* If you had only the Rasmussen Polls to go on, you'd think that the Republicans were going to win every single election in Ohio and the country. However, it is important that voters disregard the results of these polls and the significance that the Republicans put on them. Every single time that a Rasmussen Poll is released, the Republicans do a victory dance, and hope that the results will discourage Democrats to vote. The truth is that many pollsters and statistical experts consider the Rasmussen method of polling as unreliable, and biased toward Republican and conservative candidates.
Here are some examples of what others say about the reliability of this particular pollster's polls---
BadlandsBlue:
...Rasmussen’s not credible for a couple of reasons. Most notably, he worked for George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee.post-election cruise in November. So, it’s not surprising that after a thorough analysis of a number of Rasmussen’s polls, Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.comsubstantially more favorable results for Republican candidates" than other surveys. He’ll also be joining Karl Rove and other conservative big shots as a featured speaker for a National Review finds that Rasmussen’s "polls have tended to show substantially more favorable results for Republican candidates" than other surveys.
Here’s how it works…In order to publish as many “polls” as possible that show Republicans in the lead, and therefore convince the electorate that the Democrat doesn’t stand a chance (credit to the Daily Kos for that analysis), Rasmussen does them on the cheap. Rasmussen uses robo-calls, and not live human beings like legitimate polling firms, to conduct his “polls.” That’s why we’ve seen four polls from him in South Dakota and nobody else. Real polls are expensive, and those who truly want to sample public opinion will wait until the race has taken shape before investing in a poll. ABC News, the Washington Post, and the New York Times avoid using results from polls conducted using robo-calls, like Rasmussen’s, not wanting to discredit their organization with results that have been proven unreliable.
In addition, White House correspondent Chuck Todd has said that Rasmussen is “not a serious polling firm.”
Whoa!!! That is pretty harsh stuff from Chuck Todd. If Chuck Todd concluded that about Rasmussen, then why do Republicans, particularly in Ohio, put so much stock in those polls?
- Pollster.com discussed reliability:
...The pollsters receiving the lowest scores are Zogby International, the American Research Group and Rasmussen Reports. In the case of Zogby, four out of five pollsters rated their surveys as not very (28%) or not at all reliable (52%)....
- A little closer to home, Ohio's own Plunderbund, takes a look at Rasmussen's methods and results in our state:
...There are fundamental questions about Rasmussen’s methodology that calls into question the reliability of their polling data:
If Rasmussen isn't polling cell phone owners, they are missing a lot of people. How many people do you know who have only cell phones and no landlines in their residences?
When you see the campaigns of Republican candidates like John Kasich, Rob Portman, Steve Stivers, and other GOPers bragging about their numbers in a recently released Rasmussen Poll, keep in mind that they have several goals. Since Rasmusssen leans heavily toward Republicans, the GOPers hope that it influences voters in several ways:
1. Republicans willingly push the skewed results to get free publicity from news outlets.
2. Republicans talk about the poll results to encourage their base.
3. Republicans hope that the biased polls will convince Democrats not to vote. Since Democrats outnumber Republicans, Republicans want to discourage Democrats and Independents from even going to the polls.
Even though Republicans may seem to be ahead in the polls, you have to say,
- According to Nate Silver, Rasmussen does not call cell phone users (who tend to trend younger and more progressive). The recent Ohio Poll did poll cell phone users...
If Rasmussen isn't polling cell phone owners, they are missing a lot of people. How many people do you know who have only cell phones and no landlines in their residences?
....Purposes of Republican Promotion of Rasmussen Polls
When you see the campaigns of Republican candidates like John Kasich, Rob Portman, Steve Stivers, and other GOPers bragging about their numbers in a recently released Rasmussen Poll, keep in mind that they have several goals. Since Rasmusssen leans heavily toward Republicans, the GOPers hope that it influences voters in several ways:
1. Republicans willingly push the skewed results to get free publicity from news outlets.
2. Republicans talk about the poll results to encourage their base.
3. Republicans hope that the biased polls will convince Democrats not to vote. Since Democrats outnumber Republicans, Republicans want to discourage Democrats and Independents from even going to the polls.
Even though Republicans may seem to be ahead in the polls, you have to say,
Who cares?
What if the polls are completely wrong?
Why are the Republicans trying to discourage me from voting?
Think of it this way---- Vote like your life depends on it.
____________________________
I'm Just Asking!!!!
If John Kasich wins as Governor, how will Ohio be changed?
Will the Ohio Department of Development be privatized and filled with Kasich's cronies?
Will the Ohio Department of Transportation be turned over and run by the entire Burgett family, owners of road/construction company Corna/Kokosing, and major, major, major contributors to the Republican Party and Republican candidates?
Will libraries be cut back to pay for the tax cuts for the rich?
Will counties, townships, cities, and villages be forced to layoff police and fire personnel, and cut off basic services because state funding has been reduced so that tax cuts can be given to the rich?
Will public schools be forced to increase class sizes because of a loss of funding from the state?
Will Kasich take the millions from the 3-C rail projects that was intended to provide 10,000 construction jobs and turn it over to the major contributors of the Republican Party who build roads?
Will charter schools be given more tax money so that they can continue to rip off tax payers? (Take a look at the testing results from the charter schools at the Ohio Dept. of Education: Community Schools. Randomly choose a school and click on "What percentages of our students are proficient?" and compare the numbers to state results. You have to ask yourself, why are giving tax dollars to charter schools and funding failure.)
Will Kasich's views on abortion be pushed into state law?
Will Kasich force his religious views into public schools?
How many various state agencies will be privatized and turned over to Kasich's business cronies?
Will Kasich push to privatize the public employee pensions?
Will teachers have their pay cut? (Why does Kasich hate teachers?)
Will the Ohio Turnpike, state parks, and state prisons be sold and privatized? What are the risks to citizens if prisons are sold to private companies?
Will the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation be axed and turned over to a private insurance company owned by Kasich cronies?
I'm just asking! Since Kasich has given us little in the way of specifics, I'm just speculating. He hasn't even released all his income tax returns!!!! Kasich wants to change everything, but you have to question why and how he'd do it. Kasich still hasn't voiced any regrets about leading the Ohio public pension funds down a path that caused them to lose hundreds of millions of dollars.
***The real question is this---
Do you trust Kasich to do what is right and fair for all the people in Ohio? (not just the rich) I don't. Kasich will not get my vote.