Karl Rove: Prince of Push Polling
By Daniel R. Morrow
http://www.webdelsol.com/The_Potomac/politics-rove.htmIf "push polling" is a crime against humanity, then justice has no chance of being served until Karl Rove, its ultra-right promoter, is seized and brought to trial. But wait a minute ... in what fair and noble land might such a thing happen? Certainly not in America, for no such justice exists. Its once passionate people are either too ignorant or apathetic to demand action. And why is that? How is it that most Americans are blissfully unaware of this remarkably despicable process that not only mocks democracy to the far edge, but finally hangs over our heads a Damocletian sword named Bush answerable only to the nation's most powerful conservative interest groups (United Polluters of America, International Cancer Stick Makers, Petrochemical Billionaire Boys Club, Weapons Inc., etc.--you know, the types who need to bribe politicians for special privileges).
First of all, what's a push poll? The National Council on Public Polls (NCPP) defines it as:
"A telemarketing technique in which telephone calls are used to canvass vast numbers of potential voters, feeding them false and damaging 'information' about a candidate under the guise of taking a poll to see how this 'information' affects voter preferences. In fact, the intent is to 'push' the voters away from one candidate and toward the opposing candidate."
The push poll is a Godzilla in sheep's clothing. The tragic thing is, the average American knows far more about Godzilla than about push polls.
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The Way Things Aren't:
Rush Limbaugh Debates Reality
FROM:
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/limbaugh-debates-reality.htmlRush Limbaugh has gotten a lot of mileage out of his
claim that volcanoes do more harm to the ozone layer
than human-produced chemicals. He featured it in his
best-selling book, The Way Things Ought to Be
(paperback edition pp. 155-157): "Mount Pinatubo in
the Philippines spewed forth more than a thousand
times the amount of ozone-depleting chemicals in one
eruption than all the fluorocarbons manufactured by
wicked, diabolical and insensitive corporations in
history.... Mankind can't possibly equal the output of
even one eruption from Pinatubo, much less 4 billion
years' worth of them, so how can we destroy ozone?"
Limbaugh calls concern about the ozone layer:
"balderdash. Poppycock." The only people who worry
about it are "environmental wackos," "dunderheaded
alarmists and prophets of doom."
Syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell (New York Post,
1/14/94) used the volcano theory as Exhibit A to
illustrate Limbaugh's "very well-informed and savvy
understanding of the political issues of our time."
"While far more pretentious people have been joining
the chorus of hysteria over 'global warming,'" Sowell
wrote, "Limbaugh pointed out in his
book that
one of the high readings of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere came right after a volcanic eruption--and
volcanoes can put more gases into the atmosphere than
the entire human race."
The alert reader will notice that Sowell has mixed up
global warming and the ozone layer, two different
problems. Still, Sowell concluded of Limbaugh, "It is
obvious that the man has done his homework--and done
it well."
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Karl Rove and Push Polls disinformation...
Push poll
FROM:
http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Push_poll
A push poll is where, using the guise of opinion
polling, disinformation about a candidate or issue is
planted in the minds of those being 'surveyed'.
Push-polls are designed to shape, rather than measure,
public opinion.
Examples include:
Bush’s campaign strategists, including Karl Rove,
devised a push poll against John McCain. South
Carolina voters were asked “Would you be more likely
or less likely to vote for John McCain for president
if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black
child?”. They had no interest in the actual
percentages in the poll, the goal was to suggest that
he had. This was particularly vicious since McCain was
campaining with his adopted Bangladeshi daughter. The
sight of the little dark skinned girl made the seed
planted earlier grow and John McCain lost South
Carolina, effectively ending his run for the
presidency.
Salon.com reported on a push poll that was designed to
remind voters which candiates were Jewish, or had high
ranking Jewish campaign staff.<1>
External links:
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Kathy Frankovic, "The Truth About Push Polls",
CBSNews.com, February 14, 2000.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/02/14/politics/main160398.shtml
Paula Gibbs, "Push Poll Callers Contacting Voters",
Wiscasset Newspaper, September 12, 2002.
http://wiscassetnewspaper.maine.com/2002-09-12/push_poll_callers.html
"Public Opinion Strategies Push Poll", Mother Jones,
May/June 1996.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/1996/05/push_poll.html
Daniel R. Morrow, "Karl Rove: Prince of Push Polling",
The Potomac, December 17, 2003
http://www.webdelsol.com/The_Potomac/politics-rove.htm
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