Especially for pirhana: Polls, Pundits and Pols

[whometense]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002726568

You'd never know it from some of the reporting and bloviating on the debate over an Iraq withdrawal, but all major polls show that the public favors withdrawals, with strong support for a timeline or total pullout within a year.

By Greg Mitchell

(June 22, 2006) -- The new efforts by Republicans in Congress, and in the media, to use Iraq to their advantage by branding Democrats as favoring a "cut-and-run'" policy, has received wide coverage in the past week. Often pundits, and even reporters, have suggested that this is working, because Americans are not in favor of a "hasty" withdrawal. Democrats are in shambles, they report, as they fear that proposals for setting a timetable for withdrawal put forward by Sen. John Kerry and Rep. John Murtha will prove disastrous for the party in the November elections, due to the alleged unpopularity of this stance.

This conclusion, however, flies in the face of surveys by all major polling firms, as E&P has chronicled over the past two years. It's one thing when polls are dismissed, ignored or twisted by political or media spinmeisters. But when journalists in their news stories do it, it is downright misleading.

Take Jim Rutenberg and Adam Nagourney in The New York Times today.

They produced a front-pager on the Republicans' unexpected confidence on this issue, and declared: "Some polls show a majority of Americans continue to think that entering Iraq was a mistake, and pollsters say independent voters are particularly open to the idea of setting some sort of timetable for withdrawal, the very policy Democrats have embraced and Republicans are now fighting."

The fact is, not "some" polls, but virtually every major poll shows that American have long declared that going to war against Iraq was a mistake...

Read it and rejoice!! And if that's not enough to put at least a little smile on your face, there's always touch of cute:

[karynnj]

1. Great article - the media is really really spinning

[ray of light]

2. yeh! Great article and the touch of cute is tooooo cute!

[nolies32fouettes]

3. I love your dog!

(Edited to add: ray of light made me call Reid's office about the bill. Do you think we should be calling his office and Levins and telling them what real people want? Should we post something in gd or kos or somewhere?)

[jillan]

4. Yes!!!

Thank goodness that people are fighting back.
That there are people that are seeing thru the spin, and putting it in print.

As I said in my post yesterday, what surprised me the most was Scarborough. He was the only one I heard that was not laughing. And he too posted a poll about setting a time line, or not.
Setting a time line was ahead.

Most of the media, and the majority of politicians no longer represent the people.

Is that your dog? So cute. My dog had to be put to sleep 2 months ago, and I have made the decision to wait until Christmas to get a new dog. It's hard waiting, but now is not the right time to get a puppy.
What kind of dog is s/he? How old. Jasper was a border collie, the family wants another one, I'm thinking some breed completely different. But then again, I will probably go to the pound and pick one out. Awww look at that face.

Thanks for the happy post:hug:

[whometense]

7. Unfortunately, no, that's not my dog.

We had to put our dog to sleep about a year and a half ago, and I still miss her.

The picture comes from Cute Overload, one of my favorite websites. When the news is tooooo depressing I go over there for a quick peek. Never fails to put a smile on my face.

Here's another sample:

[jillan]

10. Cute bunny -

It's hard losing a dog. Did you have her long?
Jasper was only 9, and got suddenly violently ill.

[whometense]

11. Oh, I'm so sorry.

It's terrible losing a dog. Ours was 13, which is really old for a German Shepherd. She was supposed to be a mix - we got her from German Shepherd Rescue, but she developed a condition only purebreds get - pancreatic insufficiency. We had to buy these hideously expensive enzymes and mix them with her food, and she was on a very strict regimen - no table scraps at all, and a low fat, low fiber diet.She was a great dog, though - supersmart and sweet.

[jillan]

12. Time for a new one?

I miss having a dog.
Now we just have an aquarium. I know I miss my dog when I leave the house and say
good-bye to my fish. :)

[whometense]

14. hahahaha

I don't know about a new one. Our kids are grown, and I do like the freedom - so far we haven't felt like taking that step.

[ray of light]

13. u h oh! I'm so sorry to hear about that!

[kerrygoddess]

5. Great piece from E&P

I wrote about it last night.

{snip}

To repeat Mitchell’s point above on the Iraq vote, “Every major poll reveals that a majority of Americans advocate withdrawals from Iraq, with large numbers wanting this to be quite speedy, and most wanting a full pullout in a year or so (Kerry’s idea) or by the end of next year.” — or, as we say here at the Dem Daily, it’s another case of John Kerry was right — but the media won’t tell you that.

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=3401#more-3401

[jillan]

9. My paper printed a piece from the Washington Post written by Babington

It was a very nuetral piece. No spin.
But it had a pic of just Harry Reid standing infront of this board


The article was summed up by this
"Both parties, meanwhile, claimed to be in touch with US public sentiment."

Very nuetral, except the pic :)

[sandnsea]

6. If the Hillary blivets would read this

There is no other reason to trumpet the party being divided except to try to position her as tougher on war for 2008. Her and JK both support transition and phased withdrawal. That's what the American people want. I don't know why they can't start there, and then just say we'll be continuing the debate over the course of the next months. There's no reason to create a huge schism, and they're the ones who are doing it. But if that's what they want, then I guess we can give them that schism, and bury them in it next year. Idiots.

[whometense]

8. I'll go get my shovel. n/t

[ProSense]

15. "media spinmeisters" and "downright misleading." Great article! n/t