**Are public opinion polls a benefit or a curse to American politics? What influence do they have on campaigns? On governing? What do critics point to as the key weaknesses of public opinion polls? Do you agree? Explain?

**Are public opinion polls a benefit or a curse to American politics? What influence do they have on campaigns? On governing? What do critics point to as the key weaknesses of public opinion polls? Do you agree? Explain?

Public opinion polls are both a benefit and a curse to American politics. It's a good thing that by conducting opinion polls, the media and others can get a read on where people stand on the issues. The problem is that the polls are not always accurate because of the limited spectrum of people polled. Also it can be used in political campaigns to dictate policy choices in government. In my opinion, polls are something we need to have because they are an easy way of keeping up with the state of an issue/event. But when looking at them, I keep in mind the fact that they aren't always accurate.