Latest Washington Post Poll Is A Pro-Dean Push Poll

[KittyWampus]

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Dean way ahead in the Democratic presidential race with the support of 31% of Democrats.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22493-2003Dec22.html

Unfortunately, the questions asked and their order guaranteed that this poll would be a "push poll" for Dean.

The complete list of poll questions and their order are virtually guaranteed to inflate Dean's numbers.

After several questions about Bush, the poll asks respondents for whom they would vote in a Bush-Dean race.
There are no corresponding questions about voting for any other specific Democrat against Bush.

The poll then asks several more questions about Bush.

Then respondents are asked whether they trust Bush or Dean more on specific issues.
Again, there are no questions setting up other Democratic candidates against Bush.

Finally, the poll asks Democrats for whom would they vote in a Democratic presidential primary or caucus.

What this indicates- by the time anti-Bush Democrats (the majority of Democrats) are asked which Democratic presidential candidate they support, they've already expressed themselves as preferring Dean over Bush and trusting Dean more than Bush on specific issues.

Democrats who have not yet begun to follow the presidential race closely (again, the majority of Democrats) would be more likely to select Dean after just having responded to several questions with expressions of support for Dean -- but no other Democratic presidential candidate.

Whoever designed this poll was either incompetent or seeking a pro-Dean result. The poll measures Dean's support among Democrats after getting Democrats to express support for Dean. This was a "push poll" and should be treated as irrelevant.

Actually, I'd like to see Dean supporters denounce this poll and all of its type "vigorously and vociferously".

Suggestion email ombudsman at Washington Pos. If you write please be polite.

[chocolateeater]

1. Your link to the poll questions

didn't work.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. Try this

link

BTW I agree with the premise- this poll was all about Bush and Dean.

[KittyWampus]

7. Just Fixed It, Thanks

1) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush
is handling his job as president?

2.1) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: The economy?

2.2) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: The situation in Iraq?

2.3) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: Education?

2.4) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: Prescription drugs benefits for the elderly?

2.5) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: The cost, availability, and coverage of health
insurance?

2.6) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: The federal budget deficit?

2.7) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: The US campaign against terrorism?

2.8) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W.
Bush is handling: Medicare?

3) If the 2004 presidential election were being held today,
would you vote for George W. Bush, the Republican, or the
Democratic nominee?

4) If the 2004 presidential election were being held today, and
the candidates were George W. Bush, the Republican, and
Howard Dean, the Democrat, for whom would you vote?

5) Which one of these will be the single most important issue
in your vote for president next year: the U.S. campaign
against terrorism, the war in Iraq, the economy and jobs,
education, health care, Medicare and prescription drugs,
Social Security or something else?

6) Are you more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who
supported or opposed going to war with Iraq?

7) Are you more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who
wants to keep the recent federal tax cuts in place, or for a
candidate who wants to reduce or repeal the recent federal
tax cuts?

8) On another subject, all in all, considering the costs to the
United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you
think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not?

snip
#9-21 all questions about Bush.

22) Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the choice of
Democratic candidates for president?

23) What's the most important issue to you in deciding your
vote for the Democratic candidate for president?

25) How much do you feel you know about Howard Dean's
personal qualities, such as experience and leadership ability -
a great deal, a good amount, only some, or hardly anything?

26) How much do you feel you know about Dean's positions
on specific issues - a great deal, a good amount, only some,
or hardly anything?

27) Who do you trust more to handle national security and the
war on terrorism: George W. Bush or Howard Dean?

28) Who do you trust more to handle domestic issues such
as Social Security, health care and education: George W.
Bush or Howard Dean?

29) Do you think George W. Bush's views on most issues are
too liberal for you, too conservative for you, or just about right?

30) Do you think Howard Dean's views on most issues are too
liberal for you, too conservative for you, or just about right?

31) How closely have you been following news about the
changes in the Medicare program that were voted on by
Congress last month?

32) Given what you know about them, do you approve or
disapprove of the Medicare changes voted on by Congress
last month?

33) On another subject, do you think a president should or
should not rely on his religious beliefs in making policy
decisions?

34) How much do you use the Internet to get news or
information about political candidates?

998) If the 2004 Democratic presidential primary or caucus in
your state were being held today, and the candidates were
Joseph Lieberman, Richard Gephardt, John Kerry, John
Edwards, Al Sharpton, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, Carol
Moseley Braun, or Wesley Clark, for whom would you vote?

[worldgonekrazy]

2. Maybe because the Wash. Post wants Bush out of the White House?

Yeah, the primary has not even begun. But I am sure even a Clark fan can admit that it sure looks like Dean will win. With this in mind, perhaps the Washington Post is trying to bolster his candidacy to help him beat the snot out of Bush. I know it might be a foreign idea to Clark fans--who seem to prefer bashing Dean to bashing Bush--but some people actually want Dean to do well if he is the nominee.

[Raya]

10. Which ever way. We are being manipulated.

[lancdem]

12. Since the WaPo polls almost always have Bush's approval

4-5 points higher than most other polls, I kind of doubt they're keen on ousting Bush.

[chimpymustgo]

3. Thanks, cryingshame. ALL of us should write the ombudsman.

Regardless of whom we support. This blatant attempt to influence the Democratic primaries is disgusting and frightening. We must all protest this.

[Jack_Dawson]

5. I thought it sounded fishy...

Oh well. Politics as usual.

[LuminousX]

6. Not 'Push Poll' but none-the-less a bad poll

But the questions before the final question regarding candidate preference all are about Howard Dean so when the final question is asked, the person taking the poll has heard Dean's name mentioned several times.

Not exactly a 'push-poll' as that has a specific meaning dealing with inserting negative messages about the opposition via polls.

This is a poorly constructed poll. If each of the various candidates were mentioned in the same way Dean was, it would have been a better poll.

[LSdemocrat]

8. As a Dean supporter, I'll agree that this poll was biased, but

this really pales in comparison to some of the things that the media gets away with everyday in promoting Bush.

[unfrigginreal]

9. LOL

And your evidence of the order the questions were asked is what? That #998 is greater than #34?

:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[dsc]

11. You are right here

If they had used this to test Dean vs Bush and only that this would have been acceptable even with the last question though even in that case it should have been first not last. But, given the fact they chose to use that last question as a poll, they blew it.

On edit It isn't a push poll though as that does have a specific conotation.

[ibegurpard]

13. Don't hold your breath

I'll be glad to denounce it when you decry making an issue out of the status of Howard Dean's dead brother. Until then, you're on your own.

[Moderator]

14. Consolidating threads..............

Please continue the discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=20297&mesg_id=20297


Thank you.

DU Moderator