Kos and Russert Put Their Best Spin on 2008 Democratic Polls & Bush's Approval Ratings

Markos "Kos" Moulitsas, desperately trying to paint his readers and the respondents to his poll as a wide cross-section of Democratic voters to a national audience on Meet the Press, disingenuously suggested that moderate former Virginia Governor Mark Warner is well-received and finished amongst the top three in their nationwide poll. (Ralph Nader finished in the top three in the 2004 election.)

What Kos doesn't divulge and NBC deliberately doesn't share with their viewers, in fear of confirming the conventional wisdom that the visitors to Kos' site are notoriously rabid, left wing anti-war liberals of the Michael Moore/moveon.org variety, are the Daily Kos' poll results.

Feingold 44%
Clark 15%
Warner 10%

http://www.dailykos.com/poll/1148396760_zLpWLTQf

If Daily Kos readers have their way, Russ Feingold will lose in McGovern-like fashion to any candidate the GOP wants as president.

Immediately after discussing Kos' poll, Russert puts up on the screen, for all to see, not a national poll to serve as means of contrast, but the results of a recent Iowa poll which shows media darlings John Edwards and Hillary Clinton at the top.

Edwards 30%
Clinton 26%
Kerry 12%
Vilsack 10%

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS09/606110338/1001&lead=1

I'm going to call Harry Reid for ringside seats to what will be a thoroughly enjoyable no-holds-barred battle royale that is certain to be waged 18 months from now within the Democratic family.

Here is the relevant excerpt from today's Meet the Press:

MR. RUSSERT: Has Mark Warner, the governor—the former governor of Virginia, emerged as a popular figure amongst liberal bloggers?

MR. MOULITSAS: He is one of the top three choices in all the early straw polling that we’ve done ourselves for the 2008 nomination. And given that—the fact that he is, you know, perceived as a moderate to centrist Democrat, I think that speaks a lot to how pragmatic we are as a movement. A lot of people like Russ Feingold, a lot of people love Wes Clark and a lot of people like Governor Mark Warner because we are in a lot of ways looking for results. And whether he’s centrist or left—or rightist or whatever he might be—Governor Mark Warner in Virginia has delivered.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13189411/print/1/displaymode/1098/

As for the president's approval ratings, NBC provides us with a classic example of how the media subtly bias the news, and deliberately distort data to its audience as a means of pushing forward their agenda to undermine the confidence the American people have in President Bush.

Russert put up a chart of Bush's approval ratings. One set of figures show his approval rating in December 2004, and the other, May 2006.

The chart reflects that, in the past 18 months, Bush's overall support has dropped from 48% to 33%; a net change of -15%.

What Russert, oh so conveniently doesn't report is that Bush's poll ratings bottomed out in May and have been steadily rising, now averaging at 37.3%, and none of these polls were taken since Zarqawi's death and the naming of the Iraqi Interior and Defense ministries, which will certainly provide the president with a 3-5% boost, even if temporary.

http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/pol...ve/?poll_id=19

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Bush_Job_Approval.htm