Would you be comfortable voting for a President who makes Decisions Based on Polls?

Question

Understanding that there are many Items of Intel.That the Public has no access to.

Answer 1

No, unless the poll is overwhelming....if a massive majority of people are against something, the leader should probably question their motives and whether they are following the will of the people that elected them.

Answer 2

Democracy is a great way of figuring out what the public wants, however, it is useless in determining if what the public wants is right.

There is a reason the founding fathers sought to limit democracy when setting up this nation... democracy is nothing different than mob rule... therefore the goal of the founding fathers was to set up a system in which the will of the people was balanced against the rights of the individual. That's why they gave us limited government, with legal protections against violations of individual rights, and created a bicameral legislature which had seperate bodies that they represented (originally the USA was set up so that the House of Representatives would represent the interests of the people, while the Senate would represent the interests of the States, this, however, all was eliminated with the passage of the 17th amendment in 1913). It was all in an attempt to limit democracy...

Answer 3

I don't know of any president or current candidate who has or would go strictly on polls for making decisions. The POTUS is privy to much info. If the decision is made it may be based on any one or a combination of things. Polls should be considered, of course but should not be major considerations nor the only consideration when making decisions. Ignoring polls can be just as bad. They often show the pulse of the nation, what people are thinking. To ignore the will of the people can be very dangerous for a political career.

Answer 4

I think a president should take into account what the people want. It does not necessarily mean that the president should make the decision indicated in the polls but the wishes of the people should not be totally ignored.

Polls also help a president better explain his or her position when a presidential stance is opposite to what the poll results indicate that Americans want.

Answer 5

On social/moral issues, yes. Examples of this would be abortions issues, gay rights issues, stem cell research, etc. Things that are subjective and really a matter of personal beliefs/opinions should be based on what the majority of America believes, not just one person.

On foreign affairs issues, no. You are right that there is a lot of intel the public doesn't have access to. But, Congress should be actively involved in order to check the President from making extreme decisions without due process of thought and investigation, as Congress (or at least members of Congress) should be presented with Intel also.

Answer 6

Polls, like the public, can be structured in such a way to promote one response over the other. For example, "Are you against war?" as opposed to "Do you support the troops?"

Liberals and the media in particular are famous for doing just that. And go figure, most of the responses to your question that promote excuses for using polls are in fact liberals.

A person is a person and has their own opinions, styles and characteristics. As such, each person should live their lives and promote actions accordingly. The best president is the one who is a person most all of us can honestly relate to. That is why in the long run this current president will be considered better than average and have done a good job while in office.

Answer 7

Sometimes the polls are the correct metric.

When it comes to what the American people want, polls are often the best indicator. And since the elected officials are put in place to do what the citizens want -- that should come into account.

Especially in long-term situations. Making an immediate decision is what we have elected officials for, because there isn't time to find out what the people want. Setting a long-term policy (measured in years) is when the desire of the population matters.

Answer 8

Basically, an election is one big poll. If they don't pay attention to public opinion, then how on earth can they POSSIBLY do what the people want? I mean really. I'd rather a politician/president that pays attention to polls than one that obstinately does whatever he/she wants whenever he/she wants regardless of public sentiment.

Answer 9

No, they might desire to make judgements in accordance with a creative and prescient and doing the wonderful suited element for the voters of the U. S.. Obama's creative and prescient is a socialist utopia, on that he's obvious. Having NO adventure on the different area of the pastime, his reliance on polls is completely finished.

Answer 10

no. What is best for the country is not always what is reflected by poll results. Many Americans are naive and uninformed.