posted March 01, 2006 07:14 PM            

Good news for leftists everywhere...and America's enemies too.

Poll: Bush Ratings At All-Time Low

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2006
(CBS/AP)

(CBS) The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high.

Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement.

CBS News senior White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that now it turns out the Coast Guard had concerns about the ports deal, a disclosure that is no doubt troubling to a president who assured Americans there was no security risk from the deal.

The troubling results for the Bush administration come amid reminders about the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina and negative assessments of how the government and the president have handled it for six months.

In a separate poll, two out of three Americans said they do not think President Bush has responded adequately to the needs of Katrina victims. Only 32 percent approve of the way President Bush is responding to those needs, a drop of 12 points from last September’s poll, taken just two weeks after the storm made landfall.

Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing.

For the first time in this poll, most Americans say the president does not care much about people like themselves. Fifty-one percent now think he doesn't care, compared to 47 percent last fall.

Just 30 percent approve of how Mr. Bush is handling the Iraq war, another all-time low.

By two to one, the poll finds Americans think U.S. efforts to bring stability to Iraq are going badly – the worst assessment yet of progress in Iraq.

Even on fighting terrorism, which has long been a strong suit for Mr. Bush, his ratings dropped lower than ever. Half of Americans say they disapprove of how he's handling the war on terror, while 43 percent approve.

In a bright spot for the administration, most Americans appeared to have heard enough about Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident.

More then three in four said it was understandable that the accident had occurred and two-thirds said the media had spent too much time covering the story.

Still, the incident appears to have made the public's already negative view of Cheney a more so. Just 18 percent said they had a favorable view of the vice president, down from 23 percent in January.

Americans were evenly split on whether or not Cheney's explanation of why there was a delay in reporting the accident was satisfactory.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/27/opinion/polls/main1350874.shtml

Oh, but hold the chalk a moment. What wasn't included in the CBS poll was the demographics used to get those results.

Yes, CBS cooked the poll results. Another crooked story out of the insufferable leftist press.

Why would anyone be surprised? This is the same organization that gave us the phony Bush Air Guard story using forged documents. It would seem reasonable to suggest that getting Dan Rather off the air, firing some executives and Mary Mapes wasn't cutting deeply enough into the entrenched leftists at CBS. They're still attempting to shape public opinion...instead of reporting the news.

Demographics used in the phony poll.

Total polled.....1018
Republicans.......272
Democrats.........409
Independents......337

That's right, CBS used 33% more Democrats in their phony poll than Republicans and then trumpets the news that Bush's approval ratings hit a new low.

Of course, those demographics weren't in the story. In fact, they were tucked away...hidden in a PDF file CBS thought no one would bother to check.

It really is desperation time on the radical left...of which CBS and other leftist...so called news sources are a part.

posted March 01, 2006 08:47 PM            

As for Zogby, the Zogby poll you mentioned was reputed to have been commissioned by a so called peace group. If so, it's slanted too and another piece of propaganda by leftists.

I remember Zogby predicted a John Kerry Presidency...based on his polls and right up to the election at that.

I suppose it's going to take another election defeat for leftists to get the message America doesn't trust them with issues of national security...and for the very best of reasons and even then they'll have a whole new slate of reasons why they lost....again.

So, all the slanted polls, all the slanted news stories..some of which are nothing but a tissue of lies, omissions, rumor, innuendo and supposition and all the leftist whining, obstructionism, posturing and treason isn't going to get leftist any closer to the levers of power in America.

It's true, those things are having an effect but it's not the desired effect....for leftists.

posted March 02, 2006 12:10 AM              

Julian Borger in Washington and Michael Howard in Irbil
Wednesday March 1, 2006

THE GUARDIAN

Profound pessimism about the Iraq war has pushed George Bush's
popularity to an all-time low of 34%, as polls yesterday showed
American civilians and soldiers at odds with the White House
over US objectives and strategy.

While some of the drop in support is attributable to discontent
with domestic policies, it is clear the sectarian bloodletting in
Iraq over the past week has extinguished hopes that
December's
elections could help stabilise the country and pave the way for
US troop withdrawal.

Carnage returned yesterday to Baghdad and the Sunni triangle
a day after the lifting of the daytime curfews imposed in an
attempt to stop the slide into civil war after last week's bombing
of a Shia shrine.

In one bloody half hour in Baghdad yesterday morning, three
explosions in predominantly Shia neighbourhoods killed at least
32 people and wounded about 80. Late last night, police reported
at least 16 people killed in a blast near a Shia mosque and market
north of Baghdad. Earlier, police found the bodies of nine men,
including a Shia tribal leader, who were bound, gagged and shot
in Diyala province, north-east of capital. The
death toll for the week so far is more than 400.

Despite the fighting, Mr Bush said last night he did not think there
would be a civil war. In an interview with ABC News, before heading
off for his tour of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said he had
telephoned Iraqi Shia, Sunni and Kurdish leaders to urge calm after
last week's mosque bombing. "And I heard loud and clear that they
understand that they're going
to choose unification, and we're going to help them do so," Mr Bush
said. He added: "The US troops will stay there ... until the Iraqis
can defend themselves. I mean, my policy has not changed."

Asked what Washington would do if civil war broke out in Iraq,
Mr Bush
said: "I don't buy your premise that
there's going to be a civil war."

Public opinion is sceptical that this is the right policy. A poll published
by CBS News yesterday, found only 36% of Americans said the war
is going well, and 30% thought Mr Bush was doing a good job of
handling the conflict.

Even fewer believed the results of the war were worth the cost.
Those concerns
have dragged Mr Bush's overall approval ratings down to levels
comparable
with Richard Nixon's at a similar point in his second term. Now, only 34%
of the country approves of
the way Mr Bush is handling his
job and only 29% has a favourable view of him as
a person.

Mr Bush shrugged off his low poll ratings during yesterday's interview.
"If I worried about polls, I wouldn't be doing my job," he said. Recalling his
2004 re-election, Mr Bush said: "I've got ample capital and I'm using it to
spread freedom and to protect the American people, plus we've got a
strong agenda
to keep this economy growing."

One of the few public figures more unpopular at the moment is Dick Cheney,
the vice-president. Only 18% of Americans surveyed had a favourable view
of him.

Mr Bush will not be standing for election again but the lack of public support
for the war is a serious concern at a time when decisions have to be taken
over US troop levels. The threat of civil war between Sunni and Shia Iraqis
has cast doubt in the Pentagon over significant troop withdrawals which
had been pencilled in for this year, the Los Angeles Times reported
yesterday.

The two leading US generals in Iraq, John Abizaid and George Casey,
are due in Washington in the next few weeks to advise Mr Bush on
how many troops they need in Iraq. They will have to decide whether
it will be safe to withdraw a standby force and to cancel troop
rotations due for the summer.

Much will depend on Iraqi forces. The latest Pentagon report says
the number of Iraqi troops capable of taking a lead in combat grew
by 50% in three months, but the report said there were now no Iraqi
battalions able to operate without US support, compared to three last
year.

It is clear that if it were up to the troops, the US would be out of Iraq
by the end of the year. In a poll of troops in Iraqi bases, conducted by
Zogby International, 72% said the US should withdraw in 2006; more
than a third of those said the troops should leave immediately. Just
over one in
five agreed with the president that they should stay in Iraq
"as long as needed".

Another striking element of the poll was the opinion of US
soldiers over why they were there.

posted March 02, 2006 12:19 AM            

As I recall your comment about polls, your complaint was the sampling group was too small, several thousand out of a population of hundreds of millions....and not that pollsters actually falsified the poll results by over or under sampling one group of those being polled.

Now, if my memory is faulty, you'll be able to post your comment right here and I know you will...if my memory is faulty.

I have no idea where Zogby's poll was taken...in the field in Iraq, at the so called peace groups headquarters, if it was a set up, if Zogby was given a list of names of service personnel...or from whom the list might have come. But from what I understand, a so called peace group commissioned the poll. But it does make me wonder where Zogby got a list of military personnel...and their phone numbers if it was a phone poll.

posted March 02, 2006 01:15 AM            

I marvel at the degree of delusion and self deception practiced by the left.

When the left has to rely on skewed, slanted and lying polls to bolster their sagging spirits it's a good indicator of desperation.

posted March 02, 2006 02:08 AM              

You're so loyal....you remind me of "Baghdad Bob"
(was that his name?)

No matter how much we all see Bush going down,
you're telling us that it's not the truth....

posted March 02, 2006 02:25 AM              

That many? Really?

posted March 02, 2006 02:37 AM            

quote:

---

As I recall your comment about polls, your complaint was the sampling group was too small, several thousand out of a population of hundreds of millions....and not that pollsters actually falsified the poll results by over or under sampling one group of those being polled.

---

That's true. That's is the primary justification for disregarding any poll. Do you have a point about under-sampling a particular group? Yes, you do. But then I didn't argue about that, did I? There are other effective polling practices which also lead to skewed results. I've seen a Republican leaning pollster that skews the results by using questions that lead the person being polled to the answer that is desired.

quote:

---

I have no idea where Zogby's poll was taken

---

The survey included 944 military respondents interviewed at several undisclosed locations throughout Iraq. The names of the specific locations and specific personnel who conducted the survey are being withheld for security purposes. Surveys were conducted face-to-face using random sampling techniques. The margin of error for the survey, conducted Jan. 18 through Feb. 14, 2006, is +/- 3.3 percentage points.

quote:

---

at the so called peace groups headquarters

---

Le Moyne College’s Center for Peace and Global Studies is the name of the group Zogby conducted the poll in conjunction with. What do you mean "so called" peace group? Do you take issue with people doing global studies in hopes of achieving peace? Is peace a bad thing in your book? Would you rather stay at war?

quote:

---

if it was a set up, if Zogby was given a list of names of service personnel...or from whom the list might have come

---

They gave no indication either way, but there was no indication that they were working off a list.

quote:

---

But from what I understand, a so called peace group commissioned the poll.

---

It says Zogby conducted the poll in conjunction with LeMoyne, which doesn't suggest that there was a commission.

posted March 02, 2006 02:49 AM            

He's full of it on that claim that 80% don't believe half of what the news media reports. We've been over this quite extensively, and the evidence doesn't support his claim. That's another Jwhopian exageration. Republican talking notes and all that. They actually pay him to make these claims in hopes that the public is gullible enough to believe it.

posted March 02, 2006 12:30 PM            

Only about 20% of respondents believe ALL or MOST of what is reported in major news outlets...whether it be print or broadcast media.

Now acoustic, listen up. That means about 80% of respondents do not believe ALL or MOST of what is reported.

Listen up further acoustic. The word MOST is a quantitative word, the meaning of which is..an amount exceeding 50% of whatever it's being applied to. Therefore acoustic, 50% PLUS any additional quantity is MOST. 50.0000000000000001% is the MAJORITY of or MOST of whatever is being quantified.

The flip side of the equation is that any amount less than MOST could range from 0 up to 50% of the whole.

I don't know if your all too apparent ignorance of English usage indicates you're just too lazy to do your own dictionary search, you're ineducable, or you're so intellectually dishonest that you must make up your own definitions for common English words which permits you to deny the reality that about 80% of respondents DO NOT believe the MAJORITY of, i.e., MOST of what the press reports.

I've decided to make furthering your education my good deed for the day acoustic; after which, I'm going back to making MONEY. Making money, which in the lexicon of leftists means I'm going to screw some poor soul out of what is rightfully theirs, by birthright or by divine right, which they have earned by merely existing on this plain of existence.

Most
The greatest part or number
dictionary.com

a. Greatest in number: won the most votes.
b. Greatest in amount, extent, or degree:
2. In the greatest number of instances: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/most

Consisting of the greatest number or quantity;
greater in number or quantity than all the rest http://www.hyperdictionary.com/search.aspx?define=most

Consisting of the greatest number or quantity;
greater in number or quantity than all the rest http://www.brainydictionary.com/words/mo/most192060.html

greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
2 : the majority of www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm

posted March 02, 2006 02:07 PM            

ISSUE 2: What you've said in error this time

Your attempt at a point distinguishing 51% as the benchmark for the term "most" is not one that Pew specifically advocates:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, I'm going to read a list. Please rate how much you think you can BELIEVE each organization I name on a scale of 4 to 1. On this four point scale, "4" means you can believe all or most of what the organization says. "1" means you believe almost nothing of what they say. How would you rate the believability of (READ ITEM. RANDOMIZE LIST) on this scale of 4 to 1? (INTERVIEWERS: PROBE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN "NEVER HEARD OF" AND "CAN'T RATE")
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They don't qualify the term "most" in the way you do, and logically most people taking the poll would assume they were putting their OPINION on a scale of 1 to 4 with no specific definitions for what 2 or 3 mean.

Also, as a person who has rated things on scales before, I realize the tendency to be conservative. Most people don't want to be extreme in an opinion. As such 3s down the line got the most votes. To me that translates to, "I believe them, but I don't feel strongly enough about them to give them my whole-hearted devotion."

This being the case you have once again misrepresented the data you're trying to make your case with.

posted March 02, 2006 02:41 PM            

Pew didn't have to quantify MOST, it's a common English word that everyone in the known English speaking universe understands...except you acoustic.

Now acoustic, you, having seen the definitions from several different dictionaries posted to this thread; and you, having fallen back to an even more indefensible position, I must conclude your problem is one of extreme intellectual dishonesty. The same kind of extreme intellectual dishonesty practiced by other members of the far radical left, including the leftist press.

These extreme radical leftist positions are the very reasons MOST Americans do not trust the press, believe they're lying, twisting and distorting the truth. The Pew poll showing 80% of respondents do not believe all or MOST of what the press reports is emblematic of what's wrong in the news rooms of America.

The latest CBS poll is only the latest manifestation of press lying, twisting, distorting, slanting, hiding and skewing information to produce their desired result.

posted March 02, 2006 03:00 PM            

Let me ask you this:

When was the last time you heard the word, "most," signify half?

Greater in quantity in the case of 'most' typically means vastly more than half. If you said that 'most' of the people attending a Bush Presidential rally were Republicans, would that mean that there were roughly half Republican and half other? No. Most means most.

Pew didn't specify your terminology for the use of the word 'most,' and it's extremely unlikely that they meant it to mean half the way you seem to think it does. I've already explained this to you. Why you don't see it for what it is is beyond me.

posted March 02, 2006 03:10 PM              

quote:

---

The latest CBS poll is only the latest manifestation of press lying, twisting, distorting, slanting, hiding and skewing information to produce their desired result.

---

posted March 02, 2006 04:09 PM            

jwhop only further defined (most) because if it was 50% or less, it would have been termed half or less than half.

Personally, I would go further and state that Most may even apply to the 75% and higher range - but jwhop is absolutely correct (even if he is leaning more on the safe side - he is semantically right on).

In any case, if 20% of American's believe in ALL or MOST of what the media puts out, THEN that would leave 80% that DO NOT.

If you ask 100 people if they like to swim or play in the water and 20 people say NO - wouldn't reason lead us to believe that 80 people like to swim and or play in the water?

I'm really not sure why you are so hung up over the definition, it does seem silly - and it really HAS NOTHING to do with language- but it has everything to do with logic.

Oh yes... and here is one more point.. If you assign a number or value to the PEW ratings...i.e.

4= 76% to 100%
3 = 51% to 75%
2 = 26% to 50%
1 = 0% to 25%

Then jwhop's definition is reinfored even more. I am sure they had to do something along that level because you need to always assign a value to a question when you are looking at statistical analysis.

One may also assign the terms or values = quarter, half, three-quarters and whole.

Basically any answer where the subject chooses 3 or 4 would mean that they are choosing 51% or higher

1 and 2 would be 50% or lower.

posted March 02, 2006 04:41 PM            

So, here's acoustic, twisting, distorting and lying about what I said about the definition of the common English word MOST.

quote:

---

When was the last time you heard the word, "most," signify half?...acoustic

---

You will, of course, find the sentence, or paragraph where I said MOST means half..won't you acoustic? And when you do, kindly post it right here on this thread. I'll make a note to periodically ask you until you do.

Most, does not mean an amount "vastly" over half...as I clearly showed you. It means the greater part, which is anything over half which can be clearly demonstrated and was. It means the majority of...which is any amount over half.

You are hopeless acoustic and I'm beginning to suspect caught up and helpless in a leftist fantasy bearing no semblance to reality. A fantasy reality where words, concepts and events mean anything you want them to mean; mean anything leftists can convince others they mean.

posted March 02, 2006 05:16 PM            

This is the actual poll results and you will note those in category 4 were the only respondents who responded they believed all or most of what the press reports. Those in category 4 were 21% of respondents. Since the word "most" has a definite, commonly used and dictionary definition, it's clear the other respondents in categories 3, 2, and 1 did not believe "all" or even "most" of what the listed press entities print.

Since category 4 were the true believers and believability is declining through categories 3, 2, and 1, it's not possible to interpret categories 3 or 2 as believing even "most". That would make category 3 believers in press credibility stronger than category 4 believers.

The previous discussion centered around the flagship paper of the left, the NY Times

posted March 02, 2006 05:27 PM            

If you want to go that way with the percentages, your looking at it backwards. We really have gone over this quite extensively, and Jwhop just doesn't get it.

Look for the whole argument here: http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/001559.html

The bit I created using percentages as an example is on page three: http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/001559-3.html

Jwhop's consistently looked at the research backwards. Don't be fooled into thinking he's correct on this, because his reading of this is so far off base I went into the other forums just to get people to come look at it and provide opinions. Do we need to contact Pew themselves to get confirmation that I read this thing correctly?

----------------------

Jwhop,

Where did you say 'most' was half? Are you serious?

quote:

---

Therefore acoustic, 50% PLUS any additional quantity is MOST. 50.0000000000000001% is the MAJORITY of or MOST of whatever is being quantified.

---

posted March 02, 2006 05:41 PM            

I said half PLUS any additional quantity IS"most"...by definition.

Your reasoning here is as faulty as most of your nonsense. 49% is not half, 50% IS half and 51% IS "most".

I'm glad no one ever told you that you have a gift for math.

posted March 02, 2006 06:01 PM              

Alot of people always have thought they were both pieces of $*** anyways.

posted March 02, 2006 06:45 PM            

I like how you changed your word here:

"About 80% of respondents do not believe even "most" of what the NY Times and other press outlets print."