On CNN's front page tonight, there is a story on the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll done on tonight's speech. No byline is given on the story, was it done by a fellow named "Shoddy Methodology"?
Read the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/28/poll.bush.speech.iraq/index.html
According to the story, "[The poll] of Americans who watched President Bush's Iraq speech Tuesday night showed that 46 percent had a "very positive" reaction to what they heard."
Nothing in the story mentions that 79% of visitors to their website (in a QuickVote) described the speech as "worrying."
So obviously there is something wrong -- or biased -- with the survey that CNN done with its two partners. What could it be?
Here's the problem, mentioned a paragraph later: "The poll was taken immediately after the speech, and the 323 adults interviewed were 50 percent Republican, 23 percent Democratic and 27 percent independent. The margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points."
Duh, it's the sample, stupid. As CNN polling director Keating Holland mentioned "[m]any Americans did not watch the speech. Those who did were 2-to-1 Republican, so most were arguably already in the president's camp."
Thanks, Keating. Judging by those here, we watched and were repulsed. Many probably weren't able to answer the phone after watching this thing, as we were retching our brains out from the Bush nonsense spouted tonight.
CNN, could it be possible that your poll-watchers do a better job next time of getting a representative opinion? Thanks.