POTD is completely, utterly brain-dead boring and I refuse to believe there is anyone, ANYONE, who could be a fan of them. You say the contest is predictable, so that at the least puts it on-par with the polls of the day. It's zero-sum at that point, it shouldn't really matter to you if the contest replaces potd's since they are both bad (from that point of view, I like contests).
Liking the poll of the day is like liking the Top Ten Wanted FAQs list. They are both a sterile function of the site with no character or personality.
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You beat yourself up with your past. Don't blame yourself, blame the world. Blame God. Blame me.