Polling is dumb: Rnd 2

Here's an excellent column by Jonah Goldberg of NRO that in many ways expands on the idea I discussed earlier on Polling.

Jonah takes a look at the concept of polls beyond pure methodology. It's well worth reading to give you pause the next time you hear someone extolling the virtues of the latest polling data illustrating what "the people" think.

Sample:

"I’m sorry, I may not be smart enough to understand why Anchorman isn’t a classic of American cinema. But I do know a lot of really smart people, and when I ask them the same questions pollsters regularly ask (Should Israel trade land for peace? Is the war in Iraq going well? Is Social Security partial privatization a bad idea? Why is Charmed still on TV while Angel and Buffy were cancelled?) and I usually get six-part answers, festooned with ifs, ands, buts and on-the-other-hands. But “the people” always seem to have a fully formed opinion handy."