Advice From National Pollsters

by Nicole Moore

Americans are perfectly comfortable holding two opposing views at the same time, but they resent when someone else points this out to them. So says Celinda Lake, one of two pollsters who spoke on Saturday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' Spring Forum in Washington, D.C.

Lake said immigration, which is the new wedge issue, illustrates this point. Rather than framing this issue as "immigrants are good for you," she said proponents can try this message: "Immigrants are you." Listen to Lake discuss this. (2:00)

Lake is a Democratic pollster who co-wrote What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live with Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway. The women, who disagreed on little during their address, did have different answers to this question: Global warming or gas prices -- which is more important to the American people?

Calling energy policy "the biggest economic opportunity" for states, Lake said Americans are ready to start changing consumption and sources of energy now, so big adjustments would be in place in the next decade. Listen to Lake talk about energy policy. (2:16)

Conway countered that the electorate is more concerned about day-to-day, rather than big picture issues. She used this issue as a springboard into a rant about polling questions and offered advice to lawmakers looking to get good information, rather than high percentages. Listen to Conway's advice. (4:17)

Lake said unmarried voters will be an important category in the 2008 elections, and today, that group is solidly Democrat. So the party faithful might want to refrain from playing matchmaker until 2009.

Conway said both parties would be smart to reach out to two growing groups: small business owners and Asian-Americans. Listen to Conway's reasoning. (2:44)

Iraq is the No. 1 issue for voters now, and on the state level, that means veterans issues are important, Lake said. Conway said the war gives rise to two categories of voters who might feel alienated: pro-war Democrats and anti-war Republicans.