RNC Survey in Virginia Suggests Draft, Welfare Expansion on 'Obama Agenda'

The Republican National Committee has sent some Virginia voters a questionnaire suggesting that the president and Congressional Democrats want to expand welfare benefits with "no time, education or work requirements" and reinstitute the military draft -- while raising the budget deficit well beyond what is projected by nonpartisan experts.

The fundraising survey, received this week by a Post reporter who lives in Northern Virginia, is called the "2009 Obama Agenda Survey" and comes as less than a month remains in the hard-fought gubernatorial race between Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Robert McDonnell for control of the swing-state.

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The survey, touching on an array of divisive topics, is accompanied by a letter from GOP chairman Michael S. Steele describing the items in the survey questions as "Obama's top priorities" and declaring, "I want you to know that the Republican Party is not dead."

Some of the 15 questions:

1. Do you agree with Barack Obama's budget plan that will lead to a $23.1 trillion deficit over the next ten years?

3. Do you support amnesty for illegal immigrants?

4. Should English be the official language of the United States?

6. Are you in favor of expanded welfare benefits and unlimited eligibility (no time, education or work requirements) that Democrats are pushing to pass?

9. Do you support the creation of a national health insurance plan that would be administered by bureaucrats in Washington?

13. Are you in favor of reinstituting the military draft, as Democrats in Congress have proposed?"

Surveys designed to persuade rather than survey are a common though dirty tactic in the political arena, the text equivalent of telephone push-polls...

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