting sharp rises in the 'underdog' campaigns of Kucinich and Edwards. The results are ongoing. To the graph, read the Kelly Drago article or to compare your own favorite candidate visit: http://pages.alexa.com/features/candidates.html

Kucinich Benefit Concert Sells Out Austin Music Hall The legendary Willie Nelson along with other musical talent played to a sold out croud in Austin, Texas Saturday night to benefit hometown presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Nelson has strongly supported Kucinich since early in his campaign, first offering his voice in Iowa radio spots. Bonnie Raitt, Michael Mc Donald?, Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers, Tim Reynolds and Michelle Shocked were also on the bill. Nelson used the evening to debut his newest song, Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth. Bewildered by war and inspired by the Kucinich peace movement, the five-time Grammy winner wrote this song this past Christmas Day.

"And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we've been told from our birth
Hell they won't lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liar's word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth."

For the rest of the lyrics, visit http://www.kucinich.us/nelson_poe_song.php

You Are Not Alone
Would you like to meet other Kucinich supporters? You can at 7PM this Thu 1/8 at Arabica at Univ Circle, 11300 Juniper Rd. Campaign staff, volunteers and local supporters will be on hand to answer questions and discuss election issues. This casual gathering is free and not a fundraiser. The monthly meeting is organized through meetup.com where locals can find monthly meeting dates for the support teams of all the presidential candidates. Signing up on the meetup site is not necessary prior to attendence; however, if you would like to stay plugged into the monthly meeting info and vote on the next meeting place, sign up at http://kucinich2004.meetup.com

  • The Kucinich campaign is reading and posting letters of support from those who formerly supported other candidates. To read or post your own:

http://www.kucinich.us/i-switched.php

From Cool Cleveland contributor Charlene Coates (:divend:)