The party purchasing a poll is expected to provide the subjects they want to measure, the sampling parameters and will have approval over the phraseology of the questions.
The polling party is unlikely to "cook the books", but they will fulfill their customers' specifications.
Of course that is the way it works.
No way even a Democrat polling organization is going to release or agree to have released a poll where people know they have sampled 90% D if the poll is to become public. If they look like absolute idiots with predictions wildly out of touch with results NO one will hire them, Dims or Republicans.
Thanks. That’s all I’m trying to say. Accusing the polling organizations of being in the tank for Obama is stupid. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose by behaving that way. However, will they take a poll that a partisan organization (like a news network or a publication)can then spin? Oh yeah!
By the way, this is why internal polls used by a campaign are so different from what we see. When they want something to spin, campaigns and interested parties go to polling organization and say, “Here’s my check. Please do a national poll on the outcome of the election. Please assume that turnout will be the same as it was in 2008.” When they want to know what’s really going on for their own information, they say, “Here’s my check. Take poll that is completely objective and tells me exactly what in reality is going on with this election.” They guard that information zealously.