By Dave Andrusko
President Obama announcing his debt-reduction "framework"
This will be brief, but I feel I need to mention it because the poll is a perfect illustration of the kind of flim-flammery we will see a lot more of in the next 18 months. I knew something was wrong when I read the apologetic Washington Post Poll (“Obama’s Weaknesses on Display in Today’s Washington Post Poll“) I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
If you remember, there was piles of bad news, first and foremost being, “In the survey, 47 percent approve of the job Obama is doing, down seven points since January. Half of all Americans disapprove of his job performance, with 37 percent saying they ‘strongly disapprove,’ nearly matching the worst level of his presidency.” But that didn’t jive with other polls, which had Obama’s numbers considerably worse.
For example, late last month Obama’s approval rating was at 42%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. More recently Gallup found 41% approval for Obama.
And then, it hit me when I re-read some of the details. The Post tells us that 32% of its respondents were Democrats, 22% were Republicans, and 41% were Independents—a lop-size 10% advantage Democrats over Republicans.
But the last breakout I saw from Gallup—reported on January 5—had the electorate at 31% Democrats, 29% Republicans, and 38% Independents, a mere 2% advantage for Democrats. No wonder Obama fared less badly!
Shame, shame, shame on the Washington Post.
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