And here are two other blogs reporting it: Hot Air and Right Angle.
I used to work in politics, a long time ago. It's been years since I worked a campaign, but if I remember correctly, the "push" question value threshold is 30 or 35 percent (just can't remember which it is). Any "push" question that registers better than 30 or 35 percent movement away from one candidate and toward the other is deemed a good attack.
So as I read these "push" questions, it seems the Irey campaign's biggest problem here is focus. They've got 11 different lines of attack that work. But they don't have the time or the money to land blows on all eleven. Which will they choose?
You're clearly right when you say the proper attacks are found in the corruption area. I would have thought otherwise, that the good, culturally conservative voters of Western Pennsylvania would have been more offended by his recent statements on the war. After all, Murtha's ethical shortcomings have been a matter of record for a number of years. (Except for that question about hosting the party for the convicted felon, and trying to force taxpayers to pay the legal bills of a Congressman who's guilty of taking a bribe. Anyone have any background info on that?)
Love your tag, btw. ;*)
PA voters are sick and tired of having corrupt people representing them, on both state and federal levels.
They're sick and tired of pompous blow-hard overlords who rule their districts like fiefdoms and think they own us. 32 years is about 20 too many for anyone to serve.
They are sick and tired of "mediaticians" who publicly tear down their military family members for their own political agenda. These same people fill the bleachers at the local Friday night football games. Imagine if someone sat in the stands shouting "Our team fights dirty! Our team is broken! Everybody hates our team! We can't win!" They'd throw him out on his butt or beat the snot out of him under the bleachers. Whether one thinks we should be in a war or not, any rational person knows bashing your team while they're in on the field is no way to show support.
It really doesn't matter which straw breaks the camel's back. Voters are fed up with everything moutha represents.
You need to look at the crosstabs to be sure but not knowing anything else, you need to be higher than your head-to-head to make progress with a push.
MUCH more valuable would be to see the percentages among the Murtha and Undecided supporters which were not released.
Another thing I don't see is a measure of intensity on the push. I ask them using 'More more likely, somewhat more likely, makes no differences, somwhat less likely, much less likely.'