New FR poll question is ambiguous - clarification requested

3-15-06 | self

[inquest]

Sorry for the vanity, folks, but the current FR poll question - "Is the failed port deal bad for America?" - can definitely be read two different ways. One is that it's asking if the deal itself is bad for America, and the other way is that it's asking if the FAILURE of the deal is bad for America.

Can we get it cleared up? Otherwise the results would be kinda useless.

[beyond the sea]

Good point.

[beyond the sea]

Is the fact that the port deal failed bad for America?

[mtbopfuyn]

Which is why I haven't answered it.

[cripplecreek]

I struggled with that one myself. I think I voted for Buchanan.

[Dog Gone]

I read it as the second way, but not before scratching my head.

[Lekker 1]

...Otherwise the results would be kinda useless.

...which would make it different from the other polls?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

In what way are the results useful?

[redtetrahedron]

I agree it is ambiguous. IMO that it means to ask if the failure of the port deal is bad for America. Maybe we need a poll asking what the poll question means...

[Marine_Uncle]

Good point. And that is why I skipped this poll as it appears some others have. Jimbo had better get his whip out on this one.

[ARCADIA]

So far the results look similar to the results on the prior poll:

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/poll?poll=141;results=1

[birbear]

I agree, I scratched my head. That's why I voted for one of the ambiguous answers. "It's not so bad."

[RegulatorCountry]

Another day, another do-over on a port deal poll.

[Crucis Country]

Ditto! I didn't respond for this same reason.

[gondramB]

"Is the fact that the port deal failed bad for America?"

That's how I interpreted so when I voted bad, I meant the failure was bad.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>In what way are the results useful?

It allows the contingent of Bush globalist sycophants on FR to complain that the final outcome of the deal was bad and anyone supporting it, is a Bush bashing xenophobe, maybe even a bigot, or worse yet, a racist.

Never dawn on some of these status quo dunderheads, that just maybe that makes some of us FReepers, conservative American patriots.

[F16Fighter]

"Sorry for the vanity, folks, but the current FR poll question - 'Is the failed port deal bad for America?' - can definitely be read two different ways. One is that it's asking if the deal itself is bad for America, and the other way is that it's asking if the FAILURE of the deal is bad for America."

Great observation...

The ambiguous and confusing structure of the questioning had me laughing to myself as well.

It was ALMOST as though the poll were written by ABC/NYT.

[cloud8]

It was good business, bad politics. Lose, lose.

[inquest]

I read it as the second way, but not before scratching my head.

I read it the second way, but not before voting under the first interpretation. Oh well.

[ARCADIA]

The answers were almost as much fun as the question.