Here's an interesting snippet.
"Not so, say two professional pollsters.
It's standard practice to use such faux "surveys" to raise money for a variety of causes, said Portland pollster Mike Riley. "It's common, trying to stir the pot to see what kinds of issues get attention."
"Both parties do that," Riley said. "They are using some of the hot-button issues to see what activates the voters. It's politics as usual within the party faithful. No one that I know puts any credibility in these types of polls."
Riley recalled a recent fundraising "survey" sponsored by Democrats that attempted to link issues of child safety and gun ownership. One question asked whether it is important to keep children safe and to keep them away from guns. The implication, he said, was "that guns shouldn't be in homes where children are present."
A tip-off that a survey really is a fundraising tract, Riley said, is when questions cover more than one issue. "It's called a double-barreled question" and would not be used by a professional pollster, he said.
Portland pollster Bob Moore agreed.
"It's a fundraising appeal, is what it is," he said. "Everyone does it — Democrats, anti-tax groups, environmentalists. The audience that receives it has given to that organization at some point in time and is on the list to receive solicitations."
If such tactics "weren't effective, they wouldn't be using them," Moore said."
It's standard practice to use such faux "surveys" to raise money for a variety of causes, said Portland pollster Mike Riley. "It's common, trying to stir the pot to see what kinds of issues get attention."
"Both parties do that," Riley said. "They are using some of the hot-button issues to see what activates the voters. It's politics as usual within the party faithful. No one that I know puts any credibility in these types of polls."
Riley recalled a recent fundraising "survey" sponsored by Democrats that attempted to link issues of child safety and gun ownership. One question asked whether it is important to keep children safe and to keep them away from guns. The implication, he said, was "that guns shouldn't be in homes where children are present."
A tip-off that a survey really is a fundraising tract, Riley said, is when questions cover more than one issue. "It's called a double-barreled question" and would not be used by a professional pollster, he said.
Portland pollster Bob Moore agreed.
"It's a fundraising appeal, is what it is," he said. "Everyone does it — Democrats, anti-tax groups, environmentalists. The audience that receives it has given to that organization at some point in time and is on the list to receive solicitations."
If such tactics "weren't effective, they wouldn't be using them," Moore said."
- I find Mike Riley's conclusion in what he alleges is a Democratic survey is questionable. If I were the reporter, I'd have researched the 'survey' Riley alluded to here prior to publication, instead of taking his statement at face value. I'd verify the question actually asked - 'One question asked whether it is important to keep children safe and to keep them away from guns.', really exists.
- Bob Moore listed in this article as a GOP pollster. - http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122168669575618300
These two points makes me question the objectivity of the the pollsters and the article. Note that Moore says nothing about Republicans doing similar things all the time, but the article itself is about the Republicans doing the very thing.
Sounds like these two pollsters and the article are (in-effect) trying to do GOP damage-control.
Sounds like these two pollsters and the article are (in-effect) trying to do GOP damage-control.
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