Don's Tuesday Column

         THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson Red Bluff Daily News   11/08/2016

     The right, duty and challenges for voters

It is the privilege, even the solemn duty and responsibility, of all citizens to vote, but more so to cast an informed, thoughtful vote. In that, we can all join hands and salute the franchise that accompanies the flag we all also salute. It is the transition of office-holding—if only a confirmation of the office holder to remain—in a peaceful, orderly fashion that distinguishes America and other representative democracies from the tumultuous, even violent, changing of regimes found elsewhere.

So it comes as a disappointment to find that now, perhaps more than any other recent election cycle, many citizens are, often rightfully, suspicious of the process as well as the outcome in close, national contests. Will we wake up tomorrow to a disputed result? Will one side or the other accumulate a significant, even resounding victory so as to impress upon the other side that nobody stole anything election-wise?

 It is beyond dispute that the news media have overwhelmingly placed their influence on Hillary Clinton’s side to the point of rationalizing their animosity, and pejorative slanted coverage against Donald Trump. The certitude of their righteousness betrays a supposedly “neutral” press. Contributions on the record show a 20 to 1 news media bias toward Clinton; even those from identified pollsters show a similar preference. Collusion has surfaced between, for instance, CNN, the Washington Post, as well as other outlets, and DNC/Hillary operatives like John Podesta.

The passing of questions between debate participant Clinton and interviewers—even to the extent of Wolf Blitzer seeking input from the DNC on what to ask Trump—should remind you that, in a classroom situation, the receiver as well as the passer of test answers is punished. Democrat cheaters like Donna Brazille have paid the price; Hillary, as the beneficiary of planted questions, has not.

While the 1^st Amendment-protected press has often, in America’s history, acted as shameful hacks for one side, such favoritism was usually balanced by press favoritism on the other side. Now, the East Coast beltway, the alphabet-soup broadcast, cable and big-city newspaper/Associated Press cabal have no comparable counter-balancing beyond the radio talkers so derided by those same purveyors of liberal conventional wisdom.

Just about as soon as social media forums began to circulate unfiltered views and information more friendly to the right, the progressive powers and deciders undertook to “filter” out what is unacceptable under the guise of anti-hate speech policies. Of course, it usually transpires that only hearty criticism of the left gets labeled “hate”; similar vehemence toward conservatives—not so much.

The FBI/DOJ system has, via Director Comey, delivered a scathing indictment sans actual prosecution of Hillary, while declaring her clear of “intent” to violate (note the certitude that she did violate) national security laws. Both sides alternately proclaim vindication or betrayal. Time will tell if Comey’s statements stand up, after the evidence is exhaustively examined by we, the people, not just politically-appointed prosecutors at DOJ.

Remember that we have ObamaCare because a flawed, illegitimate prosecution of Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens brought about his resignation in time for Democrats to ram it though the Senate with a weakened Republican filibuster unable to oppose it. While Hillary benefits from the pass given her by AG Lynch, her husband owed his victory over then-Pres. G.H.W. Bush to an invalid indictment by Democrat Special Prosecutor Walsh of Bush’s Defense Secretary Weinberger, which falsely suggested that Bush lied over the Iran-Contra scandal.

I have spent hours dissecting and “un-skewing” the national polls. They must be compared to the most recent poll of 130 million Americans, with no “margin of error,” from the 2012 election. Democrat Barack Obama beat Republican Mitt Romney 51% to 47%, or 52 to 48 if you factor out the third party vote. I have found a consistent bias, or “over sampling” of Democrats, that inflates the Clinton choice over Trump, in ABC, CBS, NBC, Reuters, Economist and Bloomberg. The Democrat/Republican survey samples are weighted between 20 and 30 percent in favor of the Clinton/Democrat side, compared to the roughly 10 percent margin that favored Obama (his 4 point win over Romney was less than 1/10^th of 47%).

Any time I have reduced the Dem/Rep/Independent portions to parity of 1/3 each, I have found those same surveys (showing Clinton well ahead of Trump) to show a tied race or even a slight Trump lead. Every time I have found, deeply buried in the poll data, how each group’s members favor the 2 candidates—the Dems favor Clinton by a similar 85-90 percent as the Reps favor Trump—they cancel each other out.

The Independents always favor Trump by a margin that, since the Dems and Reps balance out, should show Trump ahead overall. Today’s Bloomberg poll shows exactly that: The 2 parties cancel each other at 85-86% each for their nominee; Independents favor Trump over Clinton 44 to 38%--but Clinton was ahead 46 to 43. Really? Investors’ Business Daily, the most accurate pollster for 3 elections, has Trump 43, Clinton 41. Based on such statistical analysis, I could see a Trump winning the popular vote and at least 270 Electoral College votes. Or not.

I support, endorse and encourage votes for Doug LaMalfa, James Gallagher and Donald Trump. Those votes say “No” to corruption, special interests and the elite establishment, IMHO.