Posted on 03/04/2005 1:23:03 PM PST by lowbridge
Congressman's Aide Asks for Help Flooding Local Newspaper Poll
March 02, 2005 | 09:58:09 EST
In another example of the increasing importance of web polls, a spokesman for Maurice Hinchey, the New York Democratic congressman who recently came under fire for suggesting the Bush reelection campaign was behind Memogate, has been asking supporters to skew an online survey in the congressman's favor.
"One of our local papers, the Daily Freeman, has been conducting an online poll asking readers if they agreed with Maurice's assertions. Until recently, the response has been relatively equal. However, this weekend, the right-wing bloggers began to flood the poll and now the results are vastly one-sided," Ahouse wrote in the email which was posted on the liberal online discussion board, Democratic Underground.
"I'm writing to ask for your help in stopping this manipulation of public opinion about our Congressman. Please forward this information to anyone interested in standing up to the right-wing distortion and ask they they register their opinion in the poll. You can vote at www.dailyfreeman.com."
Ahouse told RatherBiased.com that he had sent a message to a "handful" of local Hinchey supporters but said he was not aware that the email had been posted online.
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When asked why he felt it was necessary to urge supporters to vote in a web poll when such surveys are widely regarded as unreliable, Ahouse said that he "did not want those surveys to be manipulated" even though he does not believe online polls are accurate.
The spokesman could not name a particular web site which had attempted to skew the poll though he said he could with further thought. Since Ahouse's email was posted on Democratic Underground, the poll results have skewed in the opposite direction.
We asked Ahouse if he felt this was wrong as well.
"I think that that's the same thing as what the other side was doing. I think now that the whole issue has been rendered moot. It has been negatively affected by both sides and is essentially been rendered a useless measure of local opinion which was supposedly the original intent of the poll."
Flooding of online polls first became a common practice during the 2004 presidential campaign when the Democratic National Committee began emailing supporters lists of web surveys to vote in following presidential debates. In turn, many Bush supporters decided to boycott the polls.
Editorial note: Although we read Democratic Underground fairly regularly, we didn't catch the Ahouse message when it was posted. A member of FreeRepublic.com, conservative discussion board, brought it to our attention and also opened a discussion on the topic. The way the two forums keep tabs on each other is one of the more fascinating aspects of online politics.
(((BTTT PING)))
HUH?? so a poll is only acurate if the right wing doesn't vote on it????
Oh, we can vote on it we just have to vote as though we are "moderate" Republicans.
All it takes is a simple spine-ectomy. Lotta Pubs in Congress have this done already.
This guy's a loon! He doesn't believe on-line polls are accurate (neither do I, but they are fun to FReep) and he wants the DUers to vote in his favor.
I think this motto applies - "You don't have to be loony to be a democrat, but it helps!"
Vote from home on the Internet (in your lifetime) BTTT
Pure Democracy: (Layman's definition)
3 Wolves and 1 Sheep setting down together to vote "What's for dinner?"
Mark it.
It's simply a cesspool. The DUmpster of America and enemies beyond.
BTTT
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