With that thought in mind, MODE begins Gotham City, a regular column about politics in the region. A spicy blend of current events, history, and analysis, readers will hear from elected and appointed political figures. You will also hear from on-the-street observers of politics’ moving parade.

Some commentators will be familiar, other voices will be new to the podium of pundits. All will inform. Some will entertain.

Plain and simple, Harrisburg’s biggest import and export is politics. Many come and (reluctantly) go. Remaining is a strong, competitive press —fair when the news is uncomfortable and comfortable when the news is good.

Gotham City builds on a wild and honorable political tradition of low-road deals and high-minded standards. Heck, we kicked off the first-ever Presidential Poll.

On July 24, 1824, the first presidential straw poll on Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William H. Crawford was commissioned by The Pennsylvanian, a four-page Harrisburg weekly, according to one-time Patriot News reporter Sean Connolly.

There were 532 votes cast with Jackson pulling 335. In the actual race, neither received an Electoral College majority, allowing the US House of Representatives to choose Adams over Jackson.

Today, endless streams of poll data choke the media. Instant gratification isn’t fast enough for poll results even with the Internet, which amounts to an electronic venue where the same basic polling mistakes can be made — only faster.

For example, pollsters currently rely on about the same number of respondents used in 1824. Sometimes pollsters splurge and ask, oh, maybe 1,200 folks a set of questions. Then, they “extrapolate” (not a skin condition), which means they do arithmetic voodoo on the numbers, concluding things like: “Americans (read all 500 of them asked) say they can’t wait for 500 television channels.”

How a question is asked can easily jaundice a survey’s outcome: “When did you stop beating your spouse?”

Another pitfall is “margin of error” — the percentage by which polls may be inaccurate — usually 3 – 5 percent. Unless a point spread is wide, poll results are questionable.

One famous hoohah was the widely reported Keystone Poll during the May 1994 Primary Election taken for the Philadelphia Daily News and KYW-TV by Millersville University Professor G. Terry Madonna. In short, Madonna slighted Democrat Dwight Evans’ electoral cache by rating him with six percent of the vote. One week later, Evans more than tripled Madonna’s number with a 21 percent, second place finish.

At the time, Evans said, “I would have won” had the poll been accurate. The poll also suggested that pre-reformed Ernie Preate and Governor Tom Ridge were in a two-way heat with Sam Katz running a distant third. Undeterred, Katz recently bagged the Republican nomination for Philly mayor (he’ll run against John Street).

Madonna said at the time, “There’s not a scintilla of evidence that pre-election polls influence voter behavior.” Why not, asks Dot Matrix, who works downtown in a corporate high rise? Because polls only measure group responses at the moment questions are asked. Like we continue to age the second after a flashbulb pops, polling groups continue changing after the last question is answered. Last night’s insight is this morning’s embarrassment. Like a singles bar.

Another unfilled pothole is flat sampling methods: Exactly who are these respondents? And how many times have those same 500 – 1,200 folks been questioned? A too-small and flawed sample formed another criticism of Madonna’s 1994 poll.

Don’t we improve with each time at bat? Do Neilsen Households defeat the purpose over time by reporting what pollsters what to hear? Is Pavlov training dogs or are dogs training Pavlov? Will Rudy and Hillary mud wrestle?

Question: If you laid end to end all the political polls ever taken, they would stretch (a) one mile, (b) ten miles, (c) the truth? But then, heck, it’s only a poll and no one asked me anyway. What do you think?