"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Monday, September 28, 2009

Desired Results

The Club for Growth recently polled the residents, albeit a very small sample, of the 23rd Congressional district looking to achieve specific results and they were successful.

When desired results exceeds the intention of a poll you can always be assured the questions will be skewed to provide the needed answer. Hoffman's poll did it and now the Club for Growth poll does it. There is a reason they are polling this way and then releasing the results and that is to further drive electorate into a "Oh Dede's losing" frenzy.

Most campaigns use internal polling as a means of developing their strategy and executing their campaign not necessarily waving it around publicly.

The Club for Growth poll - here.

The second question is a fair question about the opinion of the New York State Legislature. The results of that question while predictable will be used against Scozzafava in campaign commercials as has already been done. In almost every poll you glean the hot button topics that are the basis for a negative campaign commercial. As is also the case with the next question in the poll about Nancy Pelosi.

This is the skewed question, which provides little for a campaign strategy. 

WOULD YOU PREFER YOUR NEXT MEMBER OF CONGRESS BE A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT, A LIBERAL REPUBLICAN, OR A CONSERVATIVE PARTY CANDIDATE WHO WOULD ALIGN HIMSELF WITH REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS?

When voters step into the voting booth, they will not see line A "Liberal Democrat" and line B "Liberal Republican" therefore this question is skewed for desired results. No doubt it is intended to boost Hoffman's numbers - he is the only person referred to by gender in the question.

Yes, Hoffman has had a one tract campaign - paint Dede, who by the way has voted with her Republican leader 95% of the time, as a liberal Republican.

If the poll wanted to be a bit more accurate it might have read:
Independent Democrat, Moderate Republican, Conservative or maybe just use the old standbys - Democrat, Republican or Conservative.

The results are flawed. 

10 comments:

hermit thrush said...

i can't remember ever agreeing so enthusiastically with one of piv's posts, but yep, this is really terrific.

Anonymous said...

Diedre “Dede” Scozzafava, the 2009 Republican selection for New York’s 23rd Congressional district, has had the backing of the WFP on past occasions. Scozzafava is a decidedly social liberal whose husband -- a union official and organizer -- has made numerous contributions to the WFP since 2002.

ConcernedCitizen said...

In ’04, liberal GOPer Scozzafava was re-elected after also appearing on the WFP ballot line with Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry. Last fall, she won again and shared the WFP ticket with Barack Obama.

Now, that is liberal!

Anonymous said...

I beleive another 'social liberal' by the name of Dick Cheney has come out in favor of gay marriage.

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

Like I said before, "Most polls are only good in Poland."

Anonymous said...

This is all confusing to me.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of "desired results?"

As for the Working Families Party (WFP), Karen Scharff, a local WFP official told TPMmuckraker.com in a statement:

In Rensselaer County and City of Troy

"It's extremely troubling that local Democrats in Troy appear to have committed fraud in an attempt to win a primary fight with Troy Republicans for our ballot line. We call on the District Attorney to investigate this matter immediately and prosecute any acts of voter fraud to the fullest extent of the law.
A special prosecutor was expected to be appointed by the county today to probe the matter."

Beware all ye who seek the WFP line this cycle ...

— dmf

Anonymous said...

9:14 I guess acorn is alive and well.Need another investigation to find out who is still funneling money to them.

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

FYI and to be honest and correct.

Of all the "voter fraud charges" against ACORN, played out in public and not in court, guess how many have actually been prosecuted?

Z E R O ...

In fact across the country, voter fraud cases actually prosecuted in court? Only 14 of the several 100,000 or complaints lodged.

Why? LACK OF EVIDENCE.

ACORN may be bad in some aspects, but name one huge group that is not in some areas?

ACORN is NOT the nasty awful bunch of corrupt people that the GOP and FOX and others paint them to be, or hope to paint them to be ...

That is except if you are against ACORN's charter which is basically to help and assist mostly poor, low-income, unemployed, and/or homeless people.

Are you against that? If so, I pity you.

~ dmf

Anonymous said...

It's only an indication of how corrupt our system is that ACORN has been able to do business as they have for so long. It will take time but it will all come out sooner or later.

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