Voters are seen to be quite antsy when it comes to the presidential election- that is they are all over the place. Dan Balz talks about the unpredictability of the voting outcome. Today’s outcomes are said to be far different when the election process gets serious. Voters are less serious about the polls going on now because most people only pay attention to certain campaigns at certain times and aren’t fully swayed towards a certain person; it is all too early for that.
The media sets up the election process in a way that will keep the people interested, but is it too soon? Most candidates are only setting the tone but voters aren’t so easily impressed.
Speculations are far more interesting than what is really happening. Media offers the wonders of speculation quite generously. Voters seem to be more interested in the “speculation” aspect of campaigning because we as people are more inclined to read something dramatic than boring and dry. Speculation is created in the election process to keep voters interested in a particular candidate but according to Balz, at this point in the election process, voters are still just swinging by and freely shopping around for a candidate without specifically purchasing; but, but, but if they do decide to purchase, their mind can easily change once things get real.
To better understand this position, Dan Balz writes, “One week Michele Bachmann is the star of the show. Then it’s Rick Perry coming to the party’s rescue on a white horse, and everyone writes off Bachmann. Herman Cain was written off months ago, and yet he is enjoying a new burst of attention. Jon Huntsman is just a speck in many national polls but has shown movement in New Hampshire. Ron Paul has his cadre of passionate supporters, but does he have enough to be a real spoiler in some early states? Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have been effective in debate, but they get little respect from the political class. Mitt Romney’s poll numbers remain steady but not particularly impressive. Donors pant after Chris Christie. Sarah Palin bides her time.’’ Candidates, are like a product at the store and the voters are the consumers. At this point in time there are too many candidates, so voters, being the smart consumers that they are (or are they), they are just shopping around and getting a feel for what is good what is not. The voters are in a state of confusion and are conflicted with their choices but little by little as time progresses, they are being influenced by one another and the results of the masses (polls). At the same time, we must not be fooled by the outcomes set forth so far because the race has just begun to get serious. As Balz, states, “looked obvious or apparent in October got blown up once the voters began to get serious about picking a new president or a presidential nominee.” He is absolutely and undoubtedly right because it’s a long process and the candidates are plenty. Although we love speculation, it’s untrustworthy.
Balz goes into detail explaining why this is true: “At this time in 1983, Walter Mondale was on a march to the Democratic nomination, with Sen. John Glenn seen as his principal challenger. Glenn was viewed as perhaps the party’s most attractive general election candidate. House Speaker Tip O’Neill thought he could be described as a Democratic Eisenhower, a national hero whose popularity transcended politics. But voters cast Glenn aside quickly when their time came.”
“In 1996, Phil Gramm tied Bob Dole in the Iowa straw poll and was on the move in the Republican nomination contest. He had staked his credibility as a candidate on his ability to raise lots of money. By the time of the Iowa caucuses, he was almost an afterthought to the voters, who saw less virtue in his candidacy than some of the experts. He disappeared quickly.”
This goes to the show the inconsistency of the voters and how they’re willing to vote in the long run. Nothing is constant until the candidates lessen and tension is multiplied.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-gop-race-voters-have-their-own-timetable/2011/10/01/gIQAJh4kCL_story_1.html
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