wlotus: (USA Flag)
wlotus ([personal profile] wlotus) wrote2008-10-24 12:15 pm
Entry tags:

Political Notes

Thank You, Mr. Smiley

I may need to pay more attention to Tavis Smiley as a journalist. Thank goodness for objectivity.


Obama Fundraising Drops Like A Stone

Not only that, but McCain and Obama are equal in the polls.

[identity profile] ginmar.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
That's a Republican sight for the second cite. I wouldn't trust them to accurately identify sky color.
ext_35267: (Princess)

[identity profile] wlotus.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL! That's funny. I'm not willing to rule out every word they say just because they are Republican, though.

[identity profile] ginmar.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I am. Until the party laughs at the mere possibility of some of the candidates and causes they've been presenting, they're the enemy. Their platform is anti-womens' rights, anti civil rights, anti education, anti poor people, anti gay rights, and, well, pro anything that helps rich white guys. What's not to trust?

[identity profile] joystreet.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Amen.

[identity profile] ginmar.livejournal.com 2008-10-26 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
Gah, that's it. I'm not fucking posting after I spend the day reading French.

[identity profile] nimbrethil.livejournal.com 2008-10-26 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Or at least be mindful of your own typos before you go around correcting others. =P

[identity profile] ginmar.livejournal.com 2008-10-26 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
Give me a break, would you?

[identity profile] nimbrethil.livejournal.com 2008-10-26 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Why?

[identity profile] rbl.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
which polls have McCain and Obama equal? the link provided states they are "close", but no data (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/latestpolls/index.html) was provided to support their claim. you say that you appreciate objectivity but you quote blogs that are clearly partisan.
ext_35267: (Introspection)

[identity profile] wlotus.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
I am grateful someone in the media is being objective about Obama. Most of the media seems to be blindly worshipping him.

And read this. (http://wlotus.livejournal.com/1181140.html?thread=5179604#t5179604) My blog is not the place for disagreement on this political subject.

[identity profile] ciardhapagan.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
The Associated Press poll, it's been widely reported all over the news media, just two percentage points. And unlike most of the other polls, their poll actually got the responses of a more than a handfull of people statistically. The polls showing a wide margin have had samples of less than 100 people and 80% hang up rates. The truth is, it is very close to a tie when you can actually get a sample of any size.

[identity profile] rbl.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
like the AP poll (http://surveys.ap.org/data/GfK/AP-GfK%20Poll%203%20Topline%20FINAL%20trunc.pdf), Gallup's presidential surveys are conducted with a sample size no fewer than 1,000. their data (http://www.gallup.com/poll/111436/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Keeps-Lead-Among-Likely-Voters.aspx) suggests a significant lead, at least greater than the sampling error. but it is always better to have more than one source. Rasmsussen, reports (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll) similar figures, with a full sample of 3000 people over three night. but i guess it depends on what you a consider a wide margin.
Edited 2008-10-24 20:02 (UTC)

[identity profile] saladbar.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
AP poll is based on a likely voter model vs registered voter model. This only proves that when you adjust your models to assume that none of the newly registered voters will actually vote, sure enough, Obama's lead disappears.

But, meh, I don't mind the error in this basic statistical concept is all spin, maybe it will offset complacency.

[identity profile] sunfell.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I like listening to Smiley on NPR. I learn quite a lot from his show, and he has a good head on his shoulders. I'd put him on my list of People I'd Enjoy Hanging Out With, too.

[identity profile] ciardhapagan.livejournal.com 2008-10-24 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I do regularly watch Tavis Smiley's show on my local PBS station. Not all PBS stations play his show, but luckily mine does. I also watch the women's news commentary show- To the Contrary. It's much better than "the View"

[identity profile] caravel.livejournal.com 2008-10-25 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
I find myself obsessively reading FiveThirtyEight.com (http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/) when it comes to polling, because the people who run it have some awesome insights about the way polling works and how statistics can be spun one way or the other.

[identity profile] nimbrethil.livejournal.com 2008-10-26 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks for this. I first read it as Tava Smiley (a soap actress), but anyway, yeah, objectivity. Wonderful thing.