Primaries, Polls and Party Shares: It’s Time for the Mailbag.

Fallacious tack for “incorrect monitor”

I’m annoyed with “proper track-wrong monitor” polling — effectively, perhaps extra particularly, media protection of it. It at all times appears to be offered as poor numbers reflecting badly on the president. But when I’m requested that query, I’ll say “incorrect monitor” however due to the G.O.P. menace to democracy. Any approach to repair that? — Jack Cowan

To be sincere, Jack, I’ve by no means been a giant fan of the query and we don’t at all times ask it. That mentioned, I do suppose it has its place: It’s helpful to have a longstanding tough proxy for the nationwide temper, even when it doesn’t yield any perception into the “why.” For that, we now have different questions.

What are they conserving?

The time period “conservatives” used to have a particular political that means. However at this time what are they conserving? I imagine the media must undertake extra correct phrases to name them, similar to proper wing populists, or proper wing ideologues, or proper wing radicals. What they’re training is not true conservatism. Am I incorrect? Thanks. — Don Nations

I don’t suppose I agree that “conservative” has at all times had a constant, particular and clear political that means. “Liberal” and “progressive” haven’t had constant, particular and clear political meanings both.

And no less than to my thoughts, at this time’s conservatives are nonetheless true to probably the most fundamental definition: a political ideology geared toward conserving a conventional lifestyle — customs, tradition, concepts, establishments, hierarchies, values, beliefs and extra.

Clearly, some conservatives at this time see rigidity between preserving sure conventional establishments — like a democratic republic, which dangers empowering these against conservatives — and different conservative goals. However this isn’t precisely unprecedented within the conservative custom: Past “radical” or “populist” that you simply supplied, phrases like reactionary or counterrevolutionary have additionally been used to explain conservatives who aren’t so conservative in protection of some long-established values.

However are they obsessed with Trump?

Do the polls replicate an rising recognition for Trump among the many younger, Black or Hispanic voter units?

I hear an awesome deal about disaffection towards Biden. However does that imply they’re comfortable or obsessed with Trump? — Bryan Watson

It doesn’t imply they’re comfortable or obsessed with Mr. Trump. Actually, many of the voters who backed President Biden in 2020, however have backed Mr. Trump in latest New York Occasions/Siena Faculty polling, don’t have a good view of Mr. Trump in any respect. They’re additionally far much less prone to say they’ll really vote, or to have a document of doing so previously.