If Old Media can cook their numbers to make their favored candidate look good, they will.
Earlier today, I covered two cooked AP-GfK polls (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog). The pollster dramatically changed the party-ID makeup of the second poll to include a much higher percentage of Democrats, and watered down the strong-GOP component of the Republicans sampled. As a result, the two poll results, taken together, fabricated an illusion of Barack Obama momentum, and John McCain decline. The results couldn't be more bogus; holding the mix constant from one poll to the next would have caused John McCain's lead from three weeks ago to shrink by about 1%.
Its also seems that if Old Media can't use a poll to fabricate its way to the result it wants, it simply ignores it. Two examples from the same poll will demonstrate this.
On Wednesday, NewsBusters' Scott Whitlock noted that ABC ignored its own national poll conducted with the Washington Post that showed a 4% national edge for Barack Obama -- down from 9% the previous week.
Yesterday, the Washington Post's Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta didn't totally ignore the poll (full results are here). Like ABC, they ignored the topside result just mentioned, which is pictured below:
Instead, the two reporters focused on questions that emphasized potential negatives relating to McCain's vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin:
With the vice presidential candidates set to square off today in their only scheduled debate, public assessments of Sarah Palin's readiness have plummeted, and she may now be a drag on the Republican ticket among key voter groups, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Though she initially transformed the race with her energizing presence and a fiery convention speech, Palin is now a much less positive force: Six in 10 voters see her as lacking the experience to be an effective president, and a third are now less likely to vote for McCain because of her.
A month ago, voters rated Palin as highly as they did McCain or his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, but after weeks of intensive coverage and several perceived missteps, the shine has diminished.
Cohen and Agiesta wrote over 1,100 words, yet never named a single "perceived misstep," let alone "several." That also seems to be a tacit acknowledgment that the Alaska Governor has committed no real missteps. Naming the ones that are "perceived" would be embarrassing -- not to Ms. Palin, but to the reporters and the Old Media establishment they represent. Just take your pick from Charles Martin's accumulated list of myths and rumors, now up to 97 (the first 85 are here; scroll through his content or search on each relevant number to find the rest), and you'll see what I mean.
Here's an obvious question: If Palin's alleged negatives on experience and readiness are such a "drag," why did Obama's lead over McCain get cut by over half in one week in that very same poll? The crosstabs, which are fairly consistent between the two polls, don't appear to explain McCain's improvement. Logically, whatever caused McCain to gain has to be a more important factor than the negative items relating to Palin that the WaPo reporters chose to dwell on.
No wonder Mr. Cohen and Ms. Agiesta ignored their own poll's overall result.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
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Reason enough to ignore the
October 2, 2008 - 16:36 ET by SmartypantsReason enough to ignore the polls being pushed by the msm. Conservatives need to get out in force and be sure to vote on Nov 4. Do not allow yourselves to be demoralized by these loons. They try this tactic every election, claiming it's over before it's over. When McCain has a 4 point lead it means nothing to them. When Obama has one, the race is over. Right.
Get your friends, neighbors, co-workers out to vote on Nov. 4. I want to wake up on Nov. 5 and hear all of the stories of how the Republicans stole another election; it will be music to my ears.
Media in panic mode
October 2, 2008 - 17:27 ET by 10ksnookerThey realize that no one is going to vote for a Communist, even if he is black.
Riddle me this:
How is an associate of David Duke different from an associate of Rev Wright?
Optional question: Would you vote for an associate of David Duke?
»→ Answer
October 2, 2008 - 17:28 ET by Cool ArrowAn associate of David Duke wouldn't make it past the filing stage for either major party.
Kill Bill II - Stop the bailout
That's what gets to me about
October 2, 2008 - 17:52 ET by SeashellThat's what gets to me about the Rev. Wright situation. If McCain had had a character like this as a part of his life AND as a part of his campaign, (even if he hired the guy to pick up the trash on the bus at the end of the day), McCain would never have survived-he'd be gone, finished, Don Imused!
Seashell.. McCain would
October 2, 2008 - 17:58 ET by Clear thinkerSeashell..
McCain would have been white-washed!
Fear And Loathing Of Sarah Palin
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
Yep, most certainly.
October 2, 2008 - 18:00 ET by SeashellYep, most certainly.
You could pick just one,
October 2, 2008 - 19:45 ET by SmartypantsYou could pick just one, any one, of Obama's gaffes or past and present relationships, and that would be sufficient to eliminate any Republican candidate for office. If McCain had described anyone as a "typical black person" as Obama said about his own grandmother ("typical white person"), it would be over. If McCain associated even loosely with the likes of William Ayres, Anthony Rezko, Reverend Wright, etc. it would be over for him. It is unfathomable that Obama has all of this baggage on him and it does not matter. Obama could be photographed committing murder tomorrow and it would not matter to the press.
I was on a flight back home
October 2, 2008 - 17:23 ET by ThisnThatI was on a flight back home today, and overheard a conversation on tonight's debate. One of the passengers was very adament. He said "I'm a life-long democrat, but there's no way I am voting Democrat this year. I want someone in office that won't take my money away. I'm 58 and have lost $70,000 in my 401K this year".
That's only a poll of 1, but it's typical of other conversations I have overheard this past month.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
TnT... I had a similar
October 2, 2008 - 17:40 ET by Clear thinkerTnT...
I had a similar experience today but the subject was guns. A few hardcore Dems that I was talking with this morning were talking about how Sarah may be an outdoorsman/woman but they still did not trust her. Now keep in mind that these are people that still make and drink moonshine, live off the taxpayers, and will poach hunt at the drop of a hat. Anyway, I cut in said to them "I wonder why Obama is against people owning guns" . They all went "HUH?", and I said that Obama has wanted to change guns laws for quite awhile, and basically take them from citizens just like them. After alot of swearing they said they won't vote for the SOB.
Mission Accomplished!
Fear And Loathing Of Sarah Palin
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
The only thing dragging down the republican ticket is McCain.
October 2, 2008 - 17:29 ET by R D Helm-Dave
Fear makes people do weird things....it makes their brains stop working. - Dave Ramsey
My troll fuse length today: 0.5cm
Through the miracle of the
October 2, 2008 - 18:04 ET by celatorThrough the miracle of the internet, I find myself with a news release about the Palin/Biden debate two hours before the debate begins. Seems to have been sent to all MSM outlets in the country. Amazing. Let's see what it says.
ST LOUIS--Sen. Joe Biden validated his foreign policy credentials in the long-awaited Vice Presidential debate between him and Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Biden approached the podium at the beginning of the debate wearing his customary beanie with a red, white and blue propeller on top to show his patriotism. Palin wore her customary weird eye glasses and what they used to call a power suit in the long ago 1980's.
Biden added a flourish by wearing a large, jolly red rubber nose and three foot long clown shoes which made a wonderful sound as he waddled to the microphone.
In her own right, Miss Palin tried to appear serious, but couldn't hide her disrespect for the well-known and beloved senator by laughing out loud when she saw him approach the microphone. Apparantly that's what they do in Alaska.
However, one person in the audience was heard to say about Biden: "I love a man who has good taste in clothes. His accessories were perfect." Some say that most in the audience all agreed with the sentiment.
Biden was at the top of his game when he explained how the Effiel Tower was actually located in Lansing, Michigan. "What appears in Paris," he noted, "is really a hologram I had a lot to do with inventing." The extremely talented and completely unbiased and brilliant moderator, Gwen Ifill, stood up after Biden finished his answer and applauded loudly, shouting, "BRAVO BRAVO".
Palin seemed stumped when Ifill asked her to cite the first 10,000 names in the Paris, France telephone book. It was the first foriegn policy question given to Palin, and she failed. Some in the audience were heard to boo, when Palin hesitated in her response. Her failure in this foreign policy question proved she was not prepared for the vice presidency.
She also failed her question in basic economics when Ifill asked Palin, "Please divide 374856390009383762678 by 3938466622098748384 to the tenth decimal place."
Palin's only response was, "What??????" This response revealed that the governor was hearing impaired, a physical condition she later denied but which certainly disqualifies her for the high office of the vice presidency.
The well-loved Sen. Biden was asked by Miss Ifill to toot the little clown horn on his belt three times. He did so immediately and with great gusto. The audience applauded wildly.
Asked what he thought of the Arch in St. Louis, Biden responded, "Well, ya know, I helped design that thing. Boy, did we work hard. Few people know that the entire Arch is made from recycled orange crates. Yep, it's true. We were thinking of all the landfill we saved. I love the environment."
At that point, Miss Ifill stood and once again applauded loudly for Sen. Biden.
After the debate, some in the audience said, "Sen. Biden is even more charismatic than we thought. Once you see him, you realize that he certainly earned those three Medals of Honor he told us about tonight awaded to him by General Custer after WW II. He really is an amazing man."
Others in the audience were heard to say, "Palin might as well give up now. She hasn't got a chance against this amazing man."
The major media report only half the news. Why are they surprised they have only half the potential audience?