How polls can destroy America.(The Last Word)

One would have to have been completely asleep over recent weeks to have avoided hearing poll results claiming that "seventy percent of the American people" believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9-11 terrorist attack. Of course, no real evidence to support this claim has been produced. Yet for many Americans a poll such as this provides sufficient evidence that Saddam did attack America on 9-11 and that Bush did the right thing in invading Iraq. After all, these Americans have been conditioned to believe that the majority is right, that polls reflect the majority's opinion, and that government should do what the majority wants. But these Americans could not be more wrong!

Any serious student of America's founding era knows that the men who created this nation abhorred democracy, the essence of which is unbridled majority rule. Rather than subject themselves and their posterity to such a danger, they crafted a republic, the rule of law, which has as its fundamental purpose limiting those who would govern. They showed their contempt for unrestricted popular opinion with their decision to have senators appointed by state legislators and presidents chosen by electors. They understood that popular sentiment should never replace independent thought, good judgement, and courageous adherence to principles.

On the other hand, would-be tyrants have long employed the tactic of appearing to cater to the will of the majority, while cleverly beguiling the people and leading them astray. Karl Marx advocated "democracy" in his Communist Manifesto, calling it "the first step in the revolution." A century later, Mao Tse-tung pointed to "the democratic revolution" as "the necessary preparation ... to bring about a socialist and communist society." Vladimir Lenin not only manipulated the masses to accomplish his evil ends, but used polling to win their support. He then became their spokesman, built a coalition of supporters, and with outside help seized control of the nation.

In America, the business of polling to announce what the majority supposedly thinks and then making that viewpoint national policy has become a contemptible scourge. It began in earnest a half century ago at the hands of George Gallup and Elmo Roper. Should we be surprised that Gallup joined the world-government promoters at the Council on Foreign Relations in 1939, and Roper did likewise in 1944?

The threat posed by pollsters takes two forms: 1) Most pollsters have an agenda and are more interested in shaping public opinion than in reporting it; and 2) Inordinate importance is attached to polling results. Pollsters report their findings as if the views of the few hundred individuals surveyed represent the thinking of the ...