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Poll Surprises Out-of-Touch Paper
realclearpolitics.com ^ | August 02, 2007 | Debra Saunders

Posted on 8/2/2007, 5:52:12 AM by neverdem

When a New York Times poll found that the number of Americans who think it was right for the United States to go to war in Iraq rose from 35 percent in May to percent 42 percent in mid-July, rather than promptly report the new poll findings, the paper conducted another poll. As the Times' Janet Elder wrote Sunday, the increased support for the decision to go to war was "counterintuitive" and because it "could not be easily explained, the paper went back and did another poll on the very same subject."

Round Two found that 42 percent of voters think America was right to go into Iraq, while the percentage of those polled who said that it was wrong to go to war had fallen from 61 percent to 51 percent. The headline for Elder's piece read, "Same Question, Different Answer. Hmmm." But it should have read: "America's Paper of Record Out of Touch With American Public."

Elder wrote that growing support for the war seemed odd: "Once in a while a poll finding doesn't make sense." It occurred as Congress was debating the war and the Bush administration had to report that Iraq had failed to meet a number of benchmarks for progress.

Too true. But at the same time, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had begun warning the public of the consequences of a premature withdrawal. Brass serving in Iraq were explaining why they wanted more time to let the surge work, as they were making inroads in fighting insurgents and winning support from the Iraqi public. Most important: President Bush had responded to criticism of the administration's erstwhile undermanned whack-a-mole Iraq strategy, which had depressed U.S. troop morale, by putting Gen. David Petraeus in charge of Iraq and implementing...

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iraq; nytimes; pollsoniraq
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1 posted on 8/2/2007, 5:52:13 AM by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Good post; thanks.


2 posted on 8/2/2007, 5:56:59 AM by Albion Wilde ( “A nation without borders is not a nation.” —Ronald Reagan)
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To: neverdem

People are beginning to think we are winning, and people like a winner.


3 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:00:07 AM by Williams
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To: neverdem

I would like to believe that the tide has turned. The Democrat Party still hopes to secure a defeat for the United States, but perhaps they drained that well in Vietnam.


4 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:01:18 AM by Jeff Chandler (A man who will not defend himself does not deserve to be defended by others.)
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To: neverdem

probably due to fall of in casualties drumbeat


5 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:02:23 AM by wardaddy (dirty white boy)
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To: neverdem

Kinda takes our excuse that polls lie or are not correct away. If papers made polls to their liking than the story would not have been written. To me this is a good news story because for so long we have ignored polls. Now at least we can actually believe them more. After last election, we should take polls seriously anyway. That was our biggest downfall I believe. We kept saying “Don’t believe those polls, America would never vote in democrats.” or the best one yet, “Pelosi is measuring drapes for her office because polls look so good.” FREEPERS were scoffing at that notion too. I think we should look at polls as a tool and work to change the outcome of them instead of writing them off.


6 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:15:11 AM by napscoordinator
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To: neverdem
Unfortunately, at the same time this article heaps well deserved scorn upon the biased New York Times, it makes its own errors. For example, the following...
Consider the July 13-15 Rasmussen poll that asked likely voters if it is "possible for the U.S. to win the war in Iraq": 32 percent answered yes, 54 percent no. Yet when asked if Washington should wait until September before making major changes in Iraq, 51 percent said yes, 38 percent said no. If voters really thought the war cannot be won, they would not want to wait until September.
Non sequitur. It's possible to believe that the war cannot be won, yet feel that a precipitous withdrawal is wrong, either morally, practically, or both. One can believe we won't win, but must stay there to keep our commitments (even the "you broke it..." philosophy could fit here). One can believe we can't win, but must "fight the good fight" in a lost cause. One can believe we can't win, but can reduce the extent of our defeat. One can believe that we can't win, but can even pull out a stalemate.

All of these examples are positions I've heard from Americans, including some returning from Iraq.

Lies and distortions from the Left don't justify pro-war distortions.

7 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:17:18 AM by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: napscoordinator
We kept saying “Don’t believe those polls, America would never vote in democrats.” or the best one yet, “Pelosi is measuring drapes for her office because polls look so good.” FREEPERS were scoffing at that notion too.

TROLL!!!!

You must be just a DU agitator, spouting such things!

</sarc>

I think we should look at polls as a tool and work to change the outcome of them instead of writing them off.

Agreed.

You would think that some lessons should have been learned here by now, but it seems like there's always some hardcore holdouts against reality.

8 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:19:54 AM by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: Gondring

Ouch. You must really have a hard time hearing the truth. how funny that you call me a troll when you were probably the reason we now suffer from a Democratic congress. Thank you very much.


9 posted on 8/2/2007, 6:58:59 AM by napscoordinator
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To: napscoordinator

I see that you missed the sarcasm tag.


10 posted on 8/2/2007, 7:01:30 AM by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: Gondring; napscoordinator
Guess your < /sarc> needed to be bigger...
11 posted on 8/2/2007, 7:16:16 AM by GATOR NAVY (Hey! Must be a devil between us)
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To: napscoordinator
We kept saying “Don’t believe those polls, America would never vote in democrats.”

Smackdown! By Independents & Moderates

"Why? Because exit polls show there's a large chunk of the electorate that is moderate, independent-minded and turned off by partisanship. In exit polls, 47 percent of voters described their views as moderate, 21 percent liberal and 32 percent conservative. And 61 percent of the moderates voted Democratic this year.

"On party identification, 26 percent said they're Independent, which is in line with recent elections. But this year, Independents went Democratic by a 57-39 margin. That's what gave the day to Democrats. In the 2002 midterm, by contrast, Independents went Republican in a 48-45 split."

I have no reason to doubt those results. That's a lot of moderates and Independents. Buried in there are a bunch of small 'l' libertarians who describe themselves as socially liberal, excepting the issue of gun control as they are almost always pro Second Amendment, and fiscally conservative, variously estimated between 9 and 20 percent the last time I checked. The GOP better wake up, get back to the Constitution and stop trying to be dem-light.

12 posted on 8/2/2007, 7:24:23 AM by neverdem (Call talk radio. We need a Constitutional Amendment for Congressional term limits. Let's Roll!)
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To: Gondring

I just don’t understand why anybody who wants to take polls seriously is considered a troll. What is the worst outcome of believing polls? All I want us to do is, if we see a poll that has us behind, to start doing something to change it. For example, I saw that Senator Santorum was behind in the polls so I sent him additional money and talked to my friends and family to see where there thoughts were. Although he lost, I feel that I worked as hard as I could for him.


13 posted on 8/2/2007, 7:35:37 AM by napscoordinator
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To: GATOR NAVY

It is too early in the moring!!! Plus I think I am getting old!!!!!!


14 posted on 8/2/2007, 7:40:41 AM by napscoordinator
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To: neverdem

The title should read “NY Slime’s propaganda attempt fails again”.


15 posted on 8/2/2007, 8:55:46 AM by Wiz
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To: neverdem
rather than promptly report the new poll findings, the paper conducted another poll.

Typical.

16 posted on 8/2/2007, 9:08:35 AM by BenLurkin
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To: napscoordinator

You’re not getting younger...


17 posted on 8/2/2007, 9:33:53 AM by DB
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To: neverdem
Get the news about what is going right in the WOT on the Terrorist Round-up threads.
18 posted on 8/2/2007, 9:50:51 AM by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: neverdem

Times Philosophy: “We Keep Polling Until We Find One That Is Fit To Print”


19 posted on 8/2/2007, 10:05:02 AM by RetSignman (DEMSM: "If you tell a big enough lie, frequently enough, it becomes the truth")
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To: RetSignman
Polls are media-manipulation used by the NYTimes
when it is not installing its Judges (eg. Massachusetts)
or committing treason over and over.


20 posted on 8/2/2007, 10:39:42 AM by Diogenesis (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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