"Does it work?" (chuckle)

"Ask me again while you're burning for all eternity." (chuckle)

Okay, not really. But I'd have been tempted.

Hmm I wonder if I'll get these in NJ. I can only assume they wont be bothered in my area since every house has an Obama sign on it. Where are you that this happened?

Oh my, I most certainly have had this happen. I find it terribly amusing to answer them. The last grouping I had was mind boggling with the way the questions went. I love answering them and driving them nuts. One question was regarding losing health care when you lose your job. You see, McCain takes joy in kicking you to the curb in his plan while Obama will personally cradle you broken spirit and give you the gift of life in such a situation. I told them that if you can't hold something as simple as a job, you should not only have access to health care, CPS should come and get your kids. Ah, the silence, it was deafening. Mind you, my husband was laid off last year and our world did quite the crash. Huh, we're still chugging along and working it out without government assistance.

"Does it work?" (chuckle)

"Ask me again while you're burning for all eternity." (chuckle)

Okay, not really. But I'd have been tempted.

LOL.

"John McCain voted to spend money on providing tax cuts"

Spend money on tax cuts? They really do think it's their money don't they?

I don't know if it's the same people or not, but I got push polled by someone supporting the Lampson campaign in CD-22 last night.

The call came from area code 609. I think that's Jersey.

I got the same type of poll from national someting or other about two weeks ago.

"At the end of the poll, I asked him which polling firm he represented..."

That was your first mistake. ;) I've not been polled for this election (and I'm sure I won't be), but the first thing I ask before answering anything is, "Who do you represent?" If it's some convoluted "Patriotic Americans for United Justice, Peace, and Future Benevolence" or somesuch nonsense, they'll get a laugh and a prompt disconnect. Usually those pollsters stammer through the name, not expecting the recipient to be critical right off the bat.

Second, if the pollster asks a leading question, I'll preface with a long qualifier to deny them their desired snippet. It a) eats up their polling time as I know I have them as my captive audience, and b) forces them to realize others are on to their tactics.

So much political polling is so manipulatable as to be practically worthless. It's fascinating, though, to hear the political pitch you're being given under the guise of a "poll." I wonder how much Axelrod paid for the phone bank?

My wife had a left leaning GALLUP poll a couple of weeks ago. I thought they were more professional. She couldn't remember the specifics, but she said that she could defintely tell what they were trying to get her to say. This is just so unreal.

We have received a few poll type callers. We have never had anyone from the Republican groups contact us (probably because we are registered that way and they feel comfortable about that?). We usually get a very mondane series of questions and they usually hang up.
Once this woman, whose language skills were subpar, not that she was a foreigner or anything. Just that I think she never went to school. This was for a guy running against one of our Congressman. She pretty much told me that I needed to vote for this clown because the Republicans are evil.
Strange that they do not let you view incoming phone numbers. I guess that is what cowardice is. I equate that to the nutjobs who cover their faces with bandanas when the "protest", or with the jihadists when the seek "retribution". They are all the same and unnecessary to our society.

"John McCain voted to spend money on providing tax cuts"

Spend money on tax cuts? They really do think it's their money don't they?

"paying for tax cuts" is a particularly irritating turn of phrase to me. If you take my money, then give part of it back, you aren't paying for anything. You're simply returning what was mine to begin with. I suppose to a politician it's just semantics, but it shows a basic difference in perspective between the government and the taxpayer.

Sorry, zmdavid, your quote was supposed to be in italics too.

I had a pollster call a month or so ago. It was obvious from the questions that the poll was "commissioned" by someone that wanted a particular outcome.

The question would be setup that you would have to be one of the most heartless people in the world to say what they didn't want you to so. I kept the person on the phone answering their questions, pointing out the lack of appropriate choices.

The woman conducting the survey I could tell was pro-Obama and pro the local left-wing dodah.

When the woman started in about abortion and that John McCain and our local representative didn't support a woman's right to choose. I told the woman that I had a problem with someone who promoted putting abortion clinics in predominately African-American neighborhoods to make sure they can abort as many black babies as possible. I thought the woman's head was going to explode. Of course I kept going, I told her that the legislation requiring babies born during abortions to be killed completely negated any reason to EVER vote for Obama. I told her that I guess Obama and his wife needed a couple of political props so they decided not to abort their "punishments".

At that point the pollster was really pissed, I think she hung up on me.

I've been driving Lefties nuts by telling them I have been polled three times already and each time the pollster sounded young and ethnic so I told her I was voting for Obama. I didn't want to come off as racist or worse, uncool, see?

This drives them batshit. They are in mortal terror of The Bradley Effect.

Seriously? I have never, ever, ever been called for a political poll. What radio station you listen to I got stuck with one night, but that's it.

My phone is not unlisted, same address for a long time and I've been registered to vote for -- well, a very long time -- and I've NEVER gotten that phone call. Darn. Darn.

I got a similar call. I was working on a freinds bike and didn't have time to screw with her. The 1st question was so leftists I answered with a sharp..."you couldn't be further from the truth..if the rest of your questions are this stupid you can hang up now". She did...I would have loved to play along though..."I'll take leftist indoctrination for $100, please"...

Meant to say, too, that back when West Wing was on, one of the episodes was about them doing calls. And it was interesting how they set up the questions, tweaked them, rewrote them, said them outloud, rewrote them again. Showed all the work that goes into it.

But how can you honestly believe any of these polls anymore when there are so many?

The Democrats have learned well by watching the Republicans. That's the problem with developing a good formula devoid of an essential core of ethical principles. Anyone can pick your tools up and apply them to sell their own product.

All these years, instead of listening to the Karl Rove/David Horowitz wing of the GOP.... Republicans should have been cleaving closely to their values, leading from their moral core. Instead, they spent their time on marketing gimmicks and exploiting their power for personal benefit.

The GOP contributed to this problem. They should have been speaking to people's higher natures... cultivating an informed and enlightened electorate instead of running on style. If the GOP had spent their time building up a relationship of trust and a consistent ethic of leadership based in core principles, they wouldn't be stuck in the hole they are in. They have had a captive audience for the last 8 years... and a public that was desperate to believe in whichever leader could project and practice a coherent set of values. They blew it.

Maybe the party leaders will learn... and after four years of Obama and the Democrats... they will come back with a more humble and sincere approach. Either that, or conservatives will create party that can.

I'd like to see how an honest conservative would do against Obama. I think they'd do better than McCain.

Actually, the only dumb poll I got this year was from the NRA. It wasn't really a poll, it was a fundraising drive, but they dressed it up like a poll. Asked me a bunch of questions designed to inflame my gun-totin' hillbilly passions, and then hit me up for money. We both knew what they were up to from the moment they said NRA, so I was kind of flexed to have to sit through that little bit of theater.

I'm good with the NRA, but they fundraise WAY too often...and way too cute.