The Fredösphere

I don't blog politics since I am above that sort of thing.  But right now, everyone is thinking about polls and this business of how do you extract from people, just by asking them, the truth of what they really want, especially what they really want that they don't even know themselves.  One consideration poll readers should keep in mind is what I would like to call The Vernors Effect.

A friend once told me how he worked in an office where the workers were occasionally polled for what types of soda pop they wanted in the vending machines.  It turned out Vernors Ginger Ale always scored pretty high in these polls.  It seems very likely that Vernors, with it's unusual taste, was most everyone's second or third choice (and the polling allowed for multiple choice).  Perhaps they thought of Vernors as being uniquely able to satisfy a certain Vernors Mood that they thought would come over them every once in a while.  For that eventuality, they definitely wanted Vernors to be there for them.

As it happens (and as you can guess), nobody ever bought the dang Vernors.  It was a constant source of vexation for all involved.  So the next time you hear someone suggesting some kind of ballot reform that allows for multiple choice, be wary.