Thursday, August 14, 2008

New polling method predicts US election result

Keith Olbermann of MSNBC's Countdown reports that Obama has been predicted to win the US presidential election by a landslide. The poll was taken across six minor league baseball stadiums over six nights and asked 'voters' to choose their preference by selecting the bobblehead doll (pictured) of their favoured candidate. The bobblehead is a human version of the nodding dog, normally dolls are of baseball players but you can pick up a range of 'nodding' celebs from Einstein to Mr T. Olbermann is not too specific who set this 'experiment' up but it can do the Obama campaign no harm - the news is that ordinary America think he is the best candidate. What is scary is that someone, somewhere thought this would be the best way to predict the outcome of an election, scarier still is the lead mirrors polls around the same time. I think it was a local Yorkshire-based newspaper that showed fruit and veg stalls selling the appropriately coloured products to match the parties during the 2001 UK General Election, not sure if bobbleheads would be a good alternative or if Brown, Cameron or Clegg would agree to having their doll made either. Well they might... Brown might be willing to have anything made that will improve his popularity!

2 comments:

SamN87 said...

Hi Darren, I'm back on blogger, have been very busy with work the past couple of months!!
I try to keep up with your blog posts though as I find them a very interesting read!
Hope all is well for you.
In relation to this post, I don't think there is much left in the PR tank for GB to improve his image. Employing the threesome of: Stephen Carter, David Muir and Nick Stace, Youtube, twittering, phone calls to the general public - all trying to make him seem more likeable to the public. But all attempts seem to be in vain of 'team Cameron'.
It would be interesting to know what would you do in GB's situation?

Dr Darren G Lilleker said...

Hi Sam, good to hear from you. If I was Gordon, the mistake he made was doing a job that he is not equipped for in the television/multimedia age and then finding himself embroiled in an economic crisis which undermines his one quality. What does he do now is the ultimate question. I think the next election is lost unless the Conservatives implode, but he needs to carry on and then let another leader take over and set the party up for a victory in 2014/15. The hardest thing for any prominent politician to do is reverse a negative image, to do so in a time of crisis is impossible I reckon. All the best!