Channel 4's Lazy reporting

Why pay to conduct your own poll when you can just use someone's insider poll?

From KTVX:

SALT LAKE (ABC 4 News) - Utah Senator Bob Bennett may no longer be the front-runner for his own party's nomination.

According to reliable Republican sources, Bennett now trails GOP challenger Mike Lee by a significant amount among GOP delegates.

According to our sources, Mike Lee's campaign has conducted two large surveys in the last month.

Each polled between a quarter and a third of the delegates to next month's Republican state convention.

Reportedly, Mike Lee is first with 37 percent of the delegate vote.

Bennett is said to be second at 22 percent.

Tim Bridgewater, according to information given to ABC 4, is third at 20.5%

And Cherilyn Eagar, we're told, is in 4th place at 13% of those polled.

Here's the problem I have with this:

How do we know this was an unbiased poll?

After all, if you're going to be leaking a poll (especially with that much detail), to Chris Vancour, why does it have to be accurate?

For all we know, The question was "If the convention was today, which of the following candidates would you vote for? Mike "Superhero" Lee, Bob "Old Fart Who Likes Big Banks" Bennett, Tim "Nobody" Bridgewater, or Crazy Cherilyn Eagar?"

-Bob

Senator Dayton and Rep Daw Push-Polling

Rolly:

Two Utah County legislators have collaborated on a survey sent to their constituents that raises the concept of push-polling to new heights.
The survey -- at least on a couple of questions -- is worded to get the response obviously favored by lawmakers sending the questionnaire.

Sen. Margaret Dayton and Rep. Brad Daw, both Orem Republicans, sent the 13-question survey to get constituents' views on issues facing the Legislature. Each question is followed by a list of responses constituents can choose from that best fits their views.

But the 13th question, which focuses on the ethics reform petition most legislators hate, does not include a response that allows constituents to say they favor it.
Respondents can check a box if they prefer to have laws made through the legislative process rather than by initiative; if they are aware that the Ethics Commission has no accountability to anyone and has lifetime appointments; if they are dumb enough to sign the 21-page petition without reading it; and if they would prefer laws that create more transparency in lobbyist activities and that would cap campaign contributions. Constituents are reminded such a law would prevent lower income candidates from running for office.

Question 12 is about the initiative to create an independent commission to make recommendations on redistricting. It asks, "As a taxpayer would you prefer to see redistricting done by recommendations by an unelected redistricting commission (most expensive), regional public meetings (fairly expensive) or by legislators who communicate with their local constituents (least expensive)?"

It seems they have already answered that one for you, doesn't it?

For Todd Taylor: a definition of a push poll

Main Entry: push poll
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an opinion poll done with loaded questions or offering negative information to sway the opinions of those polled
Usage: push-polling n

push poll. Dictionary.com. Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/push poll (accessed: September 15, 2008).

So, let's look at the facts:

1) It was an opinion poll

2) It was a loaded question

3) It was loaded to see "who could be persuaded to vote for your candidate"

Now, I realize that there was nothing in the push poll that was dishonest. However, many people I know (with the exception of the minority that are dumb enough to fall for negative push polling) are smart enough to recognize this as a push poll, and think that we are being dishonest.

Surely, there are better ways to beat Greg Curtis.

However, this was a push poll. You can a pile of manure "fertilizer," but it's still manure.

-Bob

Utah Democrats Need To Stop Push Polling

No matter how much you want to spin it, this article is correct in calling a spade a spade.

The Republicans are calling it "negative push polling." Democrats say it's "persuasive voter identity polling" and GOP candidates have done it before in Utah.

Either way, it is the use of the latest in telephone marketing techniques to identify voters — those who are already with your candidate, those who could be persuaded to vote for your candidate, and those who have "made up their minds and who you don't want to waste money on calling again" — as Utah Democratic Party executive director Todd Taylor puts it.

Democrats are making the calls into several Utah House and Senate districts where they believe they have a chance of winning this year. Several thousand Sandy residents are reportedly getting calls from both sides of a close race between House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, and his Democratic challenger, Jay Seegmiller.

A rose by any other name.....

You can put lipstick on a pig......

And, as Vice Chairman Rob Miller points out, in the comments on the article, Executive Director Todd Taylor posted the script of the call:

Hello, my name is (caller’s first name). Is (voter’s first name) available? I am calling from the Utah Democratic Party with a couple of quick questions about the upcoming elections.

If the election for your State House of Representative were held today and the candidates were Democrat Jay Seegmiller who is concerned about legislators using their public office for private gain and Republican Greg Curtis who is Speaker of the House who thinks conflict of interest is natural in a citizen legislature, for whom would you vote?”

If it quacks like a duck.....

If it lies like a Republican.....

Oh, and by saying Well....the Republicans do it.... is not a good excuse.

The reason people my age do not get involved in politics and don't vote, is because politicians pull crap like this.

It needs to stop. And it needs to stop. Yesterday.

Will someone rise above the fray?

-Bob

Western Wats and Push Polling, From the Inside

The City Weekly's Eric Peterson posted an item on the Salt Blog about Western Wats and their push polling. He knows, because he used to work for them.

We used to have to conduct surveys for example that were hired by Pharmaceutical companies where we would conduct "research" on peoples opinions about buying medication in Canada. We would ask their opinion on buying cheap meds over the border, and then we would list them negative facts about the "dangers" of Canadian meds and then ask them to rate their opinion on them again, and then we would list more dangers, and then rate their opinion again and again ad nauseum.

Essentially we were contracted to do aggressive research. Research that was meant not to gather unbiased opinion, but to change opinion. And I would tell every person I called that was exactly what was going on--only way I could conscienably do that job for six bucks an hour.

Now who knows for sure if they are doing that now, but one needs to remember that companies like Western Wats aren't think tanks that have researchers who write and craft official studies. No they contract out to hire poor college and high school kids to call and harass people at all hours of the day and night reading them surveys (written by their clients) with definite political agendas.

Is Flip Romney Behind the Push Pols?

When I first heard about the push-polling about Flip Romney going on, something smelled not quite right.

The poll seemed pretty tame. The worst thin they seemed to say was about blacks in his church not becoming bishops until the 70s.

Trust me, when it comes to negative things about my religion, they could have come up with so much more that's worse.

And, the other thing that raised a red flag was that it was a Utah County based call center. Which means it probably has a high percentage of LDS employees.

So, I found it interesting to read a post on The Right's Field.

Turns out that the founders of the company are supporters of Flip Romney. Several employees, including a Senior VP, have donated money to the campaign.

Western Wats doesn't seem like the first choice of companies to conduct this poll.

And, as SLCSpin points out, this isn't the first time Western Wats has been involved with this.

So, if my gut is right, and Flip's campaign is behind this, what would be the benefit of such a move?

Well, to begin with, it gives sympathy points to Romney. Look a him. They're picking on him because of where he spends his Sundays. Secondly, since early signs point to McCain's campaign, it makes McCain look like the bad guy.

However, I don't buy that it was McCain. Why? Because of their response to the scandal. They filed a request with the New Hampshire Attorney General's office to launch an investigation into who was behind the poll (not disclosing that is illegal in NH). Would they call for an investigation if they were guilty? No, they would deny the allegations and hope nobody was smart enough to ask for said investigation.

What are your thoughts?

Puppy Torture and Vouchers linked?

So, I had an interesting conversation with a complete stranger this morning on TRAX about the voucher push poll. It me to thinking about a potential push poll those who support public education could run....

Jane Voter: Hello...
Caller: Hi. This is Bob from B & S Consultants, and we're doing a short poll about education this afternoon. May I take just a few moments of your time?
Jane: No Problem.
Caller: Thank you. This first Question is: Do you generally support or oppose the plan to give vouchers to people who want to send their children to private schools.
Jane: Oh, I think I support it, but I'm not completely sold on it. Could you give me more information about the subject?
Caller: Unfortunately, I'm unable to. We are unbiased and don't want to sway the results of our poll. So you would say you kind of support the bill rather than strongly support the plan?
Jane: yes.
Caller: OK, my next question contains a hypothetical situation. Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for vouchers if you learned that the supporters of vouchers supported lesser penalties for people like Michael Vick who torture cute puppies, kittens, and other cute, furry animals?
Jane: Oh, that's mean. Definitely less likely.
Caller: Thanks, we're almost done here. Let me just get some demographic information.....

Bob's first rule of politics is to not use a tool that you wouldn't want used against you...