Nitpick: Since you want to understand statistics, here’s a little tip; the margin of error computation assumes 50-50 splits. A poll with “4% margin of error” has 2.4% margin on 90/10 questions.
(Disclaimer: I think. I’m running on inadequate caffeine right now.)
Wrong. Margin of error is always ±. See for yourself: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2009/PPP_Release_National_9231210.pdf
PPP conducted a national survey of 621 voters from September 18 th to 21st. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.9%.
Just for myself, I don’t think the intense reaction to Obama is directly a matter of race, but that he represents change. And its change more than race per se that causes the conservative mindset to cringe.
Whoa, hold those horses. The subject interests me, and that is the extent of it. The only thing less interesting than somebody else’s dreams is somebody else’s acid trips, and trumping both are somebody else’s religious opinions. I see no reason to inflict mine on you, you seem a rather nice person, over all. It is unlikely you deserve any such fate.
I am told that he is not nearly such a tiresome old prune in the original as he is in translation, and I am willing to accept that without further investigation.
What about the general “foreignness” of his name, his origins, and his upbringing–even if he was born in the US?
You quote from the survey’s own incorrect (though oft-seen) formulation as though that were a cite from a statistics expert.
Laughable.
I infer from other threads you’re a gambler of sorts. Too bad SDMB doesn’t have a Wagering forum where you and I could Paypal sums, awaiting arbitration by one of the Board’s statistics experts. 
But it doesn’t. I’ll have mercy on you and let you find the following at Wikipedia:
If this Wiki quote, even with relevant phrases underlined, is too opaque to fight your ignorance, I respectfully suggest you avoid statistics in future.
Yep. Of course, septimus knows better what their margin of error is than the people who did the survey.
Speaking of President masks and rodeo clowns:
http://articles.philly.com/1994-08-19/news/25842089_1_bullfighting-clowns-rodeo-arena-clown-smile
The bull came out bucking. The rider flopped from side to side and the bullfighters held back, letting the bull make his moves until the rider dropped off. Licciardello crouched in a heavily padded barrel, a human target should the bull decide to charge. Hawkins waited near the barrel, holding his big inner tube. A dummy with a George Bush mask stood beside the clown, propped up by a broomstick.
…
.J. Hawkins rolled out the big inner tube, and the bull lowered his head, shot forward and launched into the tube, sending it bounding down the center of the arena. The crowd cheered. Then the bull saw the George Bush dummy.
He tore into it, sending the rubber mask flying halfway across the sand as he turned toward the fence, sending cowboys scrambling up the fence rails, hooking one with his horn and tossing him off the fence.
Any apparent niceness up until now is only a cover for my demonic destiny. I hope it kicks in soon, my severance pay runs out in three weeks…
But seriously, no horses, no bull (well, maybe one), and no intent to gore anyone’s ox. I do understand why you don’t want to get into it, so I really was surprised when you… got into it back there. And I was a little bummed out when I ran across that Antichrist gizmo and only my name of all the ones I plugged in turned up positive. Apologies if you read it as a cheap shot. It is an interesting subject, scary online calculators aside. Maybe another time.
Funny how this thread went from racist rodeo clowns to Antichrists and numerology, and then wagering over how to calculate a margin of error.
Terr, that rodeo article was from the summer of 1994. George Bush wasn’t even elected as Governor of Texas until November of that year. It wasn’t a President’s mask then, was it? I admire your determination, but it’s not a comparable situation.
You’re serious, aren’t you? Hint
I know what you’re saying, but Bush the Elder wasn’t President then either. You can’t even be sure which one is meant by the description, but I thought it was protocol to refer to a former President as President in a news article.
Too late to edit: I think you’re right that it was an HW mask. I thought it was a Texas rodeo, and they were going after W as a nominee for Governor. But I guess it would be too early for a W. mask at a New Jersey rodeo in 1994. They must have been using leftover masks from the last season.
Meh. Rodeos are animal abuse for entertainment; why is it surprising that the people attending enjoyed seeing (simulated) abuse of humans?
At least in the good ol’ days the Christians were used as fodder the lions.
I wonder, if the next POTUS is a woman, are we going to go through all of this all over again, substituting sex for race?
Oh yeah. Think of some of the stuff Rush has already said.
No. I won’t. You can if you want to, but I flat refuse.
The Texas rep who invited the clown to our state has been answered by somebody who actually runs a Texas rodeo…
The rodeo is a really big deal, even in a city where damn few of us ever punched a cow. And they’ve been going after a diverse customer base for quite a while…
I’m an old cowhand from the Rio Grande
But my legs ain’t bowed and my cheeks ain’t tan
I’m a cowboy who never saw a cow
Never roped a steer cause I don’t know how
Sure ain’t a fixing to start in now
Yippie yi yo kayah