re: The accuracy of online polls; and a comparison with Nixon's poll numbers
The comparison is interesting. I remember Nixon being considerably less popular, but I'm living in a very conservative area now. At the same time, Nixon had little of the rabid public support that the conservative news media outlets offer George W. Bush. Vice President Spiro Agnew was his public attack dog for over four years, but after he was indicted on tax charges, there weren't many voices to take Nixon's side.
Throughout Clinton's and G. W. Bush's administrations, I have wondered how the atmosphere in the nation would be different, and would compare with the administrations of Kennedy, L. B. Johnson, and Nixon, without the constant yammering of the cable and network "news" outlets.