Though Zogby attempts to be nonpartisan, the underlying message of his book is that authenticity is entering a golden age, cupidity is kaput and cynicism will soon be a thing of the past. That and the fact that he seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Al Gore and Anna Quindlen suggest that he hates Republicans. A dominant theme of his book is that mean old white men who drive big cars are a spent force. I only wish this were so; for quite some time I\u2019ve been thinking of cleaning out my desk and heading for the exits now that society no longer needs me. But as my wise old mentor, the Barron\u2019s editor and columnist Alan Abelson, used to remind me, the con man\u2019s favorite pitch line is: \u201cThis time it\u2019s different.\u201d\u009d Before World War I, there was a common European belief that progress was inevitable. The First Battle of the Somme ended that. Zogby, a Pollyanna if there ever was one, seems to have infinite faith in mankind\u2019s ability to perfect itself. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
Part of the problem in the pop clairvoyance racket is that not all oracles are equally Delphic. Zogby, who loves to coin cloying terms like \u201cSecular Spiritualists\u201d\u009d and \u201cthe Dreamless Dead,\u201d\u009d describes pollsters as \u201cpriests and philosophers . . . peering through the veil of time.\u201d\u009d He adds, \u201cUnlike priests and philosophers, though, . . . we at least have the data to back us up.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Priests and philosophers may disagree. Did the pollsters who predicted a Kerry-Edwards victory in 2004 have the data to back themselves up? Were the pollsters who said, \u201cWatch out for that Fred Thompson surge!\u201d\u009d and \u201cKeep your eyes peeled for that Wesley Clark tsunami!\u201d\u009d supported by any solid numbers? Did the pollsters who had Hillary Clinton facing off against Rudy Giuliani in November have much success peering through the veil of time? Sorry, Mr. Zogby, but when the public is in the market for prognostications, a lot of us are sticking with Aristotle, Descartes, Fulton J. Sheen, St. Jude and Nostradamus. Prophecy-wise, they\u2019ve got a better track record.<\/p>\n