Tis the season

Continuing in my series, the numbers 8 and 7 of things I love most about primary season.

8. Pandering
Let's take two examples.
Christian pandering:

Mike Huckabee envoking Christ's name in a presidential campaign ad that talks nothing about his campaign, the office of the Presidency, or the floating crucifix flagrantly featured in the backdrop. This is almost as bad as the time when -- no wait this is the worst ever.

And secondly, creepy pandering:

Let's forget for a second that Rudy says "fruitcake" and that he overacts like a cross between William Shatner and an epileptic. I'll let both of those go. The mute Santa who appears for a milisecond at the end of the ad and Rudy dressed like he's managing a McDougals, on the other hand... I have to object. What the hell is this ad?

Rudy, give it up. Who are you trying to fool here? You're leading in the polls because for some reason people thing you'll blow up brown people, not because they like you, think you're a good human being, or that you ever owned a Christmas tree. Go back to 9/11. It's what you know.

7. Polls

You've got every Tom, Dick, and Zogby on every television show spouting off about how 400 people in rural Iowa who can't read or write and who watch American Idol have told them how they really feel about the Presidential field. Much like the old adage about complete morons being the only people who can't weasel their way out of jury duty, the yoyos who talk to pollsters for 20 minutes during their dinner aren't exactly the brightest bulbs either.

Polls told everyone that Joe Lieberman was the democratic favorite in 2004, and despite his Joementum, Kerry prevailed. Howard Dean was leading by double digits in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Kerry prevailed. Kerry was leading Bush after exit polls (which should be idiot proof) and Bush prevailed.

That being said, there is one poll I trust: