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Vanity: Question about internal campaign polls vs. public polls

Posted on 11/05/2012 2:24:29 PM PST by Maceman

OK. I hear that the campaigns actually have "real polls" that are highly proprietary and closely guarded, and much more accurate than the public polls like Gallup and Rasmussen.

My question is: What makes them so much more accurate? I realize that there is some funny stuff with the public polls in terms of weighting.

But what is the difference in methodology that makes them (reportedly) so much more accurate?


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 2012polls; vanity
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1 posted on 11/05/2012 2:24:35 PM PST by Maceman
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To: Maceman

yes


2 posted on 11/05/2012 2:27:39 PM PST by scooby321 (AMS)
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To: Maceman

I’m sure several on this site could tell you, but then they’d have to ... Well, you know.


3 posted on 11/05/2012 2:31:23 PM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Hope and Change has become Attack and Obfuscate.)
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To: Maceman
Turnout models.

The public polls are giving the ridiculous turnout models of 2008 and in some case, the Democrats outperforming that!

This is going to be a +R1-3 election, not a +D anything.

Independents are going to break hard for Romney, not Obama.

4 posted on 11/05/2012 2:32:20 PM PST by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: Maceman

The public polls are just advertising. The “Internal Polls” are actually paid for and their methodology is determined by the customer. So, they may or may not be more accurate, depending on what the buyer asks for.


5 posted on 11/05/2012 2:32:48 PM PST by Da Bilge Troll (Put me down for 350+)
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To: Maceman

Well ... it’s “money” that makes them more reliable ... :-)


6 posted on 11/05/2012 2:33:04 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Maceman

No lib bias, no invalid interpretations, just the numbers and the facts gathered by experienced professionals who leave the smoke-blowing to the skewed media polls.


7 posted on 11/05/2012 2:34:59 PM PST by JPG (Make it happen)
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To: Da Bilge Troll

Internal polling is the most accurate because the campaigns only use sampling they KNOW to be true. To do otherwise would simply be lying to themselves and then using the flawed results to plan stratagy.

Even liberals aren’t that stupid


8 posted on 11/05/2012 2:38:23 PM PST by Lacey2
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To: Maceman

Fundamentally, the difference is that candidates want to win. They must deal with reality.

The other guys want to sell a product, whether it is the result of their “poll,” or, perhaps, airtime or advertising space in their news papers.


9 posted on 11/05/2012 2:41:53 PM PST by RobinOfKingston (The instinct toward liberalism is located in the part of the brain called the rectal lobe.)
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To: Maceman

Internal polls are most accurate because they don’t pander to political correctness of having to include a certain amount of black/hispanic/female/young voters.

Internals look at who is most likely to turn up at the polls. This was the whole reason Axelgrease made his bully-boy phone call to Gallup. He threatened Gallup with legal action because he said they were not representing the African American vote enough in their sample.

I noticed too that the lastest Pew poll methodology asked to speak to the YOUNGEST registered voter of the household...

So pollsters may not intend to over-represent Dims, but if they are having racial/other groups weighted, then this has a result of showing more Dims in the sample. (This is how Dick Morris explained it earlier today.)

Anyhow — NOW for a trip down memory lane. The Wisconsin Recall was ‘too close to call’. Ha! 49 Minutes after the polls closed, the race was called for Walker. His victory was 53-46. Enjoy this clip of Mizz Madcow and company eating crow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pchwcD4IPzs


10 posted on 11/05/2012 2:44:58 PM PST by ShovelThemOut
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To: Lacey2
Even liberals aren’t that stupid

Never overestimate the intelligence of the loony left. I've never been disappointed with that rule of thumb.

The real lesson, however, is that the public polls are worthless.

11 posted on 11/05/2012 2:46:10 PM PST by Da Bilge Troll (Put me down for 350+)
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To: Maceman

12 posted on 11/05/2012 2:46:54 PM PST by outofsalt ("If History teaches us anything it's that history rarely teaches us anything")
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To: Maceman

These internal polls are no-BS products that give the candidates the unvarnished view of the facts on the ground. Romney`s internals reveal solid opportunities for victories.

BTW, has anyone else noticed the 0bama campaign hasn`t released theirs?


13 posted on 11/05/2012 2:51:03 PM PST by ScottinVA (Pray hard!)
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To: Maceman

Internal polls are more accurate because campaigns use them to decide where they are going to spend their money. If you can’t get accurate polling you might be wasting money where it could be better spent elsewhere.


14 posted on 11/05/2012 2:58:36 PM PST by LiberConservative (Obama cannot shuck and jive his way out of Benghazi.)
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To: outofsalt

LOL!! Add a black feather drifting about ...


15 posted on 11/05/2012 3:03:28 PM PST by stonehouse01 (Equal rights for unborn women)
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To: Maceman
Presidential campaign internal polls are expensive and are done by the best and most experienced pollsters, using top notch staff, with the most reliable methods and large sample sizes. Above all, such polls are meant to be accurate.

On the other hand, public polls are done on the cheap, with smaller sample sizes, and are commonly performed by organizations and pollsters whose preferences influence the results.

16 posted on 11/05/2012 3:03:56 PM PST by Rockingham
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To: ScottinVA

Internal polls are complete BS. They tell the campaign what it wants to hear.

My daughter worked a congressional campaign some years ago. The so-called “internal polls” had her guy way out in front. On election day, her guy got absolutely smoked.

Forget EVERY poll, just make sure you get out and cast YOUR precious vote tomorrow!


17 posted on 11/05/2012 3:13:19 PM PST by Walrus (Restoring America starts today! Let's roll!)
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To: Rockingham
Presidential campaign internal polls are expensive and are done by the best and most experienced pollsters, using top notch staff, with the most reliable methods and large sample sizes. Above all, such polls are meant to be accurate.

Yep, it's mainly the money spent - they're all human calls, and that costs money - only reason Ras and PPP can spam the universe with polls is they do robocalls.>br>

18 posted on 11/05/2012 3:14:05 PM PST by Strategerist
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To: Lacey2
campaigns only use sampling they KNOW to be true. To do otherwise would simply be lying to themselves and then using the flawed results to plan stratagy. Even liberals aren’t that stupid

What you said would be true, if everyone were rational and honest.

However leftists tend to be neither rational nor honest.

Additionally, it's human nature for most people to tell the boss what they think he wants to hear.

Pundits on FoxNews today say that both Obama and Romney camps claim their internal polls show their guy is winning. I think it is likely one side is being either irrational or dishonest. (And I think I know which side that probably is.)

19 posted on 11/05/2012 3:19:18 PM PST by shhrubbery! (NIH!)
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To: ShovelThemOut

Received one of these Pew-like calls on Saturday. They wanted youngest 18 or older female in household. Nobody in my cell phone matched that profile.

She hung up on me.


20 posted on 11/05/2012 3:20:01 PM PST by GEC (We're not drilling in ANWR because....)
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