GOP Jewish group did push poll

Politico reports that the Republican Jewish Coalition is behind a poll that links Democrat Barack Obama to Palestinian causes, though the group's leader claims the survey was aimed only at gauging the opinions of Jewish voters.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston issued a response: "I was sickened to hear that these hideous push polls were bankrolled by the Republican apparatus in Washington, but after seeing the kind of campaign that John McCain has been running, I can't say I was entirely surprised. The last thing the Jewish community should tolerate is bigoted discriminatory lies that prey on all of our fears. This action is disgraceful, dishonest, and shows the Republican Party has no morals."

Comments

[Old Man of the Mountain]

Based on the facts in the linked article, it's either profoundly ignorant or wildly irresponsible to tag the survey as a "push poll." Per the article, there were over 80 questions and the survey lasted well over 15 minutes. I'll bet there was a limited sample size-- probably 600-1,000-- had the writer asked.

This appears to be a standard survey as used by all campaigns. Contrary to what the ignoramuses in the media think and write, candidate polls are designed to tell you HOW to win instead of just who's ahead. You have to test various messages about yourself and your opponent to see which ones resonate with voters and move numbers-- those are the ones that end up in your ads. Very standard testing method.

A true "Push Poll" generally lasts only a few minutes. It is, in fact, designed to launch negative messages under the guise of a legitimate poll. The emphasis is on volume of calls as opposed to a predetermined scientific sample and the results are only used to identify voters worth follow-up. They're pretty disgusting in my view.

Wasserman-Schultz should know better but she got the headline by misrepresenting the truth. ANY credible political reporter should know what a push poll really is, determine if this was one, and call BS one way or the other. However, Ms. Reinhard seems to be wearing her Obama-tinted glasses with regularity these days and prints all things bad about McCain and the GOP, whether accurate or not. She's crossing the line between legitimate reporting and Enquirer-like pandering. READERS BEWARE!!!

[Donkey Punch]

Beth, why don't you just get a job with MSNBC already, since you are so obviously in the tank for Barack Obama. Go read Political Science for Dummies. This was not a push poll. It was a message test. Everything in the poll was factual and cannot be disputed by the Obama campaign. The fact that Barack Obama responds so angrily to factual details of his past being revealed should tell all voters something.

[Jewish American]

Debbie should challenge the poll with facts not blind statements. The fact is Obama has a Jewish problem because of the perception of Muslim ties which have been substantiated. No amount of squealing by Debbie will change that. She is only digging a deeper hole for herself with the Jewish community she supposedly supports..No it appears she supports the democratic leadership over the Jewish Community regardless of their positions. It ain't working!

[student]

You are rather incorrect to even mention that survey as a push poll. Maybe phone surveys done at phone banks (where they mention the are with a party or campaign)... but not this.

From wikipedia (a possibly more reliable source then this blog):

"A push poll is a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. In a push poll, large numbers of respondents are contacted, and little or no effort is made to collect and analyze response data. Instead, the push poll is a form of telemarketing-based propaganda and rumor mongering, masquerading as a poll. Push polls may rely on innuendo or knowledge gleaned from opposition research on an opponent."

[scorpio]

"jewish american" you are an idiot Obama is not a muslim and never was. This is part of the Rove lies put forth by fox news and has been discredited. If you want the truth on any subject go to factcheck.org or admit your an idiot.