"You know me," Joe Biden told a reporter this week. "I'm not overconfident about anything." That's a big shift in tone for a candidate the media brags is up by double digits in key swing states. Is the Democratic contender really that modest -- or are his internal polls painting a drastically different story than the one Americans are hearing? Let's put it this way: would Biden be visiting Wisconsin if he were actually winning by 17 points? The pollsters brave enough to question the system say no.
Jim Lee from Susquehanna Polling and Research says he's just a "small potatoes" firm -- but even a small potatoes company knows a huge conspiracy when they see it. "I'm appalled at some of the poll numbers being released now showing late for one candidate -- particularly Joe Biden -- in double digits in states that Trump carried four years ago." It's "absolute nonsense," he argues. On "Washington Watch" Thursday, I asked him if he thought there was bias in the polling now, and Jim agreed, "There is now." "Do I believe some polling firms are deliberately skewing the results with the hope of suppressing [Republican turnout]? I'm not prepared to say that's what's happening, that would be downright criminal. What I do think is happening -- and this is happening to all of us -- is that it's getting harder and harder to produce accurate polling. And there [are] many firms that refuse to believe that there's a submerged vote for Donald Trump."
The same thing, he points out, happened in 2016, when the whole world was caught off guard by the come-from-behind victory for Donald Trump. Susquehanna, whose specific focus is Pennsylvania, saw this is their state four years ago. "One of the more reputable academic institutions of Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College saw Hillary Clinton winning Pennsylvania by 11 points just three days before Trump's one-point win... Those are the polls that should never be released." They don't pass "the smell test." There is a silent majority for Trump, he agrees, and if his industry won't adjust for it, then they should stop polling altogether.
The idea that anyone would release a poll showing a 17-point lead for Biden in Wisconsin -- "in a state that's been trending Republican in the last three election cycles" -- is "absolutely, completely unbelievable." In fact, Jim argues, "it's mathematically impossible that everybody in this region of the state [would] change their minds... [B]ut, we're getting these garbage polls put out by firms that don't care about their reputations." A lot of them, he explains, only care about getting the radical Leftists elected. Susquehanna and others don't have that luxury. "For guys like me in the private sector... [w]e put our reputations on the line. And if a poll comes back and it just doesn't make sense, [we] don't put it out there."
Like Trafalgar's Robert Cahaly, Jim believes these companies need to adjust to the changing landscape. There are ulterior motives here. "The American Association of Public Opinion Research needs to crack down on these bogus firms and start sanctioning firms that don't come up with better technologies and techniques for how to do surveys." In the meantime, don't expect the media to join in the cry for more accountability. They don't care who's running the numbers as long as it helps the narrative that the Leftists in the press want to push forward. They don't mind pollsters intentionally cooking the books, because they think it discourages conservatives from voting.
If you've been tempted to believe that your vote doesn't matter because of what you're reading in the headlines, don't buy it. This is a dangerous game the Left is playing, and it could come back to haunt them. There's just as much risk of Democrats staying home because of the inflated numbers as Republicans. The best pollsters, the Scott Rasmussens, Robert Cahalys, and Jim Lees, are the ones who don't think polls are perfect. They're the ones working to make them more reliable, more accurate, more in tune with where the country is culturally.
There is some speculation that the exaggerated polling numbers will help the Left challenge the legitimacy of a Trump victory. They'll claim the outcome wasn't in line with the polls, so there must have been voter suppression or manipulation of the mail-in balloting.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the headlines say or who's leading in what state. What matters is that we have an obligation to get out there and vote for men and women with principled policy. The polls only make a difference if we let them. Don't be swayed by what the world says. Keep your eyes on what's important: being a voice -- and a vote -- for truth.
And just because you've already voted doesn't mean you can't have an impact. Make sure you're sharing good election resources with your friends, family, and people in your church. There are plenty to choose from at PrayVoteStand.org, including voter guides (for Senate and gubernatorial races too!), Biden and Harris on the Issues, the Trump Accomplishments (now broken out by issues like life, family, and religious freedom), a Biden-Trump comparison, and so much more. If you know someone who's on the fence about Joe Biden, make sure they hear the positions from the candidates' own mouths in the video below from our final Pray, Vote, Stand broadcast.
Also, don't miss the rebroadcast of Freedom Sunday 2020, airing on the Daystar network this Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. I guarantee it'll be an encouragement to you in these rocky days before the election.
