George Graham

Here’s a Poll Result You Can Take to the Bank

I just saw one of those “experts” on TV expounding on the value of poll results, and the bottom line, as far as he is concerned, is that the polls favoring John McCain are sophisticated and reliable, while the ones favoring Barack Obama “were done on the cheap” and should be ignored.

So who do you think he is voting (make that working) for?

To help readers understand the U.S. presidential election, I decided to do my own poll. I figured that I should poll only subjects who could be trusted to give an honest response, and I decided to appoint someone I could trust to do the polling.

So naturally, I concluded, I should poll myself.

First, the necessary background information.

When I came to live and work in the United States 29 years ago, I didn’t know much about the country’s politics, but I knew I had a duty to vote as soon as I was able to do so. My mother, who had been living in America for some time, always voted Republican, but I figured she was just being a good Roman Catholic and doing what Father had told her to do.

I didn’t have the same religious obligation so I registered as an Independent and cast my first ballot for the Libertarian candidate (I think it was Ron Paul back then). Since then I’ve tended to favor the Democrats as I have never been rich enough to see any reason for voting Republican.

Now the poll results.

My poll shows Obama will win in a landslide. You can print this out and keep it, and if he loses you can rub my face in it.

My rationale is simple. George W. Bush is the worst president America has ever had. Among global rulers, he ranks right up there with Idi Amin. If ever a president was guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, this guy is. I won’t go into details. Anyone interested enough to read this blog surely knows what a disaster the Bush presidency has been.

And it becomes clearer every day that John McCain is Son of Bush.

You may recall a passage in the Bible that tells how a King of Israel named Rehoboam responded to the elders when they asked him to ease the burdens his father had placed on the people.

“Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee,” the elders said in that old-fashioned way of theirs. Rehoboam’s reply was short and anything but sweet.

“My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke,” he declared. “My father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

When I hear McCain adumbrating the policies he would pursue if elected president, the words of Rehoboam echo in my ears. True, he has a more modern way of expressing himself but the core message is the same. And, as long as I have a choice, I would rather not be chastised with scorpions.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com