CNN’s New Obama Poll: “The Blind Leading The Blind”

The first thing you need to know about Candy Crowley is that a few days ago she referred to Hillary Clinton as someone who was, during the presidential primaries, “old news”. So old that Clinton actually recieved more total votes in the primaries than Obama and had the democrats used a winner take all delegate system that is used in the general election would have beaten Obama by 1,000 delegates. Crowley was also on Lou Dobbs the other night and has learned the art of pandering and kowtowing to the host, nodding in agreement to the premise behind every Dobbs question no matter hiow nonsensical. Dobbs has seen a poll showing a very large majority of people wanted a public option and questioned whether people even knew what a public option was or meant. Of course Dobbs never raised that question when the poll numbers showed a majority were against it. Now that the numbers were overwhelmingly for it suddenly in Dobbs view, people have no idea what it is. And Crowley dutifully nodded and agreed.( the actual answer is, Lou, the public option is the thing insurance companies have spent $262 million in the last few months lobbying against).

Now she is reporting on Obama’snew CNN poll numbers, a poll which at times has proved to be one of the most unreliable among an unreliable business. .

Even so,she reports that a majority of people disagree that Obama cares about the issues that matters most to them. The actual number is 51% and based on the polls margin of error of 3% it could just as easily go the other way though that seems to be lost on Crowley. She also reports that the results of the poll show Obama’s numbers are way down on that question since, April.

April? The fact that CNN has not polled this question since April might be because its a stupid question to begin with since it reveals nothing. And if CNN bothered to check their other polling they would see this poll is contradictory to their other polling numbers.

Not that I’m trying to defend Obama. No one has been more critical of his handling and approach to major issues than I’ve been. But if there is anyone who deserves even more criticism its the news media for sheer ineptitude, incompetence and worst of all, arrogance in the way they do their jobs.

According to a number of recent CNN polls, the issues Americans care most about is the economy and health care. It seems to me that anyone with even a passing knowledge of current events knows that the two biggest items on Obama’s plate since he came to office has been the economy and health care.

You can certainly be critical of Obama’s handling of health care and how he has handled the debate. I’ve been very critical of it and so have Democratic members of congress criticizing Obama for a lack of leadership or drawing any lines in the sand and not being strong enough in counter attacking Republican attacks ( all of which he seems to have now corrected as it becomes more and more certain that a health care reform bill with a strong public option will pass).)

But while you can be critical of Obama’s handling of these issues, clearly he and his administration cares about them since that is where the bulk of the time is being spent. So if you feel the economy and health care are the two issues you care about the most,which is what CNN’s other polls show, you cant possibly think Obama doesn’t care about those issues regardless of how you feel he’s handled them..

Another problem with that poll is the incredibly stupid question it asks. What the answers are supposed to reveal is beyond me, and the fact that their methodology is so inaccurate the result doesn’t even comport with their own previous polls should tell them something.

Which doesn’t stop Candy Crowley from acting like the poll numbers were handed down by Moses, ignoring the fact that they contradict other CNN polls, is badly worded and makes so sense based on the reality she covers every day in Washington.

But then again, to quote Candy Crowley, this is becoming old news.

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