Rasmussen Biased language

On the Rasmussen site, it's interesting how they phrase their headlines.

For Virginia, it just says: "VA: McCain 49, Obama 47."

But for PA, it says "Obama clings to modest lead in PA." I'm sorry -- CLINGS? MODEST LEAD? It's the same 2-point lead McCain has in VA, but it doesn't say McCain is clinging to a modest lead.

Geez.

but neglecting to say it's still just south of ring in your toilet.

column for many years and PA should be going Democratic so a 2 point lead may feel like clinging because it shouldn't be that close. kwim?

....would you vote for John McCain, American hero and POW and distinguished senator, or that black guy from Chicago?




LOL! I wouldn't doubt they would phrase it like that!

You need to be a pollster.

But you have to make assumptions. One possible assumption is that party affiliation doesn't change quickly; another possible assumption is that if a sufficiently large random sample shows a change, party affiliation must.

There's no reason to assume the first is true. There's no reason to assume the second is true. It's why your link makes arguments, but cites people who "believe".

All polling makes assumptions. Early exit polls make assumptions. When they factor in voter turnout by precinct, they make assumptions. When they correct for non-respondents, they make assumptions. In fact, all predictive statistics makes assumptions.

There's even the assumption that all those who re-registered as dems in the primaries and which help increase dem registration numbers are, in fact, interesting in voting dem in the general election. The best you can do is try to make your assumptions reasonable, and check to see if they hold at intermediate stages in number crunching.

Channel 7 (ABC) in NYC this morning? The talking head referred to "Obama stepping up the rhetoric".

They probably also refer to female college students as 'co-eds' while male college students are well - just students.

And yes - I fired off an email to them. ;-)

I'm a bit perturbed with Obama and Biden's words/approach as 'rhetoric' and McCain and Palin's as strategy. Enough!