Monday, October 30, 2006

Reader Reports Push Polling for Steele

I received the following email:

I am a Baltimore, MD resident and I was just called by a computer-programmed push poll. I was asked whether I was voting for M. Steele (said not sure) or B.
Cardin (said not sure). The program went through a list of questions. Sorry, it
went to fast to write them all down, but when asked if the issue mattered to
me ("Does killing unborn babies for medical research bother you?") I always
responded yes. Each time afterI answered "Yes" to a question, the computer
said,"FACT:" and then things like, "Ben Cardin supports stem cell research which
kills unborn babies." or "FACT: Ben Cardin voted against an amendement
banning homosexual marriage." The topics I wrote down were abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell research. Itried a "not sure" for one question and it just went on to the next one, without saying anything against Cardin about that one item. At
the end of the poll I was asked who I was more likely to vote for, and toboth
candidates I said, "Not sure." and it hung up.The call claimed to be from the
group "Common Sense Maryland" which of course has NOTHING on Google. The phone number that called me was Virginia-based, 703-961-8297 and on caller ID it says, "P Research."
Let's hope that this is not part of Michael Steele's plan to change politics in Washington. Of course, his version of change seems to support the Bush Administration in lockstep but then to deny it when politically convenient. Mystery Pollster also reports hearing of push polling in Maryland.