Comments on: Tribune Poll: Who Knows

By: Harley Spoon

Harley Spoon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:49:47 +0000

For all who may not know, The Waco Tribune Herald has been bought from Cox Newspapers by ultra reactionary Waco businessman & arch-Republican Clifton Robinson. His intention is to do all he can to see that Congressman Chet Edwards is defeated in the next election.

The citizens of Central Texas who read Waco Tribune Herald need–in the form of letters to the editor, op-eds, etc.,– all the help they can get to offset the innuendo, mis-information, glittering generalities, convoluted logic and tainted editorialization that will come from Clifton and his son on the news pages as well opinion pages. This is not the fault of the Editor, Carlos Sanchez, who has been a very good editor prior to the Robinson takeover. John Young, an excellent editorial writer & political columnist, has also left the Waco Trib.

Chet Edwards, who has consistently defeated the Tom Delay “gerrymandering” efforts election after election with the endorsement of the Waco Trib, will no longer have that endorsement. In other words, Chet will need all the help he can get to overcome the Robinson’s if we want to keep him in congress.

By: Glenn W. Smith

Glenn W. Smith — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:01:28 +0000

The same folk who get the letter that says “you have already won — just claim your prize.”

By: Dan McClung

Dan McClung — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:17:12 +0000

I believe I read this morning that the sample was drawn from a list of voters who registered to serve as respondents in surveys for compensation like travel points and tee shirts. you know, ordinary, everyday Americans.

By: whiskeydent

whiskeydent — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:35 +0000

I have talked about internet polls with several political pollsters, all of whom are able to stay in business because they’re almost always right. None of them thought internet polls were reliable.

These pollsters are all concerned that cell phones and caller ID are undermining the credibility of their own polls. They’re also acutely aware that these factors have raised the cost of polling (more calls and larger samples required).

If there were a cheaper and easier way to achieve the same level of accuracy, I’m certain they would do it. That none of them are turning to internet polls tells me all I need to know.

By: Glenn W. Smith

Glenn W. Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:49:36 +0000

Good points. But the problem remains the quote — whether or not Jim was referring to White or other Senate candidates. It is, at the least, misleading when given generally and without qualification. The verbal screen is just not adequate, either. Let me put it this way, no campaign would base its decision on a loose screen like that. Methodologies aside, pollsters, who like to shine themselves up with a neutral, social-scientist gloss, ought not to make such clearly subjective and unjustified statements.

In a certain sense, I’m projecting a bit of my overall distrust and disgust even for public polling. We have internet polls, auto-call polls, poll-vaulting polls, and all of them get reported as if their methodologies were always sound, and they are not. The media takes polling as determinative too often, so it can be self-fulfilling.

By: Jason Stanford

Jason Stanford — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:51:15 +0000

I agree. The analysis of the Democrats was embarrassing and lazy.

By: Michael Hurta

Michael Hurta — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:35:25 +0000

Glenn,

The questions and answers were already posted online: http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/ut-txtrib-day1.pdf

It looks like those who got asked about the Republican primary are registered voters who said they would “probably” or “definitely” vote in the Republican Primary. And the same type of thing for the Democratic question.

Bill White’s not in the Governor’s race, so I don’t think he is applicable there. And quite frankly, you can dislike someone you haven’t heard of – you dislike the fact you haven’t heard of them.

There doesn’t seem much of a problem for White in the Senate race, either, as he is tied for first. That’s why I think Henson was referring to the Gubernatorial race.

By: Andre Pineda

Andre Pineda — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:06:28 +0000

I’m very much looking forward to hearing how they drew their internet sample, too. Especially when it comes to Democrats. Calling Democratic primary voters in Texas is hard enough. Getting a sample that is representative in terms of ethnicity, language and socioeconomic status must be quite a challenge.