ASsman
10-27-2004, 03:36 PM
A look at the methods behind the influential polling organizations that could have a major impact on November 2nd and who is behind them. We speak with Ruy Teixeira, who tracks the daily presidential polls and publishes a weekly column on the polls. [includes rush transcript] Much of the focus of the election campaign right now is on whether next Tuesday's vote will be fair. As we have been reporting consistently on the program, there are already widespread concerns that certain voters will again be disenfranchised or prevented from voting. The Democrats say they are deploying some 10,000 lawyers across the country to challenge any scandals that emerge. The Republicans are deploying thousands of operatives in places like Ohio, they say to ensure that everyone that votes is a legitimate voter. Some charge that the Republican effort is nothing short of a voter intimidation or suppression campaign. Meanwhile, thousands of people are volunteering to serve as Voter Protection workers, where they will spread out to districts of concern and monitor the fairness of the vote. These efforts are being organized by groups like People for the American Way, the NAACP and other civil rights organizations.
As the various factions spread their people across the country and prepare for a showdown, another battle is being fought in the media. And that is the battle of the polls. Both campaigns point to polls that show them leading the race, embracing the old addage that if you look like a winner, you'll win. A new CNN/Gallup poll released earlier this week showed President Bush with a 5 percent lead over John Kerry. The Republicans have seized on this going into the final stretch of the campaign, with pundits citing it over and over on TV and in the papers. But who controls the polls?
Last month, MoveOn.org took out a full page ad titled "Gallup-ing to the Right" charging that the poll was biased toward Bush.
* Ruy Teixeira, Joint Fellow at the Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation. He edits the website Donkey Rising which tracks the daily presidential polls and publishes a weekly column on the polls titled Public Opinion Watch. He is the author of five books, including The Emerging Democratic Majority, which he co-wrote with John Judis.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/27/1428242
As the various factions spread their people across the country and prepare for a showdown, another battle is being fought in the media. And that is the battle of the polls. Both campaigns point to polls that show them leading the race, embracing the old addage that if you look like a winner, you'll win. A new CNN/Gallup poll released earlier this week showed President Bush with a 5 percent lead over John Kerry. The Republicans have seized on this going into the final stretch of the campaign, with pundits citing it over and over on TV and in the papers. But who controls the polls?
Last month, MoveOn.org took out a full page ad titled "Gallup-ing to the Right" charging that the poll was biased toward Bush.
* Ruy Teixeira, Joint Fellow at the Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation. He edits the website Donkey Rising which tracks the daily presidential polls and publishes a weekly column on the polls titled Public Opinion Watch. He is the author of five books, including The Emerging Democratic Majority, which he co-wrote with John Judis.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/27/1428242