Congrats @Gallup for inspiring these 5 misleading anti-Tea Party headlines
A textbook example of spinning numbers
I covered earlier the negative spin Gallup put on its recent Tea Party polling. What showed a stable support/opposition over the last two years — including a drop in opposition — was spun as a negative only by comparison to three years ago.
Gallup could have titled its report “No real change in Tea Party Support” or “Tea Party Support/Opposition Stable.” Instead, Gallup put this spin on it:
That misleading spin has been picked up and run with across the media, which is trying to tie the supposed decline to Ted Cruz’s rise since 2012.
But there was no meaningful decline since 2012 — just 2% within the poll’s 3% margin of error. Support is actually 1% higher than in 2011. You have to go back three years to the 2010 mid-term pro-Republican wave election, when Tea Party support peaked briefly, to see a substantial decline. But that substantial decline took place prior to the 2012 election, long before Cruz was in the Senate.
Even with that, over 1 in 5 Americans still support the Tea Party and half of Americans are neutral. Considering the demonization of the Tea Party in the media and Washington, D.C., a stable support/opposition is pretty amazing.
No one is interested in the details, it’s just political gamesmanship.
Here are 5 profoundly misleading headlines inspired by Gallup:
1. The Week — Why does everyone hate the Tea Party?
Really? 73% of people supporting or being neutral on the Tea Party means everyone hates the Tea Party?
2. Taylor Marsh – No One Supports the Tea Party Anymore:
Well, if by “no one” you mean over 1 in 5 Americans, slightly more than self-identify as liberal:
3. Salon.com – The Tea Party is really, really unpopular.
Yup, because 27% of the population opposes the Tea Party and 73% don’t, that makes the Tea Party really, really unpopular.
4. MSNBC – POLL: Tea Party support plunges to near-record low
Well yes, if by “plunging” you mean being 1% higher than two years ago, and within the margin of error lower than last year.
5. CBS News – Poll: Tea party approaches record low popularity
A year ago according to the Gallup chart, the Tea Party support/oppose margin was 5% negative. Today it is 5% negative. There is no change in popularity.
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Comments
Professor,
If you get a chance, could you please ask @Gallup:
1) Are the Coffee Party’s numbers anywhere near their record low?
2) Are the Coffee Party’s numbers measureable?
3) If not, why does everyone hate the Coffee Party?
4) Is it accurate to say support has plunged for the Coffee Party?
5) Is the Coffee Party Really, Really Unpopular?
Thanks!
How about Occupy Wall Street?
Shhh… Don’t mention the Coffee Party. 😉
Now there’s a blast from the past, all the way up from the bottom of the memory hole.
Joseph Goebbels would be very proud of his imitators in the American Media. They are masters (trained by Madison Ave.) at mis-information, mis direction, deception, and slander.
Might want to review that statement about Goebbels because there’s some history of Goebbels learning how to promote racial hatred from Americans, specifically Wilson’s AG, who was promoted to SCOTUS and was there for quite some time.
Part of that history is that Wilson’s favorite racial hate monger was asked about his views and that served to ramp up Hitler’s and Goebbels’ hate factories. Of course, Goebbels also was a fan of America’s advertising machine and copied its techniques.
Still, American media has learned how to improve its product, as modified learning from Goebbels’ approach to propaganda; maybe a more subtle approach than Goebbels often “in your face” approach.
Judging from stock reports of the major newspaper publishers, the tea party has a much brighter future than the dead tree propaganda industry.
What part of “Don’t believe the Liberal Media Lies” Doesn’t the Main Stream Media get?
Hello? You can talk all you want, but the pool of the “Gullible” is getting smaller each day that the reality of Obamacare sinks in.
Also, I wonder, does this trend work as well for readership in the NYT, the LA Times, The Chicago Sun-Times? hmmmmm…
People don’t like labels. And, “occupy wallstreet” didn’t pick up traction. While people, in general, understand what the wall streeter’s got away with!
When Ed Snowden’s story broke (June 6th), lots of people became horrified. But it doesn’t change the way people would then “suddenly” change parties!
Are lots of people FURIOUS with ObamaCare? (Why else is Congress set on changing its name to “affordable care.” (How Orwellian it has all become with language usage!
There was a time (back in 2010) when lots of people saw The Tea Party as grass roots. And, actually leaderless. (Then, of course, Sarah Palin claims she’s the head of the Tea Party.) Good luck with that!
Obama’s approval rating has dropped to 43%. While most members of congress would die for a good number like that! Congress critters approval ratings poll out at about 12%.
And, as long as Mitch McConnell represents the “top” senator for the republicans in congress … How likely is it that he’ll get the five or six republican seats he needs to flip himself into Harry Reid’s role?
Is there an internal fight within the GOP? I’ve read articles that have said the “old dead wood” that is considered the “moderate” wing of the GOP … does the party more harm than good. And, most people don’t know how to change “the old senate” into reflecting any voice for most of the people.
Peeling, away, however, are reputations. Take Diane Feinstink. Until she went out to kill the First Amendment, with her “enhancement” of a “shield law” … that would allow the Department of Justice to define “just who is a journalist. And, who should be jailed for life for whistle-blowing … Didn’t really see her as a washed up old hag.
Congress is full of old and bad. (Heck, I remember when Teddy Kennedy keeled over no one in particular, except insiders, seemed all that upset. And, according to Mark Liebovich’s book This Town, one of the senate stallwarts, to his face! Called Teddy Kennedy “Tiddy Kennedy.”) Behind the scenes respect levels aren’t very high.
Harry Reid “gets the jobs done” because he knows how to sweeten the pockets of 99 members of congress.
If you don’t play with Harry Reid. And, by his rules. You won’t get your voice heard. Or your pocketbook enriched.
Well, somebody’s got to do it?
I think Nevada should have sent us Penn Jillette. Then, we could be fooled by the slight-of-hand magic tricks.
But congress can make you sick, without having any entertainment value at all.
The needle that doesn’t move … belongs to the two parties … And, whatever label you want to draw across independents. Because independents aren’t filling the open political slots.
By more than 2 to 1, Americans prefer less government, fewer services, lower taxes … to the opposite. That is the essence of the tea party.
BUT .. since Big Government operatives like Lois Lerner and Eric Holder will “shoot on sight” any that self identify with the tea party or “the constitution”, the images you see in the rear view mirror may be larger than they appear in polls.
Just 28% of Likely U.S. Voters now prefer a larger government with more services and higher taxes to a smaller one with fewer services and lower taxes, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That’s down from December’s all-time high of 34%.
Sixty-two percent (62%) prefer a smaller government, consistent with regular surveying for several years.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/archive/mood_of_america_archive/benchmarks/62_favor_smaller_government_with_fewer_services_lower_taxes
a caveat: that is a likely voter poll. People that play by the rules and file taxes are less than half the population. Of those that file only about half pay any significant income tax, though more pay what they think is investment in their own retirement, including Medicare.
But Obama has transferred billions to his preferred base of unions and certain billionaires. Regular WH visitors like “kneecapper Trumka” now have billions to spend using ACORN type syndicates to buy voters, and to sign them up and drive them to the polls over an extended time frame, while Holder attacks any voter ID laws.
So even with 80% of those that actually file and obey laws, Obama’s underworld base can likely still steal elections. They find this humorous, which is why we get Reid/Pelosi grinning during their ludicrous statements. “We” have to recognize we are fighting “organized crime” which has deep ties in Hollywood, Big Media, and foreign governments.
at least that’s how I see it … the most logical reason for Obama and the left not paying the price for the continuous destruction of our country. Mark Levin seems to have a decent idea, with the states recognizing the federal “coup”, and taking a constitutional action against the federal cabal.
Left/Media spins polls in as bad a light as possible for conservatives, film at 11.
It’s hard to be outraged when it is so predictable. And, just as the stock market will discount or “price in” expected news, most readers/viewers today understand the bias exists, if not its full extent, and mistrust media accordingly. They don’t mention their record low ad revenues, do they?
But the fact is self-identifying Tea Partiers have declined in number. Personally, I blame the people who have claimed to speak for the Tea Party without ever being asked. Not so much Sarah Palin, who was a reformer before there was a TP (although her being smeared for years in the media may turn off some potential indy/Democrats who might be TP supporters), but all these groups who put themselves forth as “Tea Party” – unelected, unfiltered, unexamined.
I myself have seen some representatives of Freedom Works interviewed on Fox & Fox Business, and been embarrassed for them for their complete ignorance. Hey, it’s great to be an average citizen, but if you get the chance to speak for your group on an issue shouldn’t you do at least a little homework so you don’t come off as a blithering idiot?
It certainly doesn’t help TP identification to have people out there like that claiming to represent the Tea Party.
Yeah, freakin’ losers these TP-ers, huh?
So umm, Bubble Boy says to “Google Banned This Video” chick:
How about taking your top off ————>.
Oh yeah, Tea Party, ummm, geez, I can’t remember..
I do not favor redistributive change and the fleecing of Americans. I do not support policies which obfuscate and sponsor corruption. Most Americans still agree that these things are unwanted and undesirable. The Tea Party is alive and well.
The individuals and groups who benefit from theft and degradation are desperate to protect their political, economic, and social standing.
Individual dignity does matter. Preserving the value of human life does matter. Controlling the progress of corruption is in the interest of every American. This does matter.
I mean, the Gallup Poll shows that that Tea Party support has dropped 10 percentage points since its peak 2 1/2 years ago and it’s one percentage point off its low. That part is pretty clear.
These polls mean nothing. This is a lull period in terms of protests and rallies. Remember – Tea Partiers are regular folk. We have jobs, families, businesses, farms, shit to do, you know? These are not paid political workers. The TP gears up for elections and important congressional votes. They need a focus point in time and/or place around which to make arrangements and plans. Who’s gonna watch the kids? Milk the herd? Open the church?
A focused Tea Party delivered one of the worst midterm routs of the Democrats in history, focused as they were in 2010 on the midterms, first election since having to swallow Porkulus, Obamacare, and numerous other offenses by the Obama administration. The rout was greatest at the state on down levels of elected office. Pinpoint focus, the Tea Party delivered.
We delivered men and women who said they would fight Obamacare tooth and nail, if only we’d elect them. That didn’t and isn’t happening, Cruz’ moral victory notwithstanding. In 2012 the GOP continued to marginalize conservatives, which includes almost all the Tea Party members. The GOP forced the nomination of the one guy who couldn’t oppose Obama on Obamacare because he enacted Obamacare, Jr in the state he served as governor. The GOP powers had little need or want of the TP voters. They assumed we had no where else to go. We were ignorable.
No later than 2014 provides the sort of focal point around which TP folks will aim their displeasure. Before then may be some bill congress is to vote on, almost certain to be at one extreme or the other between “we love this bill!” and “OMG! Stop this horrible bill!” and this might provide the spark.
Ignore the big Tea Party orgs, good and bad – that’s not what the Tea Party is. Those orgs are what a group of people made of it in their circles. The Tea Party is not people or orgs, it’s the basic set of unchanging principles and respect for individual rights that runs through all the people in all the groups, whether big name ‘corporate’ TP orgs, or the thousands of little local groups, like mine, membership 2200, salute. As long as those basic principles and values of family, neighborliness, honesty, morality, liberty, etc., continue to be threatened, there will be Tea Partiers, and they will always share the same general political goals of small government, low taxes, individual responsibility, RTL, regulatory relief, etc. When the threats are removed and safeguards established, the Tea Partiers will go home and back to work.
If the communists didn’t have lies, they would not have anything.
Not quite true, they would have each other. 🙂
Here’s a few headlines you’ll never see on an MSM site:
“Why does everyone hate the Media?”
“Why does everyone not believe our lies?”
“Mainstream Media is REALLY, REALLY unpopular”
“Poll: Media credibility sinks to new RECORD low.”
Someone with twitter (I don’t use it since I’m a luddite) please come up with a hastag:
#MediaHeadlinesYouWillNeverSee
Reminds me of what that old joke about the nightclub –
“Nobody goes there anymore because it’s always too crouded.”