Nasty Anti-Obama Push Poll Launched In Ohio

[flamingdem]

Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/nasty-anti-obama-push-pol_n_125607.html

Two individuals in Ohio have described an identical push poll being conducted in their home state that presents Barack Obama as a quasi-radical leftist, uses inflammatory quotes from Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and offers risible interpretations of the Senator's policies on everything from sex education to abortion.

The poll -- conducted by the Long Island-based Opinion Access Corporation, a telephone survey firm -- represents, perhaps, the most negative messaging yet to be witnessed this campaign cycle.

A reader named Rachel from Strongsville, Ohio alerted the Huffington Post to the calls on Wednesday. Later that afternoon, Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic received a similar email from a reader named Jared in Columbus, Ohio. Both recipients of the push poll described the experience in nearly identical terms. Wrote Rachel:

I received an incredibly offensive, anti-Obama push-poll tonight from 'Opinion Access Corporation.' When I said that I was voting for Obama, they asked if I would be more or less likely to vote for Obama if I knew that he voted to let convicted child sex offenders out early, voted to allow convicted child sex offenders to live near schools, is for sex education in Kindergarten, voted for some offensive and incredibly graphic abortion procedure, and so on and so on for 5 minutes. This was a really offensive push-poll. They also brought up the statements of Rev. Wright and Michelle Obama."




"They also asked me several agree/disagree statements before and after the statements... They asked me agree/disagree that Obama is too inexperienced to be President, agree/disagree that Obama is too risky of a choice for President, agree/disagree that Obama as President would pose a threat to our national security, and so on. They asked me this before they read the statements that I had notified you about and then again after reading me those statements "to see if my opinions had changed." Apparently, those types of suggestive questions are deemed 'push polls.'

Compare that description to the one offered by the reader over at the Atlantic.

...just got off the phone with a polling company. While I do not know that I can technically define their questions as a push poll, the company, Opinion Access, was definitely testing negative statements about Barack Obama to see if it would sway my vote. They began with baseline questions to determine my support for Obama, and thn proceeded to read/refer to the following issues to see if it would make me more or less likely to vote for him (or I could say that I wouldn't believe it):

[Kukesa]

1. Thanks for the heads-up.

I live in Dayton and look forward to their phoning me.

I'm going to get the phone number of Opinion Access and keep it handy; I know how to reach HuffPo.

[flamingdem]

7. kick for Ohio!

[Vinca]

2. Thanks for posting. Since NH is a swing state, I might be on the receiving end.

Now I'm all prepared with a "you piece of shit" comment before I slam the phone down.

[sharp_stick]

3. No, no, no, no you have it all wrong.

Don't slam the phone down, chat with them for a long time, as long as you can stomach it. It keeps them from calling someone else.

I did this once with a really annoying call I was getting and had them going for almost 15 minutes, then I told them I had to get a pen, put the phone down and "forgot" to pick it up for 40 minutes. Bastards hung up on me.

I did that with some Witnesses at the door once too. "I'll be right back, just have to get a notebook". Closed the door and watched a football game.

[Vinca]

4. ROFL - that's a great idea. I'll talk as long as I can, but

I have to get the POS comment in.

[sharp_stick]

6. It's hard, but you can do it

If these dirtbags think you're too much on their side already they'll blow you off to get at someone else.

Hold on as a "concerned independant" as long as you can but make sure you toss in your POS comment and slam the phone down before you burst a blood vessel or something, you don't want to get hurt. ;-)

[amborin]

5. i posted about that yesterday

[rvablue]

8. But will it be on the news?

Of course not.
Will the story of the bad ballots be on the news?
Of course not.
Will they do a story on the news that Barack Obama doesn't have a plan to "triple your taxes" even though there is an ad running 10-12 (from what I PERSONALLY see on TV) for McCain stating so?
Of course not.