Wrong Track

I’ve always been reluctant to draw any specific conclusions about the so-called “right direction/wrong track” polls. You know, where the pollsters ask if the country is headed in the right direction or is on the wrong track. That’s because the definition of “right and wrong” here differs for everyone. For example, I might say the country is on the wrong track based on my dislike of the Iraq war. Someone who supports the war might also give a wrong track answer because they think there are too many people in government and media who don’t support the war, or that the war isn’t being prosecuted aggressively enough. Opposite opinions with the same poll result.