A public-opinion poll, as the nation learned in 1948, is not a precision instrument for measuring political sentiment. But until somebody finds an accurate gauge, the polls will have their place in political analysis, because they can describe certain situations better than pre-poll punditry ever could.
Pollster George Gallup has just published four polls which throw a lot of light on the presidential campaign of 1952. They do not tell the ending, but they outline the plot.
¶ In one poll, Gallup asked: "Which national political party the Republican or Democratic do you think is best for people like yourself?" Forty-one...