Pollsters discuss political strategies

In an event that was surprisingly non-confrontational, four Republican and Democrat party insiders met last night in Houston Hall to recap how polling strategies affected the 2000 elections. Moderated by Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel, the event brought in about 20 audience members. John McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Associates, and Polling Company CEO and President Kelly Anne Fitzpatrick represented the Republicans. Rich Davis, of Dixon Davis Media Group, and former Gore Campaign Research Chairman David Ginsburg, a 1997 Penn graduate, spoke from the Democrats' side. Participants said they found the panel unexpectedly filled with agreements. "I was amazed," said College sophomore Aaron Short, who helped to organize the event. "I thought they would fight -- usually people [in opposing political parties] do, but they didn't. I guess it's because they know each other." Panelists discussed trends that have shaped the political world. Noting that some tendencies have existed since 1964, McLaughlin said, "I thought it would be a realignment election." He added, "The Republican Party was on a nadir since 1964 and reached a zenith in 1984 with the election of Reagan, and the trends today are the same." "Instant information in the news changes polling overnight," McLaughlin noted, claiming that the press has a huge effect on the polls. Fitzpatrick said she was frustrated with low voter turnout. "More people spent their time in the cereal aisle choosing what cereal to buy than they spent choosing who to vote for in the 2000 election," she said. Panelists then turned to future elections. McLaughlin noted the importance of the economy, claiming that Gore kept saying the economy was better, so that became the central issue in the race. "But if this economy doesn't recover, Bush may have a miserable '04 election," he said. Despite a low turnout, panelists said they enjoyed the event. Davis said he likes seeing students so involved in politics. "It is important for students to come to panels like this," he said. "But it is more important for people in my profession to come to a panel like this and demystify politics." College sophomore and College Democrats Campus Outreach Chairman Paul Flynn was intrigued by the concept of polling. "The corporate and political worlds overlap, and market research is an obvious field [within that overlap]."