August 26, 2005
Who's push-polling the 8th district?
Politicalities wants to know.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 26, 2005
09:48 PM | Email This
1. They called me tonight.
2. For those who couldn't wade through the long post on the link, some democrat group is casing the 8th congressional District (eastside-- including Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish etc.) with one of those automated calls and first asks 1) do you approve of 8th District congressman Dave Reichert? and then tells you a bunch of 'anti-Reichert' Democrat propaganda about him, in an attempt to make you hate Dave Reichert. Then they give you a second question: 2) Would you vote for Dave Reichert?
This is not the first time I have received a call like this aimed at Reichert. It happened at least one other time earlier this year. The Democrats are desparately trying to aerial-bomb Reichert to 'soften up' their target before the hard-core campaign season in '06 begins. They apparently believe they have a shot at getting this seat.
I doubt it. But they'll waste money on it trying. What they're doing is dirty and disgusting, but they don't care. Good luck to them trying to find a Democrat opponent who has even half the integrity Reichert has.
3. I worked on the Reichert campaign last fall.
I have to say - that since he's been in office - I've seen more photo-ops showing him in the process of liberal Democrat ass-kissing than I've seen of him with Republicans!
I can't imagine the Democrats trying to harm him in his next run.....He seems to be their buddy!
We may want to start looking for a more solid *R* candidate for the 8th district...I am just ashamed of some of the *left of center* views expressed on issues by Reichert since he's been in office!
4. It's amusing that Ds get the blame for this. Push polling is a specialty of Republicans, particulary Karl Rove and the late Lee Atwater. Remember John McCain in the 2000 South Carolina presidential primary? (Does "illegitimate black child" ring any bells?) When you lie down with dogs, as the saying goes, you get fleas. Small wonder that tactics come home to roost. I have trouble typing -- the alligator tears are all over my keyboard. Don't know how many of y'all have dictionaries in the house, but "schadenfreude" is a term that comes to mind.
5. bartelby....
Your entire post is so wrong - it's *damn* wrong! Everyone knows the Democrats are the world champions of any deceptive campaign practice! Sheesh! I WISH the Republicans would grow a backbone and become more agressive in their campaigns - but they are decent and don't want to lower themselves to liberal democrat tactics!
Karl Rove conspiracies again?? Jeeze! Leave that poor man alone!
6. bartelby: "It's amusing that Ds get the blame for this." Are you really and truly trying to say it ISN'T democrats who are doing this?? Here--Howard Dean is on the phone and wants to clue you in....
7. Remember the ghastly Lawton Chiles push-polling Florida in 1994? It's not a Republican phenomenon.
8. Anyone with an ounce of integrity to be truthful knows that the Dems are the champions of push-polling. How do you think that Clinton received such high approval ratings during the low ebb of his regime ? The MSM - like the swine that they are jump on results of these push polls and make up a story out of it - to further their propåganda machine.
Me thinks that Bartelby is a useful idiot from moveon.org and knows not of what he speaks.
9. Folks clearly believe that Ds are as slimy as the Rs, but faith and evidence are two different things, as was demonstrated in court in Chelan County. No one even bothers to contest that fact that Shrub used racist push polling against McCain in S.Carolina.
The charge about Clinton is clearly ridiculous. Push polls are designed to drive an opponent's approval DOWN by spreading false charges, and within relatively small consituencies. While plenty of information contributed to Clinton's popularity (inheriting a deficit and creating an enormous surplus, presiding over the largest economic expansion in American history), that was all accurate, and public record.
"Karl Rove conspiracies again?? Jeeze! Leave that poor man alone!" Rove's long history of slimy tactics are amply documented in a number of different places. Don't take my word for it, just do a Google search like "Rove push poll."
The Lawton Chiles charge was new to me. While it appears to be a staple of right wing blogs, I couldn't find any credible source to substantiate or refute it. Any suggestions?
10. "Any suggestions?"
Yea, take yer "shrub" BS and FOAD......
11. "Yea, take yer "shrub" BS and FOAD......"
You're killing me with your eloquence and ironclad evidence.
12. You don't rate eloquence and my evidence is self evident.
13. bartelby, whyizit.....the only federal financial numbers the dems remember is the ones AFTER the republicans won congress? Clintons first budget had debt as far as you could see. Remember this line "I can't give you the middle class tax cut"? Funny thing how we've had a few tax cuts and revenues are up. Unfortunately so is spending. Back to my point, had it not been for the changing of the guard in 95 and folks like Rostenkowski (remember him??) going to jail, Clinton wouldn't get the kudos you so lavishly heap on them.
14. Revenues may be up in the GWB admin, but spending has FAR outpaced them. We've gone from the greatest surpluses in the last 100 years to the greatest deficits in national history. Clinton didn't deliver the tax cut because he RESPONSIBLY devoted those funds towards deficit reduction. In case you're confused by Laffer Curve Cool Aid, tax cuts do not lead to revenues great enough to offset them. Remember Reagan? Or Paul O'Neil's line about being told that Reagan "proved that deficits don't matter any more." Or did all of that vanish down the dittohead memory hole?