With millions of dollars being spent on election polls, I often think candidates would do better by attending meetings of their local chapters of the hot stove leagues. For those too young to remember, hot stove leagues were born soon after baseball was invented. Meetings were held throughout each winter at local country stores, with a wood-burning stove in the center, where men could warm their hands and discuss matters of national import, the most prominent being baseball.
Discussions were fairly uniform regardless of geographic location. Politics and politicians were things to be despised, and the economy was in terrible shape. But, no matter how poorly the nation seemed to be doing, optimism would emerge as the discussion shifted to baseball and, “Wait’ll next year.”
Hot stove leagues live on today. Their venue has changed, as have the topics. Basketball and football currently edge out baseball, but a generous helping of the economy and politics still hangs on. A Tucson chapter meets regularly in the Dunkin’ Donuts at Oracle and Magee, starting anytime after 5 a.m. when the store opens and continuing until everyone has left for work or other appointments. Dunkin’ Donuts has a section with four easy chairs conducive to conversation. The chair’s occupants change as people come and go, but the discussion is continuous, and diners at surrounding tables often chime in.
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One recent morning, talk began with the UA basketball team’s loss to Oregon, the consensus being it was tough to take. Then someone remarked he’d seen gasoline for sale at $1.59 and discussion shifted to why gas was becoming so inexpensive. One fellow opined it was because this was an election year, and prices were sure to rise after November. Others cited the rapid increase in building alternative energy sources such as solar and wind to counter the market power of the big oil companies. One person said, “Big oil can push the American people around just so far, and then they’ll push back,” and everyone nodded agreement.
The conversation shifted to the standoff in Oregon, with sympathy expressed for the ranchers. There was general agreement when one fellow said, “A man works the land for so long, he should have a say in how it’s managed.” Remarks were made about government overreach, with a story told of one unfortunate man who had to pay over $7,000 in fees and permits before he could break ground to build a home for himself, and everyone agreed that was outrageous.
Talk turned to the state of education when someone opined there’s been a dumbing-down process going on in America, which explains how politicians can get away with so much. The discussion kept getting gloomier, but then someone mentioned the UA basketball team again, and smiles returned as confidence was expressed our Wildcats would show the Pac-12 a thing or two the rest of the season.
I couldn’t help but think, as I left Dunkin’ Donuts, that candidates for public office would get a better flavor of what the American people are thinking by attending a hot stove league rather than hiring professional pollsters. Polls are inherently biased. The mere formulation of a question often elicits a particular response. At hot stove leagues, on the other hand, the discussion is free, wide-ranging, open to everybody and every viewpoint is welcome. And, unlike political debates on national TV, everyone is courteous to everyone else, and the coffee and donuts are delicious.
Candidates should take note and pay heed.
Raymond Farrish
Raymond Farrish is professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and now resides in Oro Valley. During his professional career, he conducted and published the results of numerous studies involving sample surveys. Contact him at azfaraz@comcast.net
