The Star Tribune carries a

The Star Tribune carries a remarkably biting piece by history professor Chuck Chalberg about Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone’s broken promise not to seek a third senate term. Professor Chalberg is optimistic that Minnesota voters will do the next best thing–next best to Wellstone voluntarily keeping his promise–and involuntarily keep him from serving a third term.
This morning’s Star Tribune reports a poll showing Senator Wellstone with only a small lead after a month of brutal attack ads during which his opponent’s campaign has been invisible. The Strib also reports how the poll was conducted, stating that the poll results were adjusted by means of a mysterious formula “verified in past elections” to reflect the preferences of voters most likely to vote. The formula is proprietary and secret, like the formula for Coca Cola, only we can’t taste it ourselves or see with our own eyes how it has been “verified” in past elections. At Minneapolis’s City Center Mall, when the fire alarm is mistakenly sounded, the Center announces over its public address system that the alarm “has been verified as false.” Based on its past results, including the poll’s last pre-election 2000 Bush/Gore results, I think that’s probably the kind of verification the Star Tribune poll methodology has. But I am afraid that Wellstone will pull this race out.

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