Push-Polling Away...

DID YOU GET YOUR CALL YET?
So, have you received your push-polling telephone call yet?  No?  Well, a friend of mine has and was happy to share the experience with me, so I thought I'd share it with you, too.  And, before you go off the deep end, I DO know what a push-poll is.  Here's definition for you:
"The use of loaded questions in a supposedly objective telephone opinion poll during a political campaign in order to bias voters against an opposing candidate."

DIGGING FOR DATA
One evening this week my friend received a telephone call from a "marketing company" doing a little political survey and asked her to participate.  With more than a little trepidation she agreed and took copious notes as the interrogation proceeded.  I'm going to give you the best sense of how the poll was presented based on my correspondence and conversations with her.

THE QUESTIONS

The caller asked a list of questions, which I will transcribe below:

"Do you consider yourself a conservative, liberal or independent?"

"Are you registered to vote?"

"Do you intend to vote in November, 2014?"

"Is the current city council going in the right direction or on the wrong track?"

"Rate the following, ranging from "very unfavorably" to "very favorably"
City Council
Costa Mesa Police Chief
Tom Arnold
Harold Weitzberg
John Stephens
Lee Ramos
Katrina Foley
Sue Lester
Mayor Jim Righeimer
Costa Mesa City Workers

THE BIOS

A short biographical summary on each of the following persons was presented.  Some highlights of the bio statements:

• Jim Righeimer is a small business owner, concerned for taxpayers and pensions  
  
• John Stephens, attorney, coach, St. Johns School  
  
• Tom Gazsi, Police Chief is a Costa Mesa native and very involved in his church - that point was emphasized and some mention was made about him being a pastor 
  
• Tom Arnold, former Interim Chief of the Costa Mesa Fire Department, 37 years in Costa Mesa, restructured the department saving millions
• Harold Weitzberg, a 30 year resident, small businessman, opposes the Charter
• Katrina Foley, former City Council member and School Board Member
• Lee Ramos served on the Charter Committee
• Sue Lester, operated a medical marijuana dispensary and served on the 60th anniversary party committee. 

YOUR CHOICES?

Then the question was asked:

"Which 2 would you consider voting for"
Mayor Jim Righeimer
Lee Ramos
Katrina Foley
Tom Arnold
Tom Gazsi
Harold Weitzberg
Sue Lester
John Stephens

ETHNICITY

The final question asked something about the current city council dividing the community.  And, at the very end, my friend was asked her Ethnicity.  When she responded "white, Caucasian" she was further interrogated, following up to affirm she was "non-Latino".  She was asked if the primary language spoken in the household was Spanish.

SOME THOUGHTS...

A couple observations:
It's interesting that Tony Capitelli, the first person to announce his candidacy for Costa Mesa city council this season, was not part of the selection choices.  And, according to my friend, the questions were framed in a way that seemed to favor Righeimer.

LISTEN FOR THE TELEPHONE

So, listen for your telephone this weekend.  You may also be getting one of these calls.  It's going to be a very interesting campaign season...

Push-Pollin' Along With The Chuckmeister

TIME TO READ THE CHUCKMEISTER AGAIN
From time to time I'll nudge you to visit my pal, Chuck Cassity's blog, Chuckmeister Unleashed, when he presents us with a particularly provocative/entertaining epistle. Today is one of those days. He turns the spotlight on an issue that certainly needs illumination.


OCEA PUSH POLL PARTICIPANTS
The Chuckmeister and his lovely spouse were the recipients of a recent push poll, assumed to be funded by the Orange County Employee Association, and he shares his views on this poll HERE. I won't try to characterize his views on this poll - you've got to read it for yourself.

CM TAXPAYER'S ASSOCIATION DID IT, TOO
However, I will remind you that the Costa Mesa Taxpayer's Association, the unofficial yappers for the council majority, published a very similar push poll recently and have been crowing about the results ever since.


UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE...
Personally, I think it's important for all Costa Mesa residents to understand that such polls, regardless which side is conducting them, are just part of the propaganda apparatus constructed to influence public opinion. The tactics are the same on both sides - ask questions that can only be answered in a way to provide the folks paying for the poll with the answers they want. It's like the question, "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" - How do you answer that one? Push polls are like that.

EXPECT TO SEE THE POLL RESULTS SOON
I expect to see the results of the latest poll splattered all over the media. Those of us who write a little bit about stuff here in town will likely receive a press release hooting about the results. Those results will likely appear as another media ad and also be part of the pop-up ad infection that has been turned loose on your computer in recent weeks. If we don't see the poll results it will likely mean that they didn't get the answers they wanted. We'll see.

SO FAR, NO POLLS AT "THE CAULDRON"
So, if you choose to participate in these things be sure you understand what's going on. So far neither Ms. Potstirrer nor I have not been included in any of these polls. Good thing, too. I've already decided I would answer the questions exactly the opposite of what they expect - in an effort to provide a balanced report. Of course, we always try to do that here - provide a balanced report on issues - but sometimes it's not easy. It can be difficult to snatch the truth out of a spinning cup, but we try.