realclearpolitics.com: Is this the last prop Bush has left? Who are they?

[bigtree]

I want someone to enlighten me about the authors of this recent boogeyman poll. As far as I can tell this is a sham conservative site that promotes mostly conservative views and analysis. Despite their cheesy name, they seem to be a one-sided propaganda tool for Bushies. I call bullshit on them and on the media shills who are waving their bogus poll around.

Here's an introductory article. What else do we know about them?:
_________________________________

Political junkies create Web site for opinion and analysis

John McIntyre '91 and Tom Bevan '91 offer a wide range of views, including their own, at www.realclearpolitics.com

By Rob MacKay '89
http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/web_exclusives/more/more_20.html

{snips}

"We're political junkies and obsessive newspaper readers," says McIntyre, who majored in economics at Princeton. "So we decided that we would help people like us who don't have the time to cruise around the Web, but want to read the best articles of the day. We set up a one-stop shop where we do all the hunting, so others don't have to."

>>>>Some of the articles they have chosen recently include: "Bush's Political Smarts," from the March 7, 2001 New York Times; "Jackson's PUSH Took State Money, Didn't Do the Job," from the March 6, 2001 Chicago Sun-Times; "Clinton Library Fundraiser Helped Perjurer Get Pardon," from the March 4 Washington Post; and "Democrat Slams Party for Stance on Tax Relief," from the February 28, 2001 Washington Times.

"I'm not really a die-hard Republican because my interests are less on social issues, more on taxing and spending," explains McIntyre, who used to work for the Chicago Board of Options Exchange and stills does a little trading on the side. "But I definitely don't want the government telling me what to do with my property...Nevertheless, any political junkie -- even a liberal -- would enjoy our site because the topics we choose are current."

>>>>>The Web site itself informs that " RealClearPolitics attempts to counterbalance the common liberal bias of the mainstream press by providing a more realistic look at the issues.

[kostya]

1. BigTree, you called it, they are junk. They get quoted a lot around here

and I wonder if it isn't freepers infiltrating?

[bigtree]

2. I had never heard of them and all of the sudden here's this phoney poll

I just went searching. Why didn't folks here before posting their stacked poll?

[siliconefreak]

3. on C-SPAN today

They got a brief interview via telephone on Washington Journal today - totally portrayed as a non-biased site although the owner did admit that he "leans to the right". It's another scam.

[kostya]

5. Go to their site and read their "Commentary" section and you'll

get the idea.

I prefer:
http://synapse.princeton.edu/~sam/pollcalc.html
and
http://www.race2004.net
and
http://www.electoral-vote.com

in that order. They are Dems but they are upfront about it and their calculations are unbiased, they just take them as they come (using different methods though)

- K

[sonicx]

4. sounds like FOX News # 2

[Nicholas_J]

6. I use them

But only because they have all of the links of all of the polls conveniently in one place.
I never refer to their point of view, certainly not to their average of polls, and never to their accessment of balance of elet=ctoral college votes. But they are a good place to see the results of the latest polls all in one column, without having to change pages to see the latest state polls alongside of the latest national polls. L understand they are run by conservatives, but that doesnt make their links to Zogby and ARG invalid

[Awsi Dooger]

8. Same with me, like Playboy

Polls only. Articles only.

[pmbryant]

7. All you need to know: In 2000, they predicted Bush to win with 446 EV

See this site and scroll down to the "...And the predictions" section: http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=65000559

Peter