Lies, Damned Lies, and Andrew Malcolm writing about polls
Written by Jamison Foser
Published
LA Times blogger Andrew Malcolm (R-CA) writes about a new ABC/Washington Post poll, cherry-picking the results that are most favorable for Republicans. But that's nothing new for Malcolm -- he admits his blog posts about polls are not impartial. (Nor are they accurate.)
No, what's funny about Malcolm's latest post is the fig-leaf attempt to appear impartial he tacked on to the end:
But it's not all good news for the GOP. Just about half of the poll respondents characterized their mood as “anti-incumbent.”
Gee, if that's the worst news for the GOP contained in the poll, they must be doing pretty well! Of course, that isn't the worst news for the GOP in the poll. It also found that most people have a favorable view of the Democratic party, and most people have an unfavorable view of the Republican party. And that 63 percent of Americans think “lawmakers in Washington” should keep trying to pass comprehensive health care reform -- and that a plurality who think reform is dead blame Republicans. And that 58 percent of Americans think Republicans are doing too little to work with President Obama, while a plurality of Americans think Obama is doing enough to work with Republicans.
But Andrew Malcolm wants you to think the only bad news for the GOP is that “just about half the poll respondents characterized their mood as 'anti-incumbent.'” He isn't telling the truth.