Four days after the Indiana Primaries.... first push poll masquerading as legit polling

[salin]

Just got a call asking for me by name. Gave the firm's name (quickly, but twice after I asked him to repeat) and claimed he had a few questions about the upcoming election in Indiana.

Get on record general awareness of:

Joe Donnelly; then favorable/unfavorable? then Very or Some what?

Next the Same Routine for Donald Trump.

Then for Mike Braun (who just won the GOP race for senate). (I said: barely aware - and he jumped over the favorable or not favorable questions).

Now it gets funky:

I am going to read you a series of questions about Joe Donnelly, and people who favor Braun will receive a different set of questions about Mike Braun. For each statement, rate how angry it makes you on a 100 point scale with 0 equaling not angry and 100 equaling very angry.

First point (all of this is paraphrase): Joe Donnelly is outspoken against outsourcing of US jobs, but has profited from his families business that outsources jobs to Mexico.

(I am now deeply suspicious of the nature of this "poll" )

Second point: Joe Donnelly voted against the Trump middle class tax cut, but voted for a Trilllion dollar tax hike that would lead to (thousands? some vague number) of jobs being lost in Indiana.

Um - "That isn't true. I follow the news very closely and without more information about what you are referring - I don't believe that second point is true - at all. There has been no reporting about a vote on a tax hike that would lead to major job losses in Indiana. I am not going to answer this. I think we are done."

Him - "Are you sure, there are only a few more questions."

Me - "I'll tell you what, if you read me the questions that are read to Mike Braun supporters, and they are equally push-pollish/biased, then I will answer the rest of your questions."

Him - "I don't have the questions that are give to Mike Braun supporters, but it's only a few more questions."

Me - "You know what makes me angry at the 100 point scale level - push polls using untrue items to push disinformation - acting as polling. We are done."

Because I try to be civil - I did wish him a nice day before I hung up.

So - I googled the firm: Target Point Consulting. Then added the word "about" - and found this: https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendor.php?year=2016&vendor=Targetpoint+Consulting

As I typed this, I realize, I don't think this was push polling as much (based on the rating scale - 0-100 with the negative being the high number and the rating reaction is based on "how angry does this make you" ) as an effort to identify the themes to be pushed hard in scare ads aimed at depressing the Democratic vote.

To those of you who have already had primaries - have you been getting any crappy 'market research/based as polling' phone calls?

[marble falls]

1. Thanks for doing more than telling him to fuck himself and slamming the phone down....

(which I might have done) and finding that link. It is a treasure chest.

[salin]

2. Guy is probably working for just over minimum wage at a call center.

Also probably has no clue to how damning the questions are (about the organization). Scripted.

But poll questions to check the degree of outrage a statement garners? That is a new one on me. I have received plenty of push polls over the years. Nothing as directly dishonest as this one, and none so clearly trying to measure outrage (voter depression). A 100 point scale, not 1-5.

Rotten fish GOP - rotting from the head and on down to each last scale.