As a gay veteran, I’m a big supporter of Vote Vets progressive agenda and follow them on Twitter. According to Richard Allen Smith and his article over at HuffPo, uber bigot Elaine Donnelly is back with a dubious poll with results that, surprise, say what she wants the poll to say about American’s attitudes regarding DADT. Be sure and check out the entertaining video of her getting pwned in front of the House Armed Services Committee by Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA). It’s here.
Here are Smith’s rebuttal to couple of points Ms. Donnelly makes. I’m of the opinion it is just another example of conservatives, like Ms. Donnelly, having no problem with their rationalization of lying and spreading propaganda:
Now, this poll seems shady on its face for several reasons:
– CMR claims the poll found that respondents prefer the status quo by a margin of 48-45%. According to CMR’s own press release, this means absolutely nothing, as that is within the +/-3.1% margin of error.
– This poll is an overwhelming outlier compared with every other poll that has been taken on the subject. In February, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 57% of respondents support repeal. That same month, a CBS/New York Times poll found that 59% of respondents favored repeal. In March, a Vet Voice Foundation found that 73% of Iraq and Afghanistan combat Veterans found open gay service acceptable. Similarly, in May, a CNN poll found that 78% of respondents supported repeal.
– The poll was conducted using a “likely voters” model, which excludes a large portion of the population. Additionally, in an off cycle election year of a President’s first term, the opposite party can always expect gains. Therefore, a likely voters model in such an environment would more heavily favor Republican respondents.
Yep, it never ceases to amaze me how easy it seems for conservatives to justify spreading propaganda and lies to accomplish their nefarious agendas. I believe it is horribly naive for the rest of the media to take anything pushed from the right without verification and a healthy dose of salt.
