Live Free or Die. . . and Lie?

Perhaps I should say fib or prevaricate or string along. A lie, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.

It’s quiet in New Hampshire. The political bird flocks have flown south and west. We are in a weather deep freeze now that the hot air supply has diminished. The phones don’t ring incessantly. Our discussions are like those after a wedding or a big party. We sit around and kibitz about it all and compare and contrast to other primaries. We take it seriously and have all the years that I’ve lived here. We are fortunate to have many opportunities to meet and listen to the candidates in person. It’s a huge difference from the slick media moments that necessarily ensue when campaigning in many states. It is impressive how many voters thoughtfully compare and contrast.

So what was up with the polls and the missed predictions? We are, indeed, independent here in the Granite State. We are technically “undeclared” on the voting roster and that fits us psychologically, too. Many are fiercely and vocally partisan, but independents tend to be fiercely private. Being curious, I’ve been asking many times in many venues how people responded to the pollsters.

One friend confessed to replying “yes” to everyone who called when asked if she were voting for their candidate. Ditto for her husband. Another gave the opposite response. Whoever called, he was voting for the other guy (or gal). Most preferred the Q&A gatherings to debates or speeches and felt they knew more about the real candidate that way. Many hadn’t decided on the party until election day and reported changing their minds many times before entering the voting booth. Anyone without wishful thinking would have realized how fluid the situation was. If statisticians had any idea about the NH psyche, they would have thrown in or invented a perversity factor.

My responders also indicated that there was a fair amount of hanging up going on. As for me and my house, caller ID changed everything.