DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO POLLS NOW

Here is why I hate the Cretin News Network and will celebrate its demise, may that event come soon:

CNN flogged its new poll all day yesterday, making a particular point that 61% of respondents believe that President Biden had something to do with his son Hunter’s business dealings.

Anyone who follows the news knows House Republicans - particularly the Confedrate tratitor scum of the Fwee-Dumbass Kawkuss - constantly complain that their Hunter Biden conspiracies and claims about Joe Biden and bribery get little media coverage outside of conservative media. It seems odd that CNN would do this, in contrast with what Republicans have admitted as far as media traction about their claims. It’s almost like CNN decided to put their thumb on the scale for Trump and his treasonous congressional toadies.

The over-educated, underintelligent, otherwise-unemployables of the corporate media outlets jumped on the poll because their interest is in generating views rather than news.

“A majority, 61%, say they think that Biden had at least some involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealings, with 42% saying they think he acted illegally, and 18% saying that his actions were unethical but not illegal. Another 38% say they don’t believe Joe Biden had any involvement in his son’s business dealings during his vice presidency. Just 1% believe Biden was involved, but did not do anything wrong.”

So, why does the public believe a complete fabrication about President Biden, made up by a man who is facing 4 indictments including 91 felony counts? Could it be that the corporate media has been taking the Faux Snooze propaganda mainstream?

This, in spite of the fact that Biden has very publicly not interfered in the investigation into his son, even though Hunter Biden is now being treated more harshly than others facing the same charges. A 55% majority thinks Biden “has acted inappropriately regarding the investigation into Hunter Biden over potential crimes, while 44% say that he has acted appropriately.”

The CNN “analysis” of the poll says “Americans’ views on Joe Biden’s conduct related to Hunter Biden largely divide along partisan lines.” What gave you your first clue, Sweet Pea???? That’s another way of saying that Republicans believe complete lies planted into the broader media via repetition.

Even House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) - no “good guy he! - know there is nothing there. Buck said, when asked about the poll “I don’t think that evidence has been presented,” “I’m not convinced that that evidence exists,” and “I’m not supporting an impeachment inquiry.”

Even worse was this “analysis” regarding Biden’s age “issue”:

“The one thing [Biden] cannot change is his age—which will likely be an even greater factor next year, when he will turn 82 weeks after the election. Aging is a painful subject for everyone, let alone a person who is in the public spotlight. The health and mental acuity of the president is going to play a more prominent role in this election than any previous one in US history. Biden has been certified fit for office by his physicians, but there are doubts over whether he will be able to maintain the kind of rigorous campaign trial schedule that is often adopted by incumbent presidents running for reelection. Any failure to do so, or even a minor health blip, will be used as proof of infirmity by opponents who already ruthlessly pounce on any misstatement, stumble or senior moment to argue Biden’s too old.

No mention that Trump, who will be 78 when voters cast ballots next November, is in far worse health than Biden. From an actuarial standpoint, Trump and Biden are effectively the same age. Yet CNN’s “analysis” focuses nearly exclusively on Biden’s age and imaginary health problems while only observing in passing only that “Trump has endured less scrutiny” about his age.

CNN and the rest of the DC Press Corpse has yet to learn the lesson from 2016. The correct way to report the Right Wing Lies is to report the facts first, then the lie, followed by a repetition of the truth.

Given that Trump faces so many serious criminal charges, that his grown chuildren worked in his White House and raised questions about their potential abuse of their position given the self-enrichment they managed while in the White House and immediately after it, there’s a belief in the public mind that “everyone does it.”

Everyone does not do it!

Biden’s 50 year career means he has been in the public eye as a public servant for decades. In all that time, there was not a whisper of his involvement in shady dealings. Even Jungle Gym Jordan has had to admit when pressed by Democrats on his Judiciary Committee that there has been zero evidence of the president’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealings.

The only legitimate topic worthy of investigation is the ability of family members to use the power of the presidency for their own benefit. But there is oddly no investigation into Jared Kushner’s $2 billion “gift” from the Saudis along with a $250 million a year “management fee” that he received after leaving the White House. Or wife Ivanka Trump being given several valuable trademarks in China while her father was “negotiating” with Xi Jinping.

Donald Trump has done nothing in his life but push outrageous lies and propaganda favoring out national enemies. And Republicans repeat Trump’s lies, unfounded claims and projections. And it’s all pushed by Conservatism Inc.

One of the biggest problems is how polls are reported.

Media outlets make two wrong assumptions about polls. First, that all polls are equal and, second, they are an accurate reflection of the will of the American people.

Polling has been in crisis since 2016. Polls have become less accurate as they struggle to get people to answer their phones and are struggling to figure out how to accurately measure the views of the electorate.

Let’s take a look under the hood of the CNN poll. Who Is The CNN Poll Measuring?

Here is the methodology, according to the statement of the polling company:

“The study was conducted for CNN via web and telephone on the SSRS Opinion Panel, a nationally representative panel of U.S. adults ages 18 or older recruited using probability-based sampling techniques. SSRS is an independent research company. Surveys were obtained August 25-31, 2023 with a representative sample of n=1,503 respondents, including an oversample of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to reach a total of 898 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

T”he margin of sampling error for total respondents is +/- 3.5 at the 95% confidence level. The design effect is 1.93. More information about SSRS can be obtained by visiting www.ssrs.com.”

The polling techniques listed are all very good. Using probability-based sampling and oversampling are more costly, but they lead to more information.

However, there are two issues.

First, the poll isn’t measuring voters. It is measuring generic Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The poll didn’t separate “likely voters” or “registered voters.” How do they even know who they contact is actually a Republican, Democrat, or Independent?

Respondents self-identify.And the pollster has to trust that people whom they have randomly contacted who agreed to participate poll are telling the truth.

That’s a problem: two out of three respondents in a 2020 survey admitted to lying when participating in a political poll.

If a respondent self-identifies as a Democrat but is actually a Trump supporter, it doesn’t that many of these people in a representative sample to throw off an entire poll. If respondents lie, the sample is contaminated, and results start looking weird.

The corporate media pays for polls, which are then use to create and justify their “horse race” coverage, but if 2/3 of poll respondents are lying, the poll needs to be treated with a large spoonful of salt.

Joe Biden is not in serious danger of losing to Donald Trump. There is no general election campaign yet, and with polling being so unreliable, it should be disregarded. As David Plouffe said yesterday to Nicolle Wallace, every incumbent president since Reagan who ran for re-election has polled poorly this far out from the elections, and each of them was ultimately re-elected.

Polling right now is broken in the United States. When a result seems extreme or out of step, it should be viewed with skepticism.

And remember that no poll regarding an incumbent president running for re-election has ever been accurate 14 months out from the election.

And when it comes to CNN, remember that they have been told by David Zaslav and John Maloney that their job is to attract Republicans who no long like Fox. That didn’t change when Christ Licht got tossed out the window. CNN is Fox Lite, which means they are still All Bullshit. The Cretin News Network.

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