Senator wannabes and poll ratings

ASPIRANTS for senator who are not inside the winning circle or within striking distance must grapple with the huge and vexing task of coping with the tyranny of poll surveys.

Explanations of candidates who are shut out vary--

l Acceptance, humility: "I saw that. I need better name recall. I must work harder, cover a lot more ground."

l Denial: "I don't rely on surveys. I trust what I see in the people I meet on the campaign trail. They're real and warm, unlike the cold numbers of popularity polls."

l Attack: "Faulty methods. How can a survey of 1,800 respondents reflect the sentiment of millions of voters? And why am I not in?"

But few aspirants question the integrity of Social Weather Stations or Pulse Asia, which often calls winners correctly. Besides, how can one credibly reject a survey outfit whose results he earlier embraced?

Whatever the scrambling within the troubled bet's camp, he must look calm and confident. Public explanation must hide private bitterness or despair.

Senate returnee Richard Gordon could do neither. He raged that Bam Aquino to win only had to cite "Tito Ninoy, Tita Cory, and Kuya Noynoy."

Which is tougher: a wannabe who hasn't broken the barrier like Risa Hontiveros or wannabes who had barged in but tumbled out like Jack Enrile and Gringo Honasan?

Holy water

Gringo's photo was in the paper, prayed over by Cathedral's Msgr. Roberto Alesna. Would holy water help?

Others are mulling desperate measures: parachuting into Sabah to stop the firefight (a joke) or hitting the max in radio-TV ads (a serious option).

(paseares@sunstar.com.ph)