Bush, polls, and the internet gap.

I just left the online Newsweek online pre-presidential polling site.

Link to the poll and attendant article is below.

Go and enjoy the fun!

First an excerpt:

"Bush's approval rating has climbed to 54 percent (from around 51 percent prior to Saddam's capture) and 50 percent of Americans say they approve of the way things are going in Iraq, an increase from 45 percent before the Iraqi leader's arrest. Meanwhile, after a holiday season marked by fears of terror attacks in the United States, 70 percent of registered voters say they approve of the way Bush has worked to prevent or minimize terrorism at home, his highest approval rating in that category since last May. This could prove significant in coming months because 60 percent of voters say they are more likely to vote for Bush because of his handling of terrorism."

I'd just like to point out a few obvious things about the above numbers and how they bear no semblance to reality.

1) Americans do not have any tangible evidence of how things are going in Iraq. Another helicopter shot down. A new rising tide of attacks against U.S. forces and Iraqis. From what the press has been able to get out, things are worsening. That's what is being reported. Why don't people see this?

2) Bush and terrorism. On Dec. 17 -- less than a month ago, Mr. Kean, the chair of the 9/11 commission said, "There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed." Then there is the Administration's handling of the President's Daily Briefs. There is a lot of smoke here.
The media has utterly failed as a watchdog. For people to harbor these sorts of unsupported beliefs either means that Americans don't know, or that the continuous line of propaganda coming out of the White House is overriding their mental functioning. Or that we have become those sheep that fella Nietzsche was always going on about.

I just took the first paragraph to parse. I could've taken any one of them. Now, onto the big Qs.

The questions are as follows:

NEWSWEEK: "In general, would you like to see George W. Bush re-elected to another term as president, or not?"

pure bs: "In general, who would you like to see elected as president in 2004? GW Bush lost the vote by over a half-million votes last time around, and was appointed president in a 5 - 4 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court. Who would you like to see elected in 2004, a Democrat or a Republican? "

NEWSWEEK: "Does the current state of the economy and the job situation make you more likely or less likely to vote to re-elect George W. Bush next year?"

pure bs: "Thinking about the current economic climate, are you better off than you were three years ago? Do you feel that your job is safe? Do you feel that GW Bush has your best economic interests at heart? Do you think a Democrat would do a better job?"

NEWSWEEK: "Do you think a Democratic president would handle economic conditions in this country better than George W. Bush?"

pure bs: "Do you know how far into debt the U.S. is currently? Does it bother you that under GW Bush the country will be running deficits for the foreseeable future? Do you want your children to pay for wars of choice? Do you think a Demaocrat would do a be a better choice?"

NEWSWEEK: "Do you think a Democratic president would handle this country's foreign policy better than George W. Bush?"

pure bs: "Do you know that GW Bush's foreign policy was engineered by a small group of men known as neo-conservatives? Do you know what the "Project for A New American Century is? Do you agree with its stated goals? Do you trust these men? Do you think a Democrat would be a better choice?"

NEWSWEEK: "Do you think Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is too liberal to defeat Bush if he is the Democratic Party's presidential candidate this year?"

pure bs: "Do you think that GW Bush is too reactionary to serve another term? Do you feel betrayed by Bush's pledge of, "compassionate conservatism," and subsequent move to a hard right agenda?" Do you think Howard Dean is too moderate to represent the Democratic party?"

NEWSWEEK: "Based on what you know about Howard Dean, do you think he has the kind of temperament to make a good president?"

pure bs: "Because your only exposure to Howard Dean has been through the mass media, do you feel qualified to make a statement about Howard Dean's temperament? Did GW Bush's "Deer in the Headlights" look on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 give you any insight into the character of the man?"

NEWSWEEK: "How confident are you that the United States will successfully establish a stable democratic government in Iraq over the long term?"

pure bs: "How confident are you that the United States will successfully establish a stable democratic government?" (don't you mean in Iraq?)

No. Iraq is a different question.

Come on. Dean's temperament? Sure my poll is almost as silly. Criminy. Our press corps. at work. *heavy sigh*

At least the majority of the online voters have likely framed the issues properly. Or at least, not as improperly.