promark research push polling in pa

[bcoylepa]

wondering if anyone else is getting calls from Promark Research from Texas- just got one against Dem Chris Carney in PA 10 - all kinds of weird misleading comments about what Chris believes and stands for
does anyone know anything about this group?- seems like they have done this before in Colorado
any info would be appreciated - I did a search and they look dirty
thanks

[Alleycat]

1. Yes I got called the other night too!

While doing their poll I saw right away the angle it was taking so I just keep saying it would not make a difference. I told the guy I knew it was a push poll and under no circumstance would I ever to vote for Sherwood.

[JPZenger]

2. Play along with push polls and take good notes

Push polls provide a preview of what types of attacks an opponent might make. Play along with them, take good notes, and then report what was asked to the Dem. campaign ASAP.

[Alleycat]

3. Great idea

[foltzmountain]

4. ProMark Research Push Poll

I just received a call which started as a general survey, then toward the end was definitely a push poll that was posing statements as if they were questions to determine my position. The questions were definitely pro Hackett and unfavorable for Carney. I got their address and telephone number and will contact Congressman Carney's website. It appears there is a real effort under way by the Republican Party to take back that seat.

[jazzolog]

5. What Is Promark Really Up To?

JPZenger's comment resembles a reply I received from the chairperson of our county's Democratic Party. She went into more detail about this Republican strategy, which has been in place at least as long as Rove has been calling the shots. What the Repubs are trying to find out is what "dirt" they've been able to dig up resonates most with the people called. Promark's employees listen hard for reaction and emotional response. This is what they report to the Republican Party. At that point the Repubs know how to spend the money it takes for TV, radio, and mail attack ads. Since TV costs so much they want to spend most efficiently, and it is cost effective to do these "pushpolls" first. Our chairperson, who is also an attorney, urges to take notes if called...and try not to display any emotion. Then forward to the candidate they intend to smear so that, unlike Kerry, that person can be ready for it when it comes.

[MilesDavisRocks]

6. naive...

*sigh* ... Naivety is one of the most prevalent traits that
American's tend to share--honestly, it makes me embarrassed to
be an "American" (United Statesian?). Americans are
just as naive today as Germans were Pre World War II.

The first thing I'll address is the Democratic Party's
chairperson's statement that poll-pushing is a Republican
strategy... HAH! This is not a "Republican Strategy"
it's a political strategy. Seriously now, do you really
believe this is a Republican strategy? For the sake of the
future of America, I sure hope not. The group this thread is
focused around--Promark Research--doesn't only do these
push-polls for the Republican party, they also do just as many
for the Democratic party. Do a little research, you'll find
threads about Republicans complaining about how Promark called
and read a bunch of statements negatively biased towards a
Republican candidate for office then proceeded with another
bunch of statements positively biased towards a Democrat
candidate.  

Secondly, the comment about Promark's employees listening hard
for reaction and emotional responses. This demonstrates this
chairpersons ignorance (or maybe not. It could very well be
them manipulating your emotions). Interviewers at Research
Survey Centers (Like Promark. By the way, Promark doesn't only
do push-pulls, mostly they do polls to get people's opinions,
ranging from politicians, proposed laws, tax increases/cuts,
grocery stores, health care, school districts etc. etc.) are
composed mostly of high school students and college students
that need a job that is flexible and can schedule around their
school schedules. The interviewers (as Promark calls them, are
the people who call you and implement the poll) don't listen
at all for an emotional response at all, they aren't even told
who the survey is sponsored by, although for push-polls it is
usually pretty obvious which party paid for it. Anyway, the
interviewers just listen for you to say "Much more
likely," "Somewhat more likely" "no
difference" "somewhat less likely" "much
less likely" or "unsure". That is the only
thing that can be recorded, they aren't even suppose to select
a response unless the interviewee says the exact verbatim
response... Basically what I'm trying to say is that this
chairperson lied to you. Whether it was an intentional lie to
gain a stronger political foothold, or ignorance, I can't say.
Maybe you should call and ask?

All in all, politics are politics. Be it Republicans or
Democrats. Sadly, political races have become more based on
manipulating the fears of American citizens than actually what
is right. Its sad and ironic that America has become exactly
what it fought to separate itself from during Her war for
Independence. Tyrannical, oppressive, manipulative. While its
citizens are encouraged by its leaders to be ignorant and
naive. Its no wonder that the United States will not remain a
super power... or even a united nation... for much longer..

 

[sway99]

7. I work for Promark

I work for promark and milesdavisrocks is right me and my fellow interviewers do not read your emotions, we are not allowed to. Almost all of us with the exception of 4 or 5 people are college and high school students. Promark is a great place to work while you are in school because we get to make our own schedules and we only have to work 3 days a week up to 5 if we want. As far as the push polls the interviewers hate them just as much as you do. We do them for Democrats and Republicans and no matter who they are for they SUCK... We are required to get so many surveys completed an hour and when it is a push poll it is very hard to do and very unpleasant doing it. Thankfully very few of the polls we conduct are push polls. I actually like doing this job for the most part. I get to learn a lot of new interesting things going on in every state in the country. I am just about done with school and I am lucky enough to be getting a degree in something that will allow me to go anywhere...in doing this job it has also helped me decide what states I might like to visit and live someday...it's amazing how in one or two nights of calling a certain city or state how you can gather what that community is like...we have called some places where every single person we call is mean and rude...and then we call other places (Alaska, Utah, North Dakota to name a few) where all the people are soooo nice and so helpful and almost everyone takes our surveys and even if they do not want to they are nice about it....I really don't care if someone doesn't want to take the survey but please don't cus me out..I'm just trying to make a living and go to school ;)

[favedave]

8. Got a call in California - anti Jerry Brown

I got a call around the middle of March which was anti Jerry Brown.
To address a couple points raised in this thread. First, Push Polls are almost exclusively Republican negative campaign tactics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll
I WISH the Democrats would start using them against the opposition. As far as the callers listening to your response to gather dirt on opponents - wrong. Push Polls are not meant to gather dirt - they are meant to spread dirt.
"Perhaps the most famous use of push polls is in the 2000 United States Republican Party primaries, when George W. Bush's campaign used push polling to torpedo the campaign of Senator John McCain. Voters in South Carolina 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?" The poll's allegation had no substance, but was heard by thousands of primary voters. McCain and his wife had in fact adopted a Bangladeshi girl. Political consultant Lee Atwater, a Republican operative, was also well known for using push-polling among his aggressive campaign tactics. In 2008, Jewish voters in Florida and Pittsburgh were targeted by a push poll attempting to disparage Barack Obama by linking him with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The Jewish Council for Education & Research, an organization that has endorsed Obama, denounced the push-poll as misinformation and lies.
The main advantage of push polls is that they are an effective way of maligning an opponent ("pushing" voters towards a predetermined point of view) while avoiding direct responsibility for the distorted or false information used in the push poll. They are risky for this same reason: if credible evidence emerges that the polls were directly ordered by a campaign/candidate, it would do serious blowback to that campaign. Push polls are also relatively expensive, having a far higher cost per voter than radio or television commercials. Thus, push polls are most used in elections with fewer voters, such as party primaries, or in close elections where a relatively small change in votes can mean victory or defeat."
So it makes sense that I would receive a Push Poll call as the California primaries are heating up. And as Meg Whitman is truly a dirty candidate.
To the Promark employee: this is a dirty and immoral job. Promark is looking for employees that either don't care or don't know any better. My call was from someone that didn't know any better. People don't like your calls because their privacy and home time are being interrupted by dirty campaign practices. Get a clue.
If I receive a call again I will record it and forward it to the California Political Fair Practices Department. I hope others will react in a similar fashion.

[rn1181]

9. promark push polling

I actually used to work for promark, and you're absolutely right, they do use push polling. In the roughly two months I was there, every survey for the most part bashed democrats, or if it was a GOP primary, a fellow republican. All of the questions are very leading which should not be a surprised considering that baselice and associates, an official rick perry pollster, pays for alot of the more blatantly biased surveys, including the one bashing Jerry Brown in California. Baselice has already been accused of push polling here in TX during a mayoral race in San Antonio. In regards to the Jerry Brown survey specifically, my boss attempted to feed me some bs that candidates bash themselves to get a reaction from people. If that was the case why would they have described some of the things Brown did as "schemes"? If this bs were true and Jerry Brown did sponsor this (which I'm sure no one in their right mind would considering it blatantly made him look bad), why use loaded words like scheme which implies you're a con-man that should never be trusted. At the beginning of that survey, it starts by asking if you would vote for Jerry Brown and if you are likely to vote for him, is it definitely a vote for him, or probably. They then begin reading "statements about a candidate the computer randomly chooses", and of course its ALWAYS Jerry Brown. Of the roughly 20 or so of these statements I would say 16-17 are about negative things Brown did, while there are two general statements or so on Meg Whitman. After reading all of these negative statements on Brown and these two general statements or so on Whitman, they ask you again if you will vote for Brown and how likely you are to do so. Its downright scary how after these statements about Brown are read, how many peoples vote changed. The vast majority changed their opinion of him. They have also put out surveys that refer to Obamas policies as "liberal schemes", and regurgitates the same keywords and lies you see on fox "news" about healthcare reform. I literally NEVER saw a pro democratic survey that bashed the GOP or fellow Dem's, the truth is in the kool-aid, promark is an arm of the GOP propaganda machine.