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Conventional wisdom -- current buzz for imbecility -- is that public opinion polls "prove" no one wants to remove a popular president.
Such rhetoric is just a sample of the hooey circulated by a vast, west- wing conspiracy.
Start with pollsters.
Poll takers never reveal how many prospective respondents won't answer.
Refusals range from 30 percent for innocuous surveys, to 45 percent for political polling.
Nearly half of voters will not discuss their politics to strangers calling on the telephone.
Thus, such polls are skewed in favor of non-voters who make no difference in elections, or who have highly partisan views they wish to promote.
Centrists, who decide things, are never adequately represented.
The silliest technique purported to "feel the pulse" of political sentiment is interviews with taxi drivers, barbers, or waitresses at restaurants specializing in breakfasts.
Why is it that all those who know how to run the country drive cabs, cut hair or sling hash for a living? Political parties hire private pollsters to contact prospective respondents -- in person, from among actual voters, in "swing" precincts that in the past have gone for either party.
I once was involved with such a survey in Ohio.
We took the pulse of actual voters in just five key precincts prior to a gubernatorial election.
Based on past elections, we knew them to be "predictors.
" Public polls based on random sampling of unscreened respondents foretold a landslide for incumbent Governor John Gilligan.
Republican Jim Rhodes was seeking an unprecedented third term as governor following a mandatory layoff after two terms in office.
At 9 p.
m.
on election night, the five predictor precincts closed for Rhodes by 54 percent.
However, statewide returns showed him losing -- in accordance with conventional wisdom.
At 11 o'clock, television networks gave victory to Gilligan.
Rhodes conceded defeat and went to bed.
At 7 a.
m.
Rhodes was awakened to be told he had won.
I phoned him to ask why he had conceded when the predictors had been for him unanimously.
He replied, "The networks psyched me out.
" Moral: don't rely on public opinion polls or talking heads.
Try to get a friendly politician to leak you the private skinny.
My take of the current political free-for-all, based on training and experience, is that sentiment for impeachment conviction of Clinton among real voters, nationwide, probably is about 60 percent.
That is the dirty little secret among congressional Democrats -- which is why they so frantically try to substitute "censure" for witnesses and an up-or-down vote in the Senate.
The dirty little secret among the White House crowd is that Clinton is in real danger of being tried and convicted of perjury after leaving office.
The hole he dug for himself is too deep for escape.
A non-profit organization named Judicial Watch -- led by Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman -- has Clinton and various administration officials in a bind.
The media seldom mention Watch because they consider it "conservative.
" Of 21 legal filings by Klayman, 14 are against Clinton officials.
The cases are working their ways through the courts.
He promises more.
The most recent Judicial Watch suit was filed against Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John Huang and others on behalf of stockholders of Loral Space and Communications Corp.
They claim Loral has been harmed by its involvement in Democratic campaign finance scandals.
In short, there is no secret that Judicial Watch is waiting to nail Clinton if the Senate does not -- or, perhaps, in addition to.
Also, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is still in business.
Republicans' dirty little secrets are that they relish pay-back for the Democratic partisanship of Watergate and are intimidated by public opinion polls driven by White House spin.
The media's dirty little secret is that it is more interested in entertaining than in informing.
Dirty little secret shared by all is the thirst for power.
The White House and Republicans fight to retain power.
Congressional Democrats fight to regain power.
Unholy alliances formed, and souls sold to expediency, are of no consequence to them.
Democrats' blind partisanship -- in light of overwhelming grand jury evidence of perjury and obstruction of justice -- is a disgrace.
Republicans have the power now to do what the Democrats did then.
Majority Democrats took their time -- despite Republican objections -- to build a convincing case against Nixon.
They gained votes.
Republicans had better stiffen their backbones and use their majority -- despite Democratic objections -- to build a convincing case against Clinton.
Conventional wisdom says Republicans are doomed in elections next year.
This is empty bullying.
If true, Republicans have nothing else to lose by aggressive prosecution of a president castigated by his own party.
Secrets will out.
Real voters reward truth.
January 31, 1999 .
Click here to see this article on Lindsey Williams's website .
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