# Fuck it, I'm counting my chickens

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 27, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754 "2008-10-27T13:46:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/61 "2008-10-30T01:57:18Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> But again, is there anyone in the world that seriously believes the Bradley Effect has any power anymore?

- Raises hand \* Bigotry has always been and still is a major force in America. One of our culture’s core values.

> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> I put much more stock in the Cooper Effect, young cell-phone sporting young adults and professionals that never felt the need to vote or just turned 18 and are ready to support a president they believe in.

Which, one hope will be enough to overcome any “Bradley Effect”, or the American public’s numerous other moral and intellectual flaws.

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/62 "2008-10-30T09:47:45Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> - Raises hand \* Bigotry has always been and still is a major force in America. One of our culture’s core values.

Again, was Obama planning on support from those people in any great numbers? No, bigots by and large don’t seem to be afraid to let their bigotry show in this election and the few closet bigots that seem to be out there have no trouble telling pollsters they plan to vote for McCain because they just don’t feel good about Obama.

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**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/63 "2008-10-30T09:56:25Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> - Raises hand \* Bigotry has always been and still is a major force in America. One of our culture’s core values.

ETA: **Justin\_Bailey** said everything I was going to, word for word almost. I can’t imagine that an anonymous bigot, called in the privacy of his own home by a pollster, would say that he’s voting for Obama. Clearly, this election is showing that people aren’t afraid to say “McCain,” and justify it with anything from outright, open bigotry to “I just don’t feel good about Obama.”

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**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/64 "2008-10-30T13:58:13Z")

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> [@atomicbadgerrace](#):
>
> ETA: **Justin\_Bailey** said everything I was going to, word for word almost. I can’t imagine that an anonymous bigot, called in the privacy of his own home by a pollster, would say that he’s voting for Obama. Clearly, this election is showing that people aren’t afraid to say “McCain,” and justify it with anything from outright, open bigotry to “I just don’t feel good about Obama.”

Hell, an acquaintance of mine was doing the door-knocking in NH a few weeks ago for the Obama campaign. She gets to one house, and starts her spiel when the \<cough cough\> lady of the house answers it. The lady cuts my friend off, turns and yells into the house, “Hey, \<husband\>! Who are we voting for??” to which a shouted answer comes back, “We’re voting for the n----r.”

So, even Bigots for Obama are honest about their bigotry.

As an aside, 2 things flabbergast me about this story:

1. The couple can only vote for the same person, and it has to be the person the husband chooses? :dubious:
2. As a campaign worker, what’s your reaction? “Thank you for your support, you racist ass?” My friend said she kind of smiled weakly, waved, and backed away…

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**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/65 "2008-10-30T16:11:00Z")

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> [@Phlosphr](#):
>
> I used to think this election is going to be a squeaker, however, as time passes and I watch the Republican elite turning their heads from McCain I think that this election is going to be close, but not a squeaker. I’ll venture to say it’s Obama by 52%.

While it is nice to see the Republican elite turning against McCain, that doesn’t mean that Joe Sixpack and Jane Winebox are doing so. That’s what I’m afraid of. It seems to me that Republican voters are less likely to vote for a Democrat than Democrats are likely to vote for a Republican. That’s merely an opinion based on my experience. No scientific studies or polls were conducted.

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**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/66 "2008-10-30T16:29:57Z")

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> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> Not only are the younger, cell-carrying voters not getting polled, first-time voters and the young are underrepresented in the polls as being not “likely voters”, and I am thinking this will skew the actualy results Obama-wards as well.

Who says cell-carrying voters aren’t getting polled? I was called on my cell by Gallup for a poll. Was it illegal? (I’d only had the phone number for about a week at the time, maybe it used to be a landline?)

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/67 "2008-10-30T16:38:38Z")

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Well I’m a Republican that hasn’t participated in any polls this election, so I’ve canceled out one cell-only Democrat.

I took a couple phone polls last November, and they were very obviously slanted. They also say it’ll only take a few minutes, which is more like 10 minutes.

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**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/68 "2008-10-30T16:41:42Z")

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**Shayna** , thanks for that voter-registration link. I checked, and my name didn’t come up at all.

Then I left the Jr. at the end of my name, and it turns out I’m good for voting.

That was a very frightening 10 seconds.

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**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/69 "2008-10-30T16:55:49Z")

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> [@Kyla](#):
>
> Who says cell-carrying voters aren’t getting polled? I was called on my cell by Gallup for a poll. Was it illegal? (I’d only had the phone number for about a week at the time, maybe it used to be a landline?)

Anecdotally, I’ve been polled once this election – on my cell. It didn’t bother me, and I didn’t mention it.

When I volunteered for the Kerry campaign in 04, we got at least a few cells while doing our polls. No one ever said “you called me on my cellphone!” but I got things like “sure, hang on a sec, I’m strapping the baby in the carseat” and even a “hang on, \<shuffling of phone\> yes, I’ll have the chicken sandwich with fries..”

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/70 "2008-10-30T23:17:11Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Who says cell-carrying voters aren’t getting polled? I was called on my cell by Gallup for a poll. Was it illegal? (I’d only had the phone number for about a week at the time, maybe it used to be a landline?)

Cell phone users are under-represented not absent. The reason is that polls that use automatic dialers cannot call cell phones (it’s illegal) so only polls where the pollers are hand dialing the numbers reach cell phone users.

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**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-it-im-counting-my-chickens/469754/71 "2008-10-31T22:55:16Z")

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There’s a lot of chicken-counting going on. On the way home today I saw posters (modified versions of the famous Obama “Hope” poster) for a “Yes We Did Election Night Party” at Marbar. DJs and everything. Now Google tells me there’s a Cafe Press store selling “Yes We Did” shirts, banners and party supplies.

What’s worse, they’re selling “Mission Accomplished” Obama victory merchandise. What, they want Bush’s Gulf War jinx to rub off on Obama?

[http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/6028622](http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/6028622) if you want some, or if you think I’m kidding.

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