ABC News Polling Unit on Clinton Pollster's Memo: 'Full of Overblown Claims'

[NYCGirl]

So what else is new?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/abc-news-pollin.html

Clinton senior strategist Mark Penn put out a polling memo today heralding a "shift to Hillary."

Peyton Craighill of the ABC News Polling Unit reports: "Mark Penn’s note is full of overblown claims based on current polling. He’s cherry picking numbers from recent polls. Much of his claim of a Clinton swing is based on the latest tracking data from Gallup in which Clinton is now ahead by 7 points. If you go back two more days Obama has a 7-point lead in a separate USA Today/Gallup poll. CBS has a new poll out today that shows a close 46-43 percent Obama-Clinton race. The CBS poll also has the match ups with McCain at 48-43 percent for Obama-McCain and 46-44 percent for Clinton-McCain. We see little indication of a shift to Clinton. Of the nine polls cited in his note, five of them are not airworthy."

("Airworthy" is a term our Polling Unit uses for polls we can use for our reporting, as opposed to ones so poorly done we are discouraged from mentioning them on air.)

Myself, when it comes to polls, I think of what a wise woman, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, said in January:

"One thing I think everybody should've learned after New Hampshire is let's not pay so much attention to polls....I didn't pay attention to polls before New Hampshire and I'm not going to start paying attention to it after New Hampshire."

- jpt

[saltpoint]

1. Sounds like another distortion by the liberal media!

Say. I didn't know Hillary Clinton taught Sandy Koufax how to throw a curve ball. Did you guys know that?

[Rageneau]

2. Hell, I support Hillary, and even I can't stand Mark Penn.

If Hillary had hired BartCop instead, she'd have 2400 delegates by now.

[Mooney]

7. Why she didn't get rid of him, I'll never know.

I voted for Obama, but you're right. If she hadn't been using Mark Penn this whole thing would have been over two months ago.

[TomBall Democrat]

9. Don't you agree, though - that a candidate's ability to perform

the job they're campaigning to get -

might be predicted by the sageness of the choices they make during that campaign.

In other words, it's the way she ran this campaign that made me shift.

[sandnsea]

11. She hired him

She keeps him. It must mean she LIKES that kind of politics.

[Cha]

3. hilary got the shift alright..

paying all that money to consultants or owing it to them anyway for lying and she's still number 2.

OT, I just saw Michael Clayton..WOW!

[NYCGirl]

4. And she's paid MILLIONS to Penn...

"Michael Clayton" is sitting in my TiVo (I downloaded it from Amazon Unbox last weekend), but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

[Cha]

8. YOu're in for an amazing treat..as only

George Clooney can deliver in this movie. I got it from netflix and it's been sitting around here for awhile but today was the day. B-)

[TomBall Democrat]

12. netflix also has Obama goes to Africa

Documentary of trip to Kenya with Michelle.

Watched it this weekend.

[Cha]

15. Oh thanks, TomBall..I didn't

know they had one out..I'll have to get in my queue..It sounds amazing.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Hi, zidzi!

[Cha]

10. Gee thanks,

rummy! :)

[tabasco]

5. Say it ain't so!

[Ysabel]

13. k and r (n/t)...

[babylonsister]

14. I just don't get stuff like this, from Penn and Clinton. Why do they

insist on saying things that are proven lies? Do they think no one will check?

[NYCGirl]

17. Maybe they think that everyone is so lazy, they won't bother to doublecheck?

:shrug:

[C_U_L8R]

16. The truth is much cheaper

Penn is just a flak.. and apparently not a very good one.