Going over the criticisms of yesterday's entry, one gets the feeling that the blinders many people choose to put on at this web site are quite effective. For example, had one chosen to do a simple Google search of Obama, Rasmussen, and Ms. Sotomayor, he or she could have located the following, posted by Chris Bowers. Obama's slight rise in the polls is because of the Sotomayor nomination. Otherwise, he'd be doing about the same.
Furthermore, a more thorough look for Rasmussen data shows that, contrary to being biased against Democrats and for Republicans — a charge that seems to be normal around here whenever someone posts information that doesn't portray Obama as being hugely popular — methods indicate the polling company is showing what is more likely an accurate sampling of self-identified voters.
Like all polling firms, Rasmussen Reports weights its data to reflect the population at large (see methodology). Among other targets, Rasmussen Reports weights data by political party affiliation using a dynamic weighting process. While partisan affiliation is generally quite stable over time, there are a fair number of people who waver between allegiance to a particular party or independent status. Over the past four years, the number of Democrats in the country has increased while the number of Republicans has decreased.
Our baseline targets are established based upon separate survey interviews with a sample of adults nationwide completed during the preceding three months (a total of 45,000 interviews) and targets are updated monthly. Currently, the baseline targets for the adult population are 40.1% Democrats, 33.1% Republicans, and 26.7% unaffiliated. Likely voter samples typically show a slightly smaller advantage for the Democrats.
Those who claim that Rasmussen is the lone exception, or one of a few, showing Obama with lower approval ratings than everyone else should tell that to USA Today and The Boston Herald, both of which cited a Zogby poll showing Obama at more or less fifty percent in March as he shifted farther to the political right.
Finally, those who deny that Obama is a right-wing extremist haven't been paying attention, as his policy of protecting war criminals, going farther to the right than Bush on illegal detention of anyone, anywhere without charge or trial, government secrecy, siding with big business over small ones, writing blank checks to Wall Street, going out of his way to oppose single-payer health insurance, adopting Bush policies on endangered species, taking the same position on gutting Social Security and other programs dishonestly dismissed as "entitlements," and a host of other issues attests. Hell, he's even got Nazis like Charles Krauthammer praising him for morphing into George W. Bush! Do I even need to mention his continuation of Bush policies in Iraq and Afghanistan?
At some point, blind supporters of Obama are going to have to wake up and realize that the guy they continually make excuses for is a member of the extreme right. They're also going to have to realize, before it's too late, that their guy is leading the Democratic Party off the same cliff Bill Clinton did. This nation can't afford a repeat of the Clinton years followed by a repeat of Bush-Cheney, nor can the rest of the world.
P.S.
I'm noticing a number of complaints that I don't respond to comments soon enough, and that I don't post "first comments" for my diaries as some means of gaining "mojo." I have a life off the computer, thank you very much, and the truth isn't a popularity contest. Those who think my diaries are good or they they serve a beneficial purpose can and do recommend them. It's not about ego for me.