# Why is Fox News including Clinton in it's polls? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372 "2004-02-10T02:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/1 "2004-02-10T02:18:11Z")
What the hell? What kind of weird obsession is this? Can anyone explain it? I refer to this: [http://pollingreport.com/wh04gen.htm](http://pollingreport.com/wh04gen.htm) Matchups between Bush and \_\_\_\_\_\_, where \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is a Democrat running for president. Except that every time, even in the most recent polls, they throw in Hilary. Who has consistently said she has no interest or intention whatsoever in running for president in 2004. How bizarre of them to add her to the mix. I think a little news network has a weird little problem. Or a crush. Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/2 "2004-02-10T02:34:23Z")
Yeah – but what if she **were** running, Mr. Smartypants? Fox would be ready to hit the ground running with its polling data! I think they’ve got a department devoted to Sen. Clinton full-time. It’s sort of like a crush, in a weird, creepy way. More like stalking. I hadn’t seen Fox News in a long time, so I flipped it on the other week to see if they’d changed. It happened to be Ronald Reagan’s 93rd birthday, and the first thing I heard was, “An admiring nation acknowledges President Reagan’s birthday…” I didn’t hang around to see what nation they were talking about. Maybe El Salvador? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/3 "2004-02-10T02:53:26Z")
Whenever I’m staying at a hotel or motel, if I can access the TV setup menu, I erase Fox News, along with the “all-Jesus-all-the-time” channels. Just doing my part to stamp out ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/4 "2004-02-10T02:56:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Why is Fox News including Clinton in it’s polls? Because they’re assholes? Or maybe it’s… uh… Erm… Nope. That’s it. They’re assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/5 "2004-02-10T03:12:49Z")
And really much more importantly, why am I spelling the posessive “its” with an apostrophe? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/6 "2004-02-10T03:14:36Z")
And it is times like this when I really miss december. It’s certain he’d be able to explain it. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/7 "2004-02-10T03:35:46Z")
Those Fox numbers are almost significantly different from the very similar polls conducted at virtually the same time by Newsweek and CNN. The only difference I can see is that the Fox polls seem to show a much higher percentage of “Other (vol.)/Not Sure” responses. It also has the caveat, “names rotated; respondents pushed for decision.” Anyone out there ever do any polling? How do you “push” a respondent for an opinion, and how does it affect the poll? ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/8 "2004-02-10T03:45:13Z")
It is indeed telling that Fox’s polls aren’t even in the same ballpark as ANY of the other polls. But I find it even more telling (and exciting) to read this from the American research poll: “If the election for president were being held today between George W. Bush, the Republican, and the Democratic nominee for president, for whom would you vote: Bush or the Democratic nominee?” Options rotated ``` George W. Bush Democrat Unsure . % % % . ``` ALL 47 46 7 . Republicans 88 2 10 . Democrats 9 85 6 . Independents 46 49 5 . A full 10% of Republicans, not known for voting across party lines, indicated they were unsure they would vote for Bush. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/9 "2004-02-10T04:46:44Z")
It’s because everybody at Fox News gets big giant wood at the thought of Hilary running against Bush; for them, it’s like the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/10 "2004-02-10T05:33:38Z")
It seems to be heading in the direction of people not so much voting _for_ the Dem candidate, as voting _against_ Bush. If I had to, I was willing to vote for Lieberman. God. My take on Hilary, which is utterly unfounded in any special knowledge or insight, is that she does, indeed, want to be the first woman president. But she won’t risk it, isn’t willing to risk four more years of GeeDubya. Which is cool. But 'struth, I don’t know squat about Hillary, 'cept she has enormous self-control and she ain’t from Texas. 'Cause Bill’s still breathing. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/11 "2004-02-10T06:32:43Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > Whenever I’m staying at a hotel or motel, if I can access the TV setup menu, I erase Fox News, along with the “all-Jesus-all-the-time” channels. Just doing my part to stamp out ignorance! You dickhole. If the motel owners wanted me restricted to the Clinton News Network, or MSNB-zzzzzzzzzzzz, they’d do it themselves. It’s not your place to decide. The Jesus-channels are pretty terrible though, they have absolutely awful picture quality pretty much all the time, from my informal survey of “occasionally seeing two seconds of one as I flip through the channels”. But please leave EWTN running, Pirate Nun is not to be trifled with. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/12 "2004-02-10T06:36:50Z")
> [@Calliope](#): > > It is indeed telling that Fox’s polls aren’t even in the same ballpark as ANY of the other polls. But I find it even more telling (and exciting) to read this from the American research poll: > > “If the election for president were being held today between George W. Bush, the Republican, and the Democratic nominee for president, for whom would you vote: Bush or the Democratic nominee?” Options rotated > > ``` > George > W. Bush Democrat Unsure . > > % % % . > > ``` > > ALL 47 46 7 . > > Republicans 88 2 10 . > > Democrats **9** 85 6 . > > Independents 46 49 5 . > > A full 10% of Republicans, not known for voting across party lines, indicated they were unsure they would vote for Bush. And almost 10% of Democrats saying they’d vote for Bush. There is no emoticon to indicate the confusion I feel from that one. I mean, Ed Koch and Zell Miller are only two guys. Anyways, I expect the Dem will win, but these percentages are pretty meaningless, not least because popular vote does not determine the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/13 "2004-02-10T06:54:06Z")
Ah, but many Democrats have no problem crossing party lines for a better candidate. Republicans tend to support party to a greater extent. That’s why I believe that 10% is compelling. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/14 "2004-02-10T07:21:40Z")
> [@Calliope](#): > > Ah, but many Democrats have no problem crossing party lines for a better candidate. Republicans tend to support party to a greater extent. That’s why I believe that 10% is compelling. Hmmm. Well if I had to speculate about that 10% “unsure” number, I’d guess it relates to the way Bush has pretty much sold out much of his conservative base voters with a giant new entitlement program and controversial immigration reform. Add to that the fact that many Republicans are upset about PATRIOT Act (Bob Barr is working with the ACLU to oppose it now), and you have a recipe for discontent. In the end, I don’t think those voters will vote for Kerry, in a sense they have “nowhere else to go”, but I’m sure they don’t appreciate being taken for granted either, and will probably stay home on election day in droves. Of course Kerry might get a few of them as protest votes. I never thought I’d vote for a Dem in my life (I’m a right-libertarian, traditional GOP voter - though Bush ain’t gettin’ my vote _this_ time), but I voted for Jean Carnahan’s senate bid here in MO in '02, basically to protest Jim Talent, who I viewed as a liberty-hating Ashcroft-stooge. I’ve also heard some speculation that Roy Moore might step in as an independant and pick up most of that conservative protest-vote. On the other side, I suppose those Dem voters who cross party lines are the rural Democrats, the labor guys whose families have been Democrat since FDR, but who are social conservatives? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/15 "2004-02-10T07:53:00Z")
> [@RexDart](#): > > You dickhole. > > If the motel owners wanted me restricted to the Clinton News Network, or MSNB-zzzzzzzzzzzz, they’d do it themselves. It’s not your place to decide. Sure it is! They report, we decide. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/16 "2004-02-10T14:16:12Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > And really much more importantly, why am I spelling the posessive “its” with an apostrophe? Thank you, **Stoid**. You deserve applause for noting and correcting this evil. psst…ya missppeelleed “possessive” ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/17 "2004-02-10T14:25:33Z")
I don’t get the problem here. Hillary is a popular Democrat who many people want to see running for President. That she isn’t doesn’t mean that people can be asked if they would vote for her were she running. It’s not a big deal. It’s like polling for support for Colin Powell. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/18 "2004-02-10T16:05:47Z")
> [@RexDart](#): > > But please leave EWTN running, Pirate Nun is not to be trifled with. [You should see what she does with America’s most Catholic city when she’s mad](http://www.cyburbia.org/tmp/bungalow/buffalo2.jpg). Think of what she would do to the Lutherans in Minneapolis, or the crystal rubbers in Santa Fe. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/19 "2004-02-10T17:27:42Z")
“crystal rubbers” :eek: _Protection by Waterford: For when the chick is, like, really hot._ ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372/20 "2004-02-10T19:26:25Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > psst…ya missppeelleed “possessive” Nah, I mis-typed it. Different things. 🙂 [hijack]I’m an excellent speller, but did you happen to see “Spellbound”? I felt so inadequate. Great movie.[/hijack] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fox-news-including-clinton-in-its-polls/228372.md?page=2)