# It's the poll, not the posts which matter **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 9, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237 "2016-08-09T12:14:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/1 "2016-08-09T12:14:14Z")
If it wasn’t so serious I’d concede that the qunatity and quality of smoke, heat, light and schadenfreude going on 'round 'ere is highly amusing. But, you know, the more shrill and imaginative this forum gets on prospective ways to prevent, subvert and stymie TRUMP the more worried I get that the underlying attitude of superiority is just what feeds the fires of discontent and only increases the chances of his winning. We have seen nefarious schemes proposed for 3rd party candidates, speculation on the GOP fractionating, for unfaithful EC voters, for the courts, or the legislators or the Defense Chiefs to circumvent the process. It’s a plaintive and pathetic “SOMEBODY (else) DO SOMETHING” But if you want to beat this rooster badly, what is needed is for you to just get up on the stump. Make your case to someone outside the choir. Bang in a couple of lawn signs. Participate. Listen. Rebutt. Persuade a couple of the undecideds. Cast a vote. Please. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/2 "2016-08-09T12:18:05Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > But, you know, the more shrill and imaginative this forum gets on prospective ways to prevent, subvert and stymie TRUMP the more worried I get that the underlying attitude of superiority is just what feeds the fires of discontent and only increases the chances of his winning. You know, people can complain in here _and_ vote: they’re not mutually exclusive. Personally, I’m never sure if I should try to persuade someone to vote a certain way. A specific policy view is another story. But if they voice their support, there’s an offhand chance that they would just be more determined to actually go and vote once they’ve defended their views and thus are more psychologically committed to it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/3 "2016-08-09T12:30:54Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > You know, people can complain in here _and_ vote: they’re not mutually exclusive. > > Personally, I’m never sure if I should try to persuade someone to vote a certain way. A specific policy view is another story. But if they voice their support, there’s an offhand chance that they would just be more determined to actually go and vote once they’ve defended their views and thus are more psychologically committed to it. In one. Nice. To amplify: > **[Backfire effect](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Backfire_effect)** > > The backfire effect is a possible psychological effect that was originally proposed by Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler in 2010 based on their research of a single survey item among conservatives,\[2\]\[3\] ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/4 "2016-08-09T13:54:54Z")
I protested the Trump rally in Portland last week. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/5 "2016-08-09T14:12:05Z")
Actually, we need do nothing. Trump will sink his own boat. He can’t behave, it’s not in his personality to do so. This forum is definitely left leaning, but it expresses much of what is being felt throughout the nation. I’ve been here a couple of election cycles so far, and we’ve pretty much called the major elections. So much so that I expect CNN to start publishing the SDMB survey of American politics as one of their polls. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/6 "2016-08-09T14:32:12Z")
I was expecting a poll in this thread. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/7 "2016-08-09T14:54:18Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Bang in a couple of lawn signs. Every time I bang one in, it gets stolen . . . resulting in my shelling out another $31.85 to Hillary for a new one. It’s as if whoever is stealing them is working for Hillary. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/8 "2016-08-09T15:00:31Z")
How many voters does it take to bang in a couple of lawn signs? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/9 "2016-08-09T15:13:29Z")
Donate money and/or knock on doors for the candidate and/or phone bank. It’s less about persuading anyone at this point and more about turning out the vote for Hillary. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/10 "2016-08-09T15:35:53Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I protested the Trump rally in Portland last week. How many people came up to you, thanked you, and told you they had changed their mind after seeing your protest? ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-poll-not-the-posts-which-matter/762237/11 "2016-08-09T16:40:10Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > How many voters does it take to bang in a couple of lawn signs? Clintons don’t bang in lawn signs. They bang in Little Rock hotel rooms.