Why do polls use “heading in the right direction” vs “on the wrong track?”
One could be on the right track heading in the wrong direction, or on the wrong track heading in the right direction. But if the track’s not taking you where you should be going then in what sense is it the right track? I guess it might come in handy if you want to distinguish between people who like the principle of the decisions being made, but not the results, or vice versa. (A decision that makes everyone happier about the Iraq war by killing all the protesters — right direction, wrong track. A decision to play hands-off with Rwandan genoicide, wrong direction, potentially right track.) I guess in American polls we tend to conflate principles and results (a strong pragmatic streak), and when you do that they are diametrically opposed.
