Ann Coulter did a story about polls and how they always over estimate the Democrats percentage. I feel they effect some, but not to people who think for themselves i.e. "non-liberals".
I read that yesterday too. Let's hope it holds true this time. Not excited about McCain, but absolutely scared to death about "that one".
"This liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
I agree. Conservatives are not swayed by polls. They may get depressed by them, but they will not change their votes.
However, many liberals are lemmings, and they want to be "in with the in crowd". The flip side of that though, is that they spout the words and wear the TShirts, and then don't go vote.
"We just want truth, we want fairness. We want that balance." ~ Sarah Palin (re: hypocricy of the press)
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
The hallmark of the democrats who are at the best only 'slightly' retarded. Follow the leader off the cliff and blame the fall on the person who told you not to do it.
Ask an honest question, get an answer that confirms the man is a Marxist at best and the total retarded go after the man who ask the question, not the man who, by his own admission, will destroy not only my freedom but theirs. Somewhere in here common sense bypassed the democrats brains in the night.
The democrats aren't the only ones who believe that managed central planning can save us. Why do we still have the federal reserve? Why has John McCain stated that, "I will create jobs". He can't create jobs. He's a politician.
Everyone needs to watch this. I'm honestly surprised it didnt' appear here.
I selected "significant amount" but believe it depends strongly on the audience. Ill-informed or apathetic voters, can be swayed. After all, who doesn't want to be on the side of the winner. We have way too many ill-informed and apathetic voters wanting to say they voted for the winner . . . until their winner craters in job performance.
As an editor for a nationalwebsite as well as my personal blog I stopped adding polls to either site months ago. I found this in a review for a book being sold on Amazon.com:
"There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff in How to Lie with Statistics. And nowhere does this terror translate to blind acceptance of authority more than in the slippery world of averages, correlations, graphs, and trends. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind" with this slim volume, first published in 1954. The book remains relevant as a wake-up call for people unaccustomed to examining the endless flow of numbers pouring from Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and everywhere else someone has an axe to grind, a point to prove, or aproduct to sell. "The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify," warns Huff.
When I first started as the editor of GOPUSA I would often add several polls to the site on a weekly basis. What I found was that depending how I worded the questions would allow me to manipulate the end result of the poll. Now I always stated that “This is not a scientific poll,” but I doubt very many Democrats came to a GOP website to either read my editorials or take my polls. So when I see that NBC, ABC, CNN, or most of the MSM have another poll out, I usually ignore them. Don't get me wrong, there are better instruments out there on a national level, but even they get it wrong most of the time. Remember when all the polls had Barack winning New Hampshire back in the primaries? You guessed it, Hillary won.
One last thing. I remember this from my first statistics professor back in college: “Statistics don't lie, liars do.” Nuff said?
Polls are influenced by how the questions are asked and by limiting the answer options.
The media definately tries to sway wishy-washy, "I have to vote for whoever is most likely to win" swingers. However, there is a groundswell happening today which resembles what I like to call, "The Underdog Effect." The Underdog Effect happens during major sporting event when one team is trouncing the other team, people in the room (who am I kidding women) who feel sorry for the loser start cheering for them to win or draw.
Another thing that I've noticed are the people who tape bumper stickers to the inside of their rear car window. The candidates I see with the most of this type of application have lost in the general election (beginning with Dole). This time around, it appears to be Obama stickers.
Being that the MSM is a clear cheerleader for one side, the fair weather swing voters might be inclined to vote against the press. After all, people (including dunces) don't like to be "told" how to vote.
you are too stupid to make your own decision and are a lemming following all the others off a cliff. the poll that should count is on Nov 4th, 5th, 6th.... Jan1st etc... until all the legal votes are counted (90% of the total) and the courts decide which number is going to be valid. * you all know that with the ACORN sitch, there will be a horde of faceless, ID-less, alive-less, only got 1 of my vote's counted. "disenfranchised" filing some sort of lawsuit.
I'm not going to make the same mistake as the elitist media. I'm going to assume most voters are fairly intelligent as I consider myself. No poll would change who I pull the lever for. I made up my mind months ago. In those elections where I was undecided up to the day of the election, it wasn't the polls that was a deciding factor. It was usually the gut feeling about who do I really trust.
I consider the media's use of biased polls to be nothing more than an attempt at voter suppression. (Along with a lot of their reporting.)
If they can't manipulate you to, or shame you to vote for Obama. They want you depressed and deciding to not bother to go out and vote.
Limited Disclosure: I used to belong to the Sierra Club untill they went crazier. Worse of all, I was bribed by Exxon with free New Orleans Saints glasses with fill ups in the 70's.
I bet that at least 20% of the people polled about voting for Barack just say that they will, when in actuality, they are going to vote for McCain once in the privacy of the voting booth.
I say McCain wins by a larger margin that Bush in 2004. When he does, let the riots begin.
I picked a great deal if we are speaking of the general public as a whole who do not pay much attention to politics or political shows....
The polls are the best attempt to commit fraud and voter suppression before the elections, we all know in about ten days they are going to have to come closer to the true numbers if they want to keep their jobs and so called reputation.
The msm is making me so mad and I am sure tons of others, that this will backfire on them this time, big time.
Joe the Plumber cinched it for me with their search and destroy mission they have been on to pulverize this good man.
The Union who are run by the dems make me puke with what they have done to him..intentionally, all for their messiah.
Despicable.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~Rush Limbaugh
Every day - heck, every second - the Mainstream Morons are trumpeting absurd polls that show Mr. Obama with a growing lead. Our local paper (or birdcage liner) this morning mentioned one such odious poll. According to AP/Yahoo! (that alone should bring up warning bells), Mr. McCain has lost "major ground" to Mr. Obama and that Mr. McCain's image has "continued to deteriorate." Of course, the media takes that as "gospel" because it fits their preconceived notion that the election is over.
We need to know; who writes the questions, what kind of questions are being asked, where the polls are being taken, and the size of the sample, among other things. We need a little more "truth in polling".
Forget polling, they are never true or fair.
Has everyone forgotten, the Obozo may not even be a natural born citizen. If he is elected and later it is found that he is Indonesion, I bet they will try to change the Constitution to protect him. What do you think?
And all it requires is a 2/3rds vote in both houses of Congress!
We could be seeing a "perfect storm" forming here. If Obama wins AND significant loss of Republican seats in one or both houses, along with the RHINOS who vote against their party...anything is possible.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it."MM says...
Here in the Bay Area, 560 AM KSFO is spending an hour discussing Barack's sudden trip to HI presumably to visit his ailing GM. Back on Sept. 15, Philip Berg filed his suit against the Obama campaign and the DNC. By not responding within the 30 days allowed by law, Obama pretty much admitted that he was born outside of the US (Kenya perhaps) and that the form documenting his birth was sometime filed in the State of HI thereafter. In 1981, he was in Pakistan using an Indonesian passport. WTF?
What is this guy hiding?
The reality is he's in HI to file a countersuit against allegations about him not a natural born citizen. After all he alleges he is a citizen of the world.
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Comments Policy
Trumpet the Polls
October 17, 2008 - 09:57 ET by allanfSocial pressure has great influence over how people vote. That's why the media choose to highlight only certain polls.
Ann Coulter did a story
October 17, 2008 - 09:55 ET by taterAnn Coulter did a story about polls and how they always over estimate the Democrats percentage. I feel they effect some, but not to people who think for themselves i.e. "non-liberals".
www.theholyrosary.org
"There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we can not resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." -Sister Lucia
Tater
October 17, 2008 - 10:01 ET by RESTLESS 1I read that yesterday too. Let's hope it holds true this time. Not excited about McCain, but absolutely scared to death about "that one".
"This liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
I agree. Conservatives are
October 17, 2008 - 10:16 ET by MazziI agree. Conservatives are not swayed by polls. They may get depressed by them, but they will not change their votes.
However, many liberals are lemmings, and they want to be "in with the in crowd". The flip side of that though, is that they spout the words and wear the TShirts, and then don't go vote.
"We just want truth, we want fairness. We want that balance." ~ Sarah Palin (re: hypocricy of the press)
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
"In with the in crowd"
October 19, 2008 - 12:20 ET by ScrapironThe hallmark of the democrats who are at the best only 'slightly' retarded. Follow the leader off the cliff and blame the fall on the person who told you not to do it.
Ask an honest question, get an answer that confirms the man is a Marxist at best and the total retarded go after the man who ask the question, not the man who, by his own admission, will destroy not only my freedom but theirs. Somewhere in here common sense bypassed the democrats brains in the night.
Old, Retired and glad of it.
central planning
October 19, 2008 - 12:49 ET by mbuelThe democrats aren't the only ones who believe that managed central planning can save us. Why do we still have the federal reserve? Why has John McCain stated that, "I will create jobs". He can't create jobs. He's a politician.
Everyone needs to watch this. I'm honestly surprised it didnt' appear here.
http://www.youtube.c...
(20/20 Stossel)
Now after criticizing McCain and his plans, I am still going to vote for him. Because Obama's central planning would be disastrous for this country.
I selected "significant
October 17, 2008 - 10:12 ET by pglogozaI selected "significant amount" but believe it depends strongly on the audience. Ill-informed or apathetic voters, can be swayed. After all, who doesn't want to be on the side of the winner. We have way too many ill-informed and apathetic voters wanting to say they voted for the winner . . . until their winner craters in job performance.
pg
“Statistics don't lie, liars do.”
October 17, 2008 - 10:45 ET by jkmatyiAs an editor for a nationalwebsite as well as my personal blog I stopped adding polls to either site months ago. I found this in a review for a book being sold on Amazon.com:
"There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff in How to Lie with Statistics. And nowhere does this terror translate to blind acceptance of authority more than in the slippery world of averages, correlations, graphs, and trends. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind" with this slim volume, first published in 1954. The book remains relevant as a wake-up call for people unaccustomed to examining the endless flow of numbers pouring from Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and everywhere else someone has an axe to grind, a point to prove, or aproduct to sell. "The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify," warns Huff.
When I first started as the editor of GOPUSA I would often add several polls to the site on a weekly basis. What I found was that depending how I worded the questions would allow me to manipulate the end result of the poll. Now I always stated that “This is not a scientific poll,” but I doubt very many Democrats came to a GOP website to either read my editorials or take my polls. So when I see that NBC, ABC, CNN, or most of the MSM have another poll out, I usually ignore them. Don't get me wrong, there are better instruments out there on a national level, but even they get it wrong most of the time. Remember when all the polls had Barack winning New Hampshire back in the primaries? You guessed it, Hillary won.
One last thing. I remember this from my first statistics professor back in college: “Statistics don't lie, liars do.” Nuff said?
One last thing. I remember
October 17, 2008 - 11:00 ET by dvdaughtryOne last thing. I remember this from my first statistics professor back in college: “Statistics don't lie, liars do.” Nuff said?
I grew up learning a different but similar line:
Numbers don't lie--unless you want them to.
You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?
One last thing. I remember
October 17, 2008 - 18:41 ET bylast thing i remember--- i was running for the door
“welcome to the hotel BarackObama"
Misundersetimated
October 17, 2008 - 11:12 ET by CrashPolls are influenced by how the questions are asked and by limiting the answer options.
The media definately tries to sway wishy-washy, "I have to vote for whoever is most likely to win" swingers. However, there is a groundswell happening today which resembles what I like to call, "The Underdog Effect." The Underdog Effect happens during major sporting event when one team is trouncing the other team, people in the room (who am I kidding women) who feel sorry for the loser start cheering for them to win or draw.
Another thing that I've noticed are the people who tape bumper stickers to the inside of their rear car window. The candidates I see with the most of this type of application have lost in the general election (beginning with Dole). This time around, it appears to be Obama stickers.
Being that the MSM is a clear cheerleader for one side, the fair weather swing voters might be inclined to vote against the press. After all, people (including dunces) don't like to be "told" how to vote.
Polls = BS
October 18, 2008 - 11:39 ET by MazziPollster: Are you in favor of free health care for all people, or letting innocent babies die from improper prenatal care?
Respondant: uhhhhh.. well.. I don't want babies to die....
Headline: 78% of Americans favor socialized medicine, recent poll finds.
What's wrong with this picture?
"We just want truth, we want fairness. We want that balance." ~ Sarah Palin (re: hypocricy of the press)
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
polls only matter if..
October 17, 2008 - 11:41 ET by pummyyou are too stupid to make your own decision and are a lemming following all the others off a cliff. the poll that should count is on Nov 4th, 5th, 6th.... Jan1st etc... until all the legal votes are counted (90% of the total) and the courts decide which number is going to be valid. * you all know that with the ACORN sitch, there will be a horde of faceless, ID-less, alive-less, only got 1 of my vote's counted. "disenfranchised" filing some sort of lawsuit.
Wall Street Journal on polls...
October 17, 2008 - 11:48 ET by vrwc13http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122420151553142939.html#articleTabs%3Dinteractive
great interactive combination of dozens of polls and the "tabbed" article has some great insight to how they are weighted.
v
I think very little
October 17, 2008 - 11:52 ET by nwahsI'm not going to make the same mistake as the elitist media. I'm going to assume most voters are fairly intelligent as I consider myself. No poll would change who I pull the lever for. I made up my mind months ago. In those elections where I was undecided up to the day of the election, it wasn't the polls that was a deciding factor. It was usually the gut feeling about who do I really trust.
Don't bother voting.
October 17, 2008 - 12:47 ET by danboI consider the media's use of biased polls to be nothing more than an attempt at voter suppression. (Along with a lot of their reporting.)
If they can't manipulate you to, or shame you to vote for Obama. They want you depressed and deciding to not bother to go out and vote.
Limited Disclosure: I used to belong to the Sierra Club untill they went crazier. Worse of all, I was bribed by Exxon with free New Orleans Saints glasses with fill ups in the 70's.
I bet that at least 20% of
October 18, 2008 - 03:14 ET by liberal_bug_zapperI bet that at least 20% of the people polled about voting for Barack just say that they will, when in actuality, they are going to vote for McCain once in the privacy of the voting booth.
I say McCain wins by a larger margin that Bush in 2004. When he does, let the riots begin.
____________________________________________________
"I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." ~ Ayn Rand
I picked a great deal if we
October 17, 2008 - 12:52 ET by bigtimerI picked a great deal if we are speaking of the general public as a whole who do not pay much attention to politics or political shows....
The polls are the best attempt to commit fraud and voter suppression before the elections, we all know in about ten days they are going to have to come closer to the true numbers if they want to keep their jobs and so called reputation.
The msm is making me so mad and I am sure tons of others, that this will backfire on them this time, big time.
Joe the Plumber cinched it for me with their search and destroy mission they have been on to pulverize this good man.
The Union who are run by the dems make me puke with what they have done to him..intentionally, all for their messiah.
Despicable.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Isn't this ironic?
October 18, 2008 - 15:02 ET by mbuelUsing a poll to question polls?
Palin has accomplished great things, while Obama has continued to make empty promises that the world owes you a living.
Depends on...
October 20, 2008 - 19:52 ET by MightyMouth...if you happen to be one of these voters....
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
As this election draws closer....we need "truth in polling"
October 21, 2008 - 11:21 ET by Mary Louise TurnerEvery day - heck, every second - the Mainstream Morons are trumpeting absurd polls that show Mr. Obama with a growing lead. Our local paper (or birdcage liner) this morning mentioned one such odious poll. According to AP/Yahoo! (that alone should bring up warning bells), Mr. McCain has lost "major ground" to Mr. Obama and that Mr. McCain's image has "continued to deteriorate." Of course, the media takes that as "gospel" because it fits their preconceived notion that the election is over.
We need to know; who writes the questions, what kind of questions are being asked, where the polls are being taken, and the size of the sample, among other things. We need a little more "truth in polling".
Polling
October 21, 2008 - 21:43 ET by livingfreeForget polling, they are never true or fair.
Has everyone forgotten, the Obozo may not even be a natural born citizen. If he is elected and later it is found that he is Indonesion, I bet they will try to change the Constitution to protect him. What do you think?
Good Point...
October 21, 2008 - 22:01 ET by MightyMouthAnd all it requires is a 2/3rds vote in both houses of Congress!
We could be seeing a "perfect storm" forming here. If Obama wins AND significant loss of Republican seats in one or both houses, along with the RHINOS who vote against their party...anything is possible.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
I Smell a Technicality Issue.....
October 21, 2008 - 22:02 ET by semolina_filcherHere in the Bay Area, 560 AM KSFO is spending an hour discussing Barack's sudden trip to HI presumably to visit his ailing GM. Back on Sept. 15, Philip Berg filed his suit against the Obama campaign and the DNC. By not responding within the 30 days allowed by law, Obama pretty much admitted that he was born outside of the US (Kenya perhaps) and that the form documenting his birth was sometime filed in the State of HI thereafter. In 1981, he was in Pakistan using an Indonesian passport. WTF?
What is this guy hiding?
The reality is he's in HI to file a countersuit against allegations about him not a natural born citizen. After all he alleges he is a citizen of the world.