We’ve been getting numerous reports that people have been getting calls asking a series of questions related to the Minnesota Senate race. This is the best report we have so far of the transcript:
The first question was whom I supported for President. I replied Edwards.
The second question was whom I supported for Senate. I replied Franken.
The third question asked me which of the following three was most important to me in a Senate candidate:
- A candidate with the best chance of beating Norm Coleman
- A candidate who will end the war in Iraq
- A candidate who will fight for ordinary people/working families (can’t remember the exact wording, but that was the gist of it).
Then the fourth question asked if I’d be less likely to support Franken if they knew that he
initially supported the Iraq war before he opposed it.I cut the caller off at that point, so if there were more questions I did not hear them.
This is pretty run-of-the-mill push polling. The only question is, who’s behind it? I have a few guesses, but let’s see if anyone can report back in the comment lines. Remember people, when you get a poller always keep them on until the end of the script and then ask at the end who is paying for the calls. And if it’s a Republican poller make sure to keep them on the line for as long as possible. If you have speakerphone you can just turn it on and do some laundry!
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mark ritchie is using his office for political purposes,, and this is what you care about?? Push polling?//..oh the horror of it all..payback is a bitch
It’s not just in the 6th. I got that call in the 5th too. The kid who made the call wouldn’t say who was paying for it.
Seriously, how should a poll that inquires about Franken’s initial support for the war be worded? It is a valid question and just because it won’t make Franken popular doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked.
It is probably paid for by Franken to determine how to manage his fatal negatives.
Coleman scared?
To have to stoop so low as to PUSH POLL?
Righties gotta lie to win?
How many “black” children equate to a negative in Minnesota?
Mockingbird,
Where is the lie? Other than yours in that post that is.
I got a call like that a few weeks ago from a 218 area code, but it was different and may not be related.
They asked the most important issue to me: Iraq
Then they asked whom I supported for the senate race: Very undecided I said. I had explained I jumped into the camps of all the campaigns only to back off again later.
That is when the call ended.
I guess this is “push-polling” but there was nothing dishonest about the questions. Franken supported the Iraq war and continues to lie about his war positions even today.
yeah. it’s not quite “push-polling” in the strictest sense of the word. But I think it’s fair to characterize it as such.
I was polled by this too but I live in the 5th.
Matt, when did you jump on the Franken bandwagon? For me, Franken has gone from a guy who would probably just lose to Coleman, to someone who is really unfit for office.
Matt,
Did you just honestly advocate characterizing something as illegal that you don’t think actually is? Maybe the people running the poll know the strict definition of defemation.
You can’t expect decent behavior from Republicans if you can’t provide a little of your own.
He is going to have to answer for his war support, in a way that doesn’t start to say ‘I was afraid’ and then pull back and call it satire. And the response will have to be more convincing than ‘Mommy, the bad man is doing a push-poll’.
Maybe he won’t have to answer for his war support since so many DFLers are drinking the Franken kool-aid and ignoring Franken’s flaws. There is a blog on Franken’s website with an entry called “Super Al is the Answer” which states:
“Al Franken has spoken against the war from the start; he is a candidate that has no gray area on his thoughts about the war. He believes that this has been a mistake, and it is time to get out and have our soldiers come back home.”
The first clause is just outright false, and the rest is highly questionable. But if people are going to believe this kind of thing, why bother with the truth? Franken can just keep lying and dodging the issue, and its likely that no one will notice. Or Franken and his supporters will just attack the messenger.
People really need to wake up, because a Franken nomination means six more years of Norm Coleman.
I had a “Push Poll” call over the weekend asking the same questions. I live in the 1st CD. The area code was 651, which is St. Paul to Red Wing.
When asked the question who the candidate must be and do, I said…”All of the above.” then hung up. I am still undecided as to who I plan to support for US Senate.
“Super Al is the Answer” was written by a student. It’s a student’s op-ed filed under News Clips on the blog. And the push poll was almost certainly conducted by Ciresi. Why else would it all these DFLers be getting it? And why would Coleman be testing that second question?
I also received this poll last week, and live in the 5th … I think I remember the poller saying he worked for WC polling company. I refused to answer the last question, because it sounded like a push-poll to me, though it did not name Franken specifically, it asked whether I would be more likely to support a candidate who supported the war at the start and was not against it, or to the effect of: one who stood up against the war from the start and has been a constant advocate of ending the war.
Um, ‘Dan,’ ‘Super Al is the Answer’ was from a student paper — see, it says right on Al’s blog that it’s a news clip. Maybe you should spend less time misrepresenting Al’s blog and more time wondering who would have an interest in push-polling DFLers in an endorsement race. Hint: I don’t think it’s Norm Coleman.
John S and Kerosene Hat, why is it just us (and maybe a few others) who want to talk about what is wrong with Al Franken?
Why should it be assumed that the call was from Coleman? Nobody here believes Ciresi would do such a thing?
Dan-
Don’t worry, its not just us. Most people aren’t thinking politics yet, and even the subset who go to caucus’ aren’t getting geared up. When they do, things tend to change. Go ask Howard Dean.
“Um, ‘Dan,’ ‘Super Al is the Answer’ was from a student paper — see, it says right on Al’s blog that it’s a news clip. Maybe you should spend less time misrepresenting Al’s blog and more time wondering who would have an interest in push-polling DFLers in an endorsement race. Hint: I don’t think it’s Norm Coleman.”
Ok, so its a “news clip” and not a “blog entry.” Wow, you sure busted me. Care to address the fact that the “news clip” that appears on Franken’s website is patently false? I won’t hold my breath.
And yes, why worry about Al Franken’s war position and the fact that he has continued to lie about it when we can focus on someone else conducting a push poll? Since Franken won’t talk honestly about the war, maybe we need a push poll. Its not like the push poll was dishonest or misrepresented Franken in any way.
I think we’ve seen the tactics of the Franken camp here: avoid substance at all costs and attack the messenger. Rush Limbaugh would be proud.
Dan, the POST was about push polling. Don’t attack Anna - I thought you were OT too.
Well, I wasn’t attacking Anna. I was defending myself from the lame charge that I was misrepresenting Franken’s blog.
And while I realize that the post was about push-polling, the real issue should be the topic of the push poll - Franken’s position on the war. But yet again, like every cowardly supporter of Al Franken, you don’t want to address the tough questions.
I hope Ciresi is doing push polling. Someone needs to get the word out on Franken. All the local blogs (with the exception of Eric Black) seem content to just help Franken cover up his shameful record. You need to wake up and take an objective look at just how bad a candidate Franken is. If you don’t, Coleman will destroy him.
Matt,
Nice job. You have gotten everybody to call this a push-poll even though you have admitted it isn’t. Is that what you were going for, deceptive spin?
Perhaps the post on his website was satire? ;)
Coleman would not waste his time on a poll like this, not at this time. He is smarter than that.
It is a fair question and with only 4 months to caucus it is go time for the campaigns. The Feb 5 straw poll’s will shape the rest of the race.
Yes, Coleman is smarter than that. He knows that the DFL is stupid enough to nominate Al Franken and the last thing he would want to to is educate DFLers on how bad Franken is.
I am sure Ciresi was behind it, and good for him. What is a really good question is why people are more upset about Ciresi’s push polling than Franken’s crappy record on the war.
Based on Jesse’s post, this is clearly a Cerisi poll.
Regarding Franken’s support for the war at the outset…let’s not forget that the Iraq war had greater than 80% approval among the populace in 2002-2003.
Franken has been clearly against the war for the last three years…at least.
Whether or not this sort of question qualifies as “push polling,”
the hypothetical nature of its phrasing suggests that you could add your own suppositions, e.g. “Would your be more or less likely to vote for Franken if you knew that he initially supported the war?”
Well, what if you knew BOTH that he initially supported the war AND that…
he has been arrested for assault, or
that he has promised to fund health insurance for the entire state out of his own earnings, or
if you learned he initially supported the war and that he is actually a robot.
Push polling or not, the original question is too idiotic to dignify a reply.
That’s who we need as a senator. The guy who has the wisdom of hindsight and the courage to go with the crowd. I can hear the voters chanting right now “Franken, Franken, Franken…..
And please everybody remember, being better than Bush or less devoted to the current administration than Coleman isn’t a ringing endorsement.
Iojasmo-
Perhaps because for that 60%-80% of the people who supported the war(many of them DFL) public forgiveness of Franken, in the form of his nomination, would in a weird way be public forgiveness of themselves? Mostly thinking out loud here.
“Franken has been clearly against the war for the last three years…at least.”
Not true. In 2006, Franken “agreed with Bush” and opposed withdrawal from Iraq. Franken may have decided three years ago that the war was a bad idea (its hard to tell when because Franken is so inconsistent) but opposing the war doesn’t do much good if you don’t actually want to end the war.
So its ok to support the war if 80 percent did? I’d like a senator from the 20 percent, one who instead of making his decision on how popular the war was, considered this:
“Of first and greatest concern, obviously, are the questions raised about the possible loss of life that could result from our actions. The United States could send tens of thousands of U.S. troops to fight in Iraq, and in so doing we could risk countless lives, of U.S. soldiers and innocent Iraqis. There are other questions, about the impact of an attack in relation to our economy. The United States could face soaring oil prices and could spend billions both on a war and on a years-long effort to stabilize Iraq after an invasion. The resolution we will be debating today would explicitly authorize a go-it-alone approach.”
The hilarious part is that Paul Wellstone is supposedly Franken’s hero.
His hero could be Grape Ape but it wouldn’t make him tall and purple.
I got a call from this poll as well and was able to obtain the name of the polling company - if they were paid directly by one of the campaigns they will eventually be listed on a FEC report - until then there’s not enough evidence to determine the source.
Push polling, manipulating people, isn’t lying?
Do you have a generous definition of LIE?
Mockingbird,
Even Matt, who posted this, said it wasn’t push polling.
“Matt Oct 30th, 2007 at 9:45 am
yeah. it’s not quite “push-polling” in the strictest sense of the word. But I think it’s fair to characterize it as such.”
Plus manipulation and lying are not synonymous even though they both may be negative actions. Matt calling it push polling is closer to a straight up lie than anything in the survey. But you can just call it manipulation if it makes you feel better.
p.s. Remember, push-poling is a legal term, not one based on an individuals opninion
The problem with “push polling” is that it is frequently used to lie about candidates. Here, the “push” was completely accurate. Franken did support the war initially. There was no lying and no manipulation. It was a straight up honest question. You may not like it because it came from a campaign and not an independent pollster. But there was nothing remotely dishonest about it.
Dan,
You wouldn’t happen to work for one of the campaigns, would you?
Your comments suggest possible involvement in this polling and possibly for Ciresi???
I am definitely in your camp…Ciresi is the guy.
I just worry about the perceived internal bashing when too many people rely on blogs like this to make an “informed” decision (not).
I don’t work for any campaign and I have no actual knowledge about the polling. It doesn’t take much brainpower to figure out that the polling is coming from a DFL rival to Franken, and Ciresi is probably the only one who can afford it. The Franken apologists make it sound like they are trying to solve some kind of mystery here when the answer is obvious. Its just a distraction from the real issue - Franken’s horrible judgment concerning the Iraq war.
Sad, isn’t it?