Flashback To 1996 (Ugh)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Anybody that followed the 1996 elections knows that Bob Dole was never in it. I don't believe there was one published poll that showed him with a lead in the months that led up to the election. But the main stream press was determined to make it a horse race even if one horse was trailing badly and pulling up the rear. I remember sitting in my room at the Courtyard By Marriott in Gainesville, Florida and watching the Today Show the day after the Republican Convention. And there was a panel to discuss the state of the race. All the panelists except Jonathan Alter were bloviating that Bob Dole's choice of Jack Kemp had energized the Dole campaign.To Alter's credit he rejected the message the panel was trying to establish and essentially stated the Republican Convention and the choice of Jack Kemp to be Bob Dole's running mate didn't change anything.


Flash forward to today... I see MSNBC touting a poll that Romney has erased the gender cap. Rather than questioning the poll that contradicts the lions share of other published polls they use that poll as a premise to discuss Romney's surging support among women. Except this time there was no Jonathan Alter to disabuse his colleagues of such an absurd notion.

Rinse, wash, repeat....

[meadowlark5]

1. It truly is disgustingly amazing

And I can't understand how the people that have the programs on MSNBC can be coerced into doing this. I assume most are liberal or lean that way, yet they are out there trolling for the republican party and candidate. Do they have meetings in the morning and their program manager delivers a message from the corporate big wigs telling them they have to troll for Romney or might lose their job? Stop looking so "liberal" it's bad for business?

I just don't get it. The only people on MSNBC that I can even stand that doesn't do this kind of crap are Martin Brashir, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O'Donnell. All the others will have at least one segment per show where they make Romney look credible and increasing odds of winning.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Andrea Mitchell Is Discussing It Right Now./nt

[meadowlark5]

3. I don't even bother with her - ever

I don't watch her program and I don't listen to her on satellite radio. As far as I'm concerned, she really should be the less wingnut voice on Fox News. They need one and she'd be good for the job.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. Now She Is Suggesting My Former Senator (Nelson) Is Losing

If they didn't show the pres from time to time I would turn it off.

[Jennicut]

5. Is is sad that the many in the MSM cannot differentiate between one poll showing something

and trends over time. I can just as easily point to IBD/Tipp and show this stat: 43% O 50% R for men and 51% O 39% R for women. It was in their tracking poll yesterday. Or take PPP's VA poll today: Obama's up 57/41 with women, Romney is up 50/45 with men. Or even right leaning ARG's national poll: 40% O 57% R for men and 53% O 41% R for women. Most polls are not showing the closing of the gender gap.
We would need to see all polls showing that and they are not. The fact that the AP poll is showing it means it is one poll showing that. We need a bunch of polls to look at to suggest Romney has closed the gender gap. Right now, Obama has a lead with women in most polling.