On In-dependency

What accounts for the disparity between predictions by national polls about the midterm elections and what the actual outcome of the election was? Post-election media revisionism might suggest otherwise, but pollsters predicted a near-draw in the U.S. Senate. Instead, before the election, Democrats held 53 of 100 seats and, after the election, Republicans held 54 of 100 Senate seats. Were the polls, as reported by the national media, a means to influence the outcome of the election--a means to nudge voters toward a preferred party and platform? Were the polled Americans lying to the pollsters before the election--lying because they were fearful about expressing their true opinions except within the closed curtains of a voting booth? Or, did they abruptly reverse their opinions after they were polled but before they voted? In any case, this disparity does not bode well for independence. Independence is for those who are capable of independent inquiry and honest, firm, and independent opinions.