Pollsters Think They Can Predict the Future - News Alert! They Can't

There were no pollsters back in the day. 

From the earliest civilizations humanity depended upon seers and shamans to predict future events. The actually held honored positions in society.

Those soothsayers are still around, but they have a limited audience because of pollsters. In America thanks to the first Gallup Poll 65 years ago pollsters have been disappointing us with inaccurate predictions.

Fact. Polls are always wrong.

A modern example...

In the weeks leading up to the November 2016 election, polls across the country predicted an easy sweep for the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. We all know how that turned out. Four years of Trump trying to destroy democracy.

One of the things I learned in college was not to trust polls. There are so many variables in the methodology that it's impossible to guarantee accurate results. When a pollster's prediction does turn out to be right, they hail their accurate scientific methods as the result.

Note: pollsters are optimists and dreamers who share their personal polling methods with politicians and the public.

Just don't bet on pollsters. You'd probably do better betting on the horses. I've seen people absolutely devasted when the polls they were following were wrong, and their candidate lost. Once again think about the 2016 election.

More people mourned the results in that election than ones who celebrated their unexpected windfall, as evidenced by Clinton winning the popular vote.

Political pundits talk about submerged voters. It's a cute way of saying there are voters who don't respond to telephone polling or online polling. 

They tend to be conservatives and Independents like me who don't want to waste their time answering senseless questions about upcoming elections and candidates. Apparently, Democrats are more likely to respond to pollsters according to a poll... if you believe the poll is right.

I mentioned earlier that prophets and seers were often honored in their communities. If modern pollsters want to gain that status in society, they're going to have to gin up their act.

Some suggestions.

Pollsters need to jazz up their appearance. Purple robes, a coned hat, and wands should be mandatory. 

Pollsters should take a tip from shamans and make their predictions so hard to understand that people are left puzzling them out.

Pollsters need to expand their act in public with fireworks and acrobats leading up to the arrival of a posh-looking smooth-talking pollster.

Pollsters only get paid if their predictions are right.

As it stands, my prediction for the midterms is someone is going to win... and someone is going to lose. You can take that to the bank.