(For those who aren’t familiar with the term “push poll”: Push poll - Wikipedia)
The RNC is apparently using an especially despicable push poll to frighten voters.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/27/rnc-sends-poll-to-constituents-suggesting-that-democratic-health-reform-will-deny-medical-treatment-to-republicans/
You Republicans need to take control of your party back from the insane and the amoral.
I can’t speak to current practices, but I’ve seen some pretty shady Democrat push-polling as well. Like, first hand. As a young college student in the 1980’s I was briefly employed by a firm that ran Democrat-oriented fund-raising and push-polled with the best of them. Worst job I ever had.
Anyway the upshot is that from my standpoint all political parties act whorishly from time to time ( or rather, most of the time ). No point getting riled up about a whore acting like a whore.
I usually find Steve Innskeep kind of annoying, but it was nice to see him not let Steele get away with the talking points unchallenged.
I also like how Steele wanted to be very clear that he wan’t being “nuanced”. Heaven forbid we should be nuanced. I like absolutes.
Here’s the thing, Tamerlane, we’re talking about present practices. Your post doesn’t really say anything about those.
Also, was the organization you worked for ever required by a judge to pay its GOP counterpart millions of dollars in damages? The New Hampshire Republican Party was.
(I was referring to the Michael Steele interview on NPR, linked in the story the OP cited.)
So the fact that others have done it in the past makes it non-pitworthy?
Before I criticize anybody for doing anything bad, I’ll check first to make sure that nobody anywhere at any time has done anything similar. If I find that they have, then I’ll remain silent. Is that better? :rolleyes:
What there’s a ‘silent majority’ within the party now? I’m afraid we live in a WYSIWIG world, davidm.
Yeah, I heard it in on the air and was surprised at his unusual level of bullshit-calling.
I was referring to the remaining sane Republicans. I wasn’t making any assumption as to whether or not they are a majority. It seems pretty clear that they’re not.
I am concerned about being discriminated against because of my political beliefs. As a professor, my brother is a closet conservative for this reason, and with good cause based on his observations.
That “report health care dissenters to the White House,” thing gave me pause.
So… I have no fucking problem with the question and my answer to it is “yes!”
Given that the entire premise is a lie, as is “report health care dissenters to the White House”, I have a big problem with the question.
Scylla, what “report health care dissenters to the White House” thing?
Are you talking about the request to forward emails to flag@whitehouse.gov? The point of that wasn’t to report individuals to the White House. The point was to gather all of the disinformation that is being emailed around so that the White House can respond to and debunk the distortions. Did you seriously believe otherwise?
And are you seriously concerned that the existence of a public option will somehow cause you to be denied care because of your political affiliation?
Seriously?
Squink, you may have had a point. There may be very few reasonable Republicans left. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I seriously do. But they’re making it very difficult.
I think it’s more that that’s just what political parties do, so there’s really no point in being offended by it. It’s like being shocked when a prostitute charges someone for sex, or more generally, when a specific person or group of people who have a reputation of doing a certain thing do that thing.
So we shouldn’t be offended when political parties do despicable things because “hey, they do despicable things!”
We shouldn’t complain when people do bad things because “hey, it’s nothing new!”
Maybe that attitude is part of why we have the country we have today.
We’ve always had a country like that. Political parties have never honestly portrayed their opponent’s platforms. They’ve always spun it their way. Either you have no experience with politics whatsoever, or you’re just shocked that gambling is going on in this establishment.
Bullshit. I am not the least bit naive about politics.
What I am shocked about is your attitude. It seems to be that since people have done bad things in the past we should never ever complain about people doing bad things and should just let the world go to hell. We should just throw up our hands and give in to anarchy.
You know what? If that’s your attitude then why are you complaining about me? I’m hardly the first to complain about politics and I’m sure that I won’t be the last. You must be awfully damn naive about politics if you’re shocked by my complaining.
Quite possibly.
I’ll admit to being a bit jaded - it’s really hard for me to work up much outrage at negative/underhanded campaigning. I regard it with a probably healthy amount of disgust, mind you. I just can’t get excited about it anymore, if I ever could ( and I’ll grant I’m kinda naturally phlegmatic ). But generally accepting the premise that ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease’, it’s likely vocal outrage is a healthier or even more productive response.
I’m just kinda surprised when people are surprised by such things. I, unfortunately perhaps, expect them. And while you might be able to convince me that the Democrats are different in degree, I’m not sure I’d accept that they are different in kind.
I was raised by political idealists - a surefire way of breeding cynicism ;).
Where do people get the idea that I’m surprised by this? I’m not the least bit surprised, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to complain about it.
Hell. why do we even have the pit? Pit-worthy behavior goes on all the time all over the world so why even bother?
Oh, don’t let my negativity bother you. Really.
Your OP just triggered my unhappy memories as a paid political telemarketer. I never felt slimier and it was just one more nail in the coffin of my sunny youth :p.
I’m all for political activism, long as it’s not on my lawn, blocking my commute, or otherwise dragging me from my complacent little world :D.
Republicans should be calling on Steele to resign. This went out with his signature. This is not some ‘conservative group’. It is the Republican Party itself. Not an individual member, a former Governor, a Senator who answers to his state or a Representative who answers to his or her district. This is the Republican Party. The whole kit kat and kaboodle.
“Democrats will give you less health care because you are a Republican.” That is the idea they are trying to push. That is the fear they are trying to plant in people’s minds. That is a disgusting lie. A lie told by the Republican party.
If I were a Republican, I would demand that Steele step down. If he wouldn’t I would leave the party.