Troubling Phone Polls
By Katharine Q. Seelye
NYT blog
A Caucus reader in Florida tells us that she too was called by a research firm that has been telephoning other Jewish voters and delivering negative information about Senator Barack Obama.
After readers reported to various Web sites — including Politico , The New Republic, and Talking Points Memo — that they had received offensive calls, Politico reported that the poll was sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, which is working on behalf of Senator John McCain.
Matt Brooks, executive director of the coalition, told Politico that the firm was trying to “understand why Barack Obama continues to have a problem among Jewish voters.”
Our reader, who is a 60-year-old Jewish woman and lives in Orlando, said she was furious about the call, which she received Sunday about 5 p.m. She said that the questions included being told things like Mr. Obama had a long relationship with pro-Palestinian leaders and that the church he attended had an anti-Israel slant. (The New Republic lists the questions since its writer was on his computer at the time he received the call.)
Our reader she said that while the questions angered her, she answered them because she was “curious to see where they were going.” At the end, she said she told the young-sounding woman who was asking the questions that she should be “ashamed of herself.” She said the woman agreed.
(Continued here.)
TNR wrote down the questions:
I Just Got Push-Polled on Obama and Israel
My caller ID said "CENTRAL RESEARC 212-777-1645." Ugh, I figured. Another telemarketer. It was 6:43 pm and, under normal circumstances, I would have let it go to voice mail.
But it came on my home office line and I happened to be expecting a call from New York. So I answered.
It turned out to be a political poll. And not just any old poll.
It started off in the usual way. Am I registered to vote? Do I plan to vote on election day? How do I label myself politically?
A few seemingly innocuous questions about religion followed. What was my faith? What was my denomination? How often did I attend services? From there, the focus became more explicitly political--and, again, perfectly typical. Was I Democrat or Republican? Etc.
The caller ran through a list of politicians, to ask whether I viewed them favorably or unfavorably. All the people you'd expect were on the list: George W. Bush. Barack Obama. John McCain. Sarah Palin. Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden. Joe Lieberman.
But then there was an odd inclusion: Jimmy Carter.
(Continued here.)
NYT blog
A Caucus reader in Florida tells us that she too was called by a research firm that has been telephoning other Jewish voters and delivering negative information about Senator Barack Obama.
After readers reported to various Web sites — including Politico , The New Republic, and Talking Points Memo — that they had received offensive calls, Politico reported that the poll was sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, which is working on behalf of Senator John McCain.
Matt Brooks, executive director of the coalition, told Politico that the firm was trying to “understand why Barack Obama continues to have a problem among Jewish voters.”
Our reader, who is a 60-year-old Jewish woman and lives in Orlando, said she was furious about the call, which she received Sunday about 5 p.m. She said that the questions included being told things like Mr. Obama had a long relationship with pro-Palestinian leaders and that the church he attended had an anti-Israel slant. (The New Republic lists the questions since its writer was on his computer at the time he received the call.)
Our reader she said that while the questions angered her, she answered them because she was “curious to see where they were going.” At the end, she said she told the young-sounding woman who was asking the questions that she should be “ashamed of herself.” She said the woman agreed.
(Continued here.)
TNR wrote down the questions:
I Just Got Push-Polled on Obama and Israel
My caller ID said "CENTRAL RESEARC 212-777-1645." Ugh, I figured. Another telemarketer. It was 6:43 pm and, under normal circumstances, I would have let it go to voice mail.
But it came on my home office line and I happened to be expecting a call from New York. So I answered.
It turned out to be a political poll. And not just any old poll.
It started off in the usual way. Am I registered to vote? Do I plan to vote on election day? How do I label myself politically?
A few seemingly innocuous questions about religion followed. What was my faith? What was my denomination? How often did I attend services? From there, the focus became more explicitly political--and, again, perfectly typical. Was I Democrat or Republican? Etc.
The caller ran through a list of politicians, to ask whether I viewed them favorably or unfavorably. All the people you'd expect were on the list: George W. Bush. Barack Obama. John McCain. Sarah Palin. Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden. Joe Lieberman.
But then there was an odd inclusion: Jimmy Carter.
(Continued here.)
Powered by Blogger
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home