TruthIsAll
09-01-2008, 08:18 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x393939
anaxarchos (606 posts) Sun Sep-18-05 01:55 AM
Is the "Exit Poll Debate" a "Waste of Time"?
In order to find out, I did an exit poll of the exit poll debate.
Before I begin, I want to freely admit that my exit poll of the exit polls was entirely unscientific, largely unintentional (I was actually looking for where TIA went to), and had a margin of error (MOE) of at least 75%.
My method was simply to search 3 or 4 of the leading Web search engines for various search combinations ("Election fraud", "Exit Poll", etc.) and to add up the hits. What I found was that there were between 700,000 and 1.6 million hits on Democratic Underground. Between one third and one half of those were on election fraud of some type (this very forum). Two thirds to three quarters of those involved the exit poll debate. And, the lion's share of those (> 80%) centered on TIA's analysis.
By way of comparison, the Wall Street Journal and NBC News achieved approximately one fifth as many hits as TIA, FOX less than half as many and the Washington Post, about the same on precisely the same topics.
In addition to quantity, I found quality. There are literally tens (and maybe, hundreds) of TIA and DU exit poll compilations in cyberspace. The quality of some of these is striking. For example, there is this one by PI/DU poster DrDebug:
http://rigorousintuition.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/845
There is this by PI/DU poster byronius:
http://www.truthisall.net /
Byronius modestly "fesses up" here:
http://www.progressiveindependent.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=120&topic_id=81&mesg_id=83
And, there are many, MANY others...
Now, I am painfully aware that there are 10 or 12 people on this board who don't like TIA or the "exit poll debate" and I am also aware that my "poll" is pure whimsy (although it is significantly more accurate than those run by CNN). So before I get bombarded with objections, let me cheerfully renounce my crap poll. Let's say I am off by a factor of 10 or even 100, that only one fifth instead of 5 times as many election fraud links on the web point to TIA versus the Wall Street Journal.... how bad is that?
My conclusion?
The exit poll of the "exit poll debate" offers incontrovertible proof that DU, this forum, the exit poll debate, and TIA have been a caustic irritant which continues to get under the skin of Republicans, freepers, and fundies everywhere. With a little luck, some day it may be a full body rash.
To the last, I say:
Remember, if it itches... don't scratch!
anaxarchos (606 posts) Sun Sep-18-05 01:55 AM
Is the "Exit Poll Debate" a "Waste of Time"?
In order to find out, I did an exit poll of the exit poll debate.
Before I begin, I want to freely admit that my exit poll of the exit polls was entirely unscientific, largely unintentional (I was actually looking for where TIA went to), and had a margin of error (MOE) of at least 75%.
My method was simply to search 3 or 4 of the leading Web search engines for various search combinations ("Election fraud", "Exit Poll", etc.) and to add up the hits. What I found was that there were between 700,000 and 1.6 million hits on Democratic Underground. Between one third and one half of those were on election fraud of some type (this very forum). Two thirds to three quarters of those involved the exit poll debate. And, the lion's share of those (> 80%) centered on TIA's analysis.
By way of comparison, the Wall Street Journal and NBC News achieved approximately one fifth as many hits as TIA, FOX less than half as many and the Washington Post, about the same on precisely the same topics.
In addition to quantity, I found quality. There are literally tens (and maybe, hundreds) of TIA and DU exit poll compilations in cyberspace. The quality of some of these is striking. For example, there is this one by PI/DU poster DrDebug:
http://rigorousintuition.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/845
There is this by PI/DU poster byronius:
http://www.truthisall.net /
Byronius modestly "fesses up" here:
http://www.progressiveindependent.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=120&topic_id=81&mesg_id=83
And, there are many, MANY others...
Now, I am painfully aware that there are 10 or 12 people on this board who don't like TIA or the "exit poll debate" and I am also aware that my "poll" is pure whimsy (although it is significantly more accurate than those run by CNN). So before I get bombarded with objections, let me cheerfully renounce my crap poll. Let's say I am off by a factor of 10 or even 100, that only one fifth instead of 5 times as many election fraud links on the web point to TIA versus the Wall Street Journal.... how bad is that?
My conclusion?
The exit poll of the "exit poll debate" offers incontrovertible proof that DU, this forum, the exit poll debate, and TIA have been a caustic irritant which continues to get under the skin of Republicans, freepers, and fundies everywhere. With a little luck, some day it may be a full body rash.
To the last, I say:
Remember, if it itches... don't scratch!