Posted on 10/04/2009 4:27:58 AM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
Because conservatism is bipartisan, that's why the media chooses to rig polling based on party affiliation instead. Watch:
Gallup Poll #1 . Gallup Poll #2 . Battleground Poll
The numbers vary, but it's abundantly clear that conservatives outnumber liberals.
But democrats out number republicans
What this means is that people more readily identify with the ideals of conservatism, than they do with "the conservative party".(I put that in quotes because the republicans have been at war with conservatives for quite a few years now)
It also means that people more readily identify with the democrat party than they do with the ideals of liberalism.
And what do we always see in the news? Conservatism is out of the mainstream, and the democrat party is as clean as the wind driven snow.
Many liberal Democrats (and Republicans for that matter) call themselves conservative because they don’t want to be identified as liberal. I remember Bill Clinton once identifying himself as a conservative.
If a pollster really wanted to know if someone was liberal or conservative, instead of simply asking the person to label themselves, they should include ten or twelve questions that would identify the person based on their actual beliefs rather than self identification.
Nothing personal but ur analysis is wrong. Gallup polling is off due to worthless sample “adults”. However u can not wait based on ideology. If weighting either need to u party I’d or true random sampling no party I’d. Other polling companies “portrait of america” which is now rasmussen used ur technique in 2000 and was way off. They rightly adjusted and are most accurate.
Doing from phone should have read “weight” :)
Most polls are done to show that there is support for a given issue when there really is not. They are not done as a gauge of popular opinion.
Ok if this is the case, why then does the far left radical fringe of US Politics control the White House, and both houses of Congress with overwhelming majorities?
Because a lot of conservatives are no longer self-identified as Republicans.
Your analysis leaves out the independents, and that’s where a lot of conservatives have migrated. Both parties have dropped a lot of members, if you look at Rasmussen polling, which is far better and more rigorous than Gallup.
Meaning what?
That they are out there actively voting against their proclaimed political principals?
or just so ignorant of who they are voting for they have no idea they are voting for everything they claim to be opposed to?
If everyone is all so "Conservative" how is it the radical Left is running everything these days?
A good pollster like Rasmussen uses weighting-by-party- affiliation not because the technique is “right” or “wrong” but because it WORKS BEST in predicting electoral outcoumes.
In other words, if you had superior methodology, you should be able to do a better job than Rasmussen in predicting elections.
But as for me, I’ll put my money on Ras — at least until some other pollster shows that his methodology can consistently deliver better predictions.
I interpret that to mean that they basically got tired of the Beltway mindset that much of the GOP establishment had assumed, and that many simply stayed home after McCain’s botching of the bailout. But that’s only my assumption, in looking at Rasmussen’s polling - Rasmussen also has Dem self-identification sinking like a brick as well, because neither party is identifying well with flyover country folks, hence the size of the Tea Party movemement. I haven’t seen post-mortem polls regarding the 2008 elections, but I would guess the RINOs were the ones who crossed over for Obama in larger numbers, whereas conservatives voted for McCain because of Palin or just stayed home.
“they should include ten or twelve questions...”
You nailed it. I used to spend a lot of time in West Virginia, traditionally a very Democratic stronghold. While the folks I know and love there aren’t fiscal conservatives, on social issues they are fairly conservative. Likewise, I have been to traditionally Republican areas where the folks were conservative on fiscal matters but on social issues ran pretty liberal. My only question - where exactly do you draw the lines? There are a lot of people out there who don’t fit neatly into a box. Just my thoughts.-—JM
“...still Knee Jerk democrat voters”
Want to get a West Virginia UMW member to vote Republican? Tell him you are going to take away his guns. See my reply at 15. I have members of my own extended family who vote “D” simply because Grandpa did. Trouble is, todays “D” ain’t nowhere near Grandpa’s “D”.-—JM
And you can say that with a straight face when the GOP establishment so often votes against their own proclaimed political principles? I would suggest you direct your ire at the problems in the GOP instead of at those disenchanted by the poor GOP leadership. There is a very potent political force out there if the GOP can get its own act together.
You mean grandpa voted for communists?
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