Experts warn of "Voter Bandwagon" effect

If you're voting for someone just "because they're winning LOL" please dont vote in the election and go vote instead for Dancing With The Stars.

"Mutz says the notion of being influenced by others isn’t so unusual when taken out of the context of politics"

that's too true
try it yourself
next time a friend of yours says they like a band or a movie tell them you hate that band or movie and they will most likely say "oh, well their OK"

Anyone else see the Nader effect as well. Now this time it is in the dems favor and there is more than one nader effect on the ticket. Any vote not going to Mccain is a good vote. GO OBAMA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My Short Summations on the Presidential election season: Geeze it's almost here... Election day. I don't know about how any of you think, but I have found it taxing! I'll be glad when it is resolved who our next President, et al will be! Geeze, it's been a good debate here at Current.com. Very enthusiastic voters (and non-voters)! I have believed all along that the Hierarchy Republicans have no intention of winning this presidential election... their damage is well in place and those power hungry crooks know that its time to go on vacation with the $ they stole from the American people. Now Senator Obama will need to watch his back... I lift him up in prayer for protection and wisdom in dealing with the crooks that remain in office that will try and control him. If Obama would get on the mean-clean regime his presidency will be a total success! If he sticks with the young people in mind, and really puts forth an effort... solutions to this fiasco can come forward! I pray for American Community to develop new technologies, and use our collective wisdom to make the right choices in the world. We must clean up after ourselves. It's time for us to speak out in committee. In front of the Congress/Senate. We must for instance get the message out about wanting a clean swoop of people from these government agencies that are run by corporations... Obama cannot on his own escape this... Nor could any party representative... Not even Ralph Nader. Now if Obama uses his wisdom, he can move forward. If only this website were at his use. As a people, we must command and demand changes be met by our government officials. We have some really good ones too you know. We've been exposed to some of their policies, here on Current.com. We have great resources and references on Current.com. So much can be done to change things always for the betterment of all, if people are more aware of their environment on a global sphere.

Can we just call these "effects" what they are:

The closet racist Effect

and

The too-stupid-to-think-for-myself Effect

Thanks.

“Bandwagon effect?” Uh ... isn't it more like the "Rats-leaving-the-sinking ship effect?"

so mcain is mcdonalds

I usually like to get on the wagon before everyone else gets on. That way, I look like a maverick instead.

These various "effects" pollers are warning of (bradley, reverse bradley, bandwagon) are might all just cancel each other out; hopefully leading to an overall "common sense" effect in the booths.

These manipulative poll-twisters are no more reliable than tarot cards, Ouigy boards, tea leaves, chicken blood drippings, bovine entrails, or my cracked, leaking Magic 8-ball.

The only poll that's going to matter is the one taken This coming Tuesday.

“While the politically savvy may scoff at the idea that people are voting based on popularity, Mutz says the notion of being influenced by others isn’t so unusual when taken out of the context of politics.”

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Hello…

The whole ideology of political parties and political endorsements is based on the idea of being “influenced by others”. This bandwagon effect is obviously evident. Look at the number of bi-partisan endorsements Obama has gotten since his surge in the polls. The man has been standing on the SAME political platform since the Democratic Primary. Now that he is, by most accounts, projected to be the winner Republican endorsers have “seen the light”? More like they’ve seen the train wreck! With each passing day the McCain campaign gets more difficult to watch. It’s like a highway car crash… you don’t want to be involved… but you just can help rubbernecking! LOL

Gimmie a break… bottom line: People do not want to be on record for having supported a campaign this disastrous! And people hate being associated with a loosing party. How many times have you chuckled a bit when you saw a Bob Dole or Ross Perot bumper sticker? LOL

Campaigns last for months… but bumper stickers are FOREVER! Good luck scraping that off!

-Jaye :-)

LOL -
Cashmere that's a hoot.
I think it has the same weight as the 'close your eyes and press any key'.

Dear Lemmings,

Please remember Obama and McCain BOTH voted for the bailout...err, I mean "rescue" B.S. BEFORE it was even padded with more "sweetners". It doesn't take a rocket scientist with a crystal ball to point out that both of these candidates are in the pockets of very shady people and leading America towards that cliff.

Does it really matter who wins when the country as a whole loses?

What about the finger crossing effect? What does the research show on that?

VOTE or keep your mouth shut, thats all there is to it.

yes, I know many people who wait until the last minute, watch the TV, and then rush out and vote for "the winner". so silly. I voted last week absentee for Obama. I am not even cautiously optimistic. I hope for change. Please vote!

WHY DO YOU THINK 99% OF THE PRESS IS PUSHING OBAMA? THE THINKING IS THAT IF OBAMA IS WINNING BY A LANDSLIDE THEN THE GOP WILL BE DISALLUSIONED AND NOT BOTHER TO VOTE. DO NOT BELIEVE THE POLLS, THEY ARE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED. MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND AND DO NOT BE SWAYED BY TALKING POINTS. WHOEVER YOU VOTE FOR PLEASE RESEARCH YOUR CANDIDATE DON'T JUST GO WITH THE POPULAR TIDE.

the question was 'why is your negative campaign different from mccains?' which is the same type of query as 'when did stop beating your wife?' ... loaded and slanted to the negative.
he's answered the question and returned to his talking points.
if people have trouble following that, then they do belong with mccain.

and liberal_extinction, save your name calling for your family.

organize
mobilize
vote
don't ever get cocky

I'm really hoping this is the year that the person I vote for for President wins!!! I haven't been so fortunate in any prior election...but maybe this year!

Everybody is all shook up about whether Obama is a Muslim. He is not and it doesn't matter if he is!

Nader is Lebanese (An ARAB!) why aren't people up his ass with a microscope?

I would also like to point out that the current AMERICAN that is the UNITED STATES representative to the United Nations and APPOINTED by the BUSH Administration is an AFGHAN MUSLIM!

His name is Zalmay Khalilzad. Look at his resume.

Snap out of it!

Oh, and it is precisely those who have woken up and smelled the coffee who are going to vote for Obama.

You want to see what the polls mean? Visit fivethirtyeight.com. It just the numbers...not liberal...not conservative. Polls can be twisted to the right or to the left based upon who you call. 538 takes all the data and puts both the left and right into the pool, weighs the accuracy and then gives you realistic data.

Nobody has pushed Obama in this election. The press has seized every opportunity to push him down. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers and every other association they could find. The internet is FILLED with anti-Obama rhetoric both racist and pragmatic.

In the end, people make their own decisions. You can choose to believe Obama is an Arab, Muslim, Fraud. OR you can choose to believe he is an American, Christian, Leader. In the voting booth you get your say on these issues.

There is NOT a liberal conspiracy in this country. Turn on FoxNews and you can see that. You seem to forget who has been running the country for the last eight years. The Republicans have perpetuated this lie for a long time to help mobilize the vote. However, Hannity, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Coutler are all household names. Can you name ONE popular exclusively left commentator in national media?

In America, it is OK to believe whatever you want. You can spread untruth and conspiracy theories until your mind spins. However, as we see everyday, the truth vets itself out. This guy has been under constant scrutiny for almost two years...and that is not including the time he has already served in public office. If the skeletons in his closet aren't out by now...they are never coming out.

kenyan = arab? i just cant get my head around that. the mental gymnastics makes the head spin. but then again getting inside a wingnut's head usually hurts the brain anyway. the hate in there stinks too. McCain should move to south florida after the election, maybe he'll like shuffleboard. he's already showing pretty advanced signs of alzheimers, and pallin? maybe she'll get a spot as a fox news anchor. ooh she could cover hockey for em! or maybe curling. i think it's a good sign that the obama rallies are standing room only, and that the same busload of angry racists are at all the mccain events.

oh, and the pollsters have tried to sway to the liberal left the entire election, as they usually do. One can make a poll say anything they would like to by polling however they choose to make it come out that way.

Wake up, they always do this, and yes, it has some effect.
People are all acting like they are zoned out on drugs right now---wake up and smell the coffee and what is truly at stake---

whatever Obama is as much caucasian as he is anything else, and less "African American", if any. His father was Kenyan and more Arab than anything. So basically Obama is Caucasian and Arab and questionable is about every area. Certainly, his moral base (partial birth abortion--get real--there is a 4 week old baby in this family and I can't imagine her suffering like that basically 8 weeks ago) and gay marriage? (the seed of God wasn't meant for sewage system of man)
I love all, hate ridiculous perverse ideologies.

A PayDay loan is legalized loan sharking. The Mafia provides better terms. If the government DOESN'T crack down on predatory lending policies, more people will be put into dangerous financial situations.

I am all for Free Market economics but you have to balance that with responsible financial institutions who have the consumer and their own best interest properly balanced.

On the Bandwagon effect, this is one for Captain Obvious. Hello...It is a proven fact that the human mind follows other examples. It's how we learn and how we make decisions every day.

There is nothing wrong with making some decisions based on others. We do it in the store, driving and in our every day lives. Whether its dropping into Starbucks or chatting about the game on the weekend, humans like to be included.

In addition, it is way too much work for us to analyze every decision we make. If you like Tacos, you will ask someone where a good Taco stand is. It is an efficient and often accurate method for achieving the best results. Yet, we also use our own experience and intelligence to understand our sources ensure that these decisions work.

People make important decisions every day by gathering consensus on what is the best route of action. However, we all temper this with our own decisions and our own beliefs. We balance the available information with what we know and choose the best route.

This is why it still astounds me that ANYONE can logically come to the McCain conclusion. Its not that he is a bad man or that he would not be a good president. Its the continuous bad judgement. From Palin to the ever shifting message his campaign has waged. It shows that he is NOT thinking for himself.

I am Paddlenround and I approved this message.....doh!

The "payday loan" scam is an absolute shame, it has put a vast number of military personnel into deep debt and a world of hurt. It is criminal.

If this idiot gets in it proves america is a raciest nation.

Yeah i've been supporting someone for 12 months and i'm gonna change my mind when i step into the booth.

Hopefully we see this effect and the "reverse-Bradley effect", where republicans and racists say they won't vote for Obama but actually want to and will!

I don't think it's a lemming effect at all, I think it's realizing somethings good based upon the domino effect caused by the persuasive speeches of respectful politicians like Colin Powell and Obama himself. Reality is also hitting us square in the face... even Steven Colbert has endorsed Obama.