The Great Polling Debate: A Clash of Opinions

Greg Sargent, a well-known columnist, and Tom Bevan, the co-founder of Real Clear Politics, recently got into a heated argument on social media about the reliability of polls in the 2024 election. The debate started when Bevan shared a chart showing how far off the polling numbers were in 2020 and 2016. Sargent pointed out that Bevan's chart didn't take into account the improvements made by pollsters to correct their previous errors. He also noted that Bevan didn't mention how pollsters performed in the 2022 midterm elections. Sargent thought that Bevan's omissions could lead to false hope among his followers, making them believe that the polls are wrong and that Trump would win. Bevan responded with some strong language, calling Sargent's comments "ridiculous" and "dishonest. " He claimed that he already mentioned the possibility that the polls could be wrong, saying that they would know who won the election on November 6. Sargent noticed that Bevan sounded "angry" and thought that his angry tone was actually fueling the false hope he was trying to warn against. He pointed out that Bevan was giving his followers a sense of false hope by not mentioning the corrections made by pollsters. The debate highlights the ongoing issue of trust in polls and the need for accurate information. As the election approaches, it's essential to have a realistic understanding of the polling numbers and not jump to conclusions based on incomplete or outdated information.