Jon Stewart of The Daily Show does a recurring bit he calls “Meet me at camera three,” in which he takes the media aside to explain to them why they are a bunch of dumbasses for their ignorant news reporting.
I have previously explained how “Cathi’s Clown” Doug Ducey has been employing push polls from “Kochtopus” organizations that support his campaign for the purpose of narrative polling — getting the suckers in the media to report these push polls as “news” to create a media narrative that his campaign is “leading.” Complicit media provide the echo chamber that his campaign desperately seeks. About that Doug Ducey push poll and About that Doug Ducey push poll – Part 2.
Today, Dicey Doug Ducey is back with yet another push poll by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a “Kochtopus” dark money group that endorsed Ducey during the primary election, to claim that Ducey is leading in the governor’s race.
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez of The Arizona Republic dutifully reported this bogus poll as “news,” and no doubt the bobbleheads on the tee-vee news will follow suit. Poll: Ducey leading in Arizona governor’s race.
“Meet me at camera three” Yvonne. This kind of manipulation of the media by campaigns only works when there are willing and complicit members of the media to play along with this ruse. I am sure your editors made you write this piece, so I am not going to fault you alone. Anyone who reports this bogus poll as if it is legitimate is equally guilty.
The Arizona Republic and other media outlets know these push polls are narrative polls designed to manipulate them. So is it too much to ask that the media not play along and call this out for what it is?
Anyone notice how the gruff-aw-shucks-drugstore-cowboy-voice-4-hire in the insipid “Freedom” ads by the AZ Free Enterprise Club is the same voice in the “It’s just not fair, Fred” ads that are pro-Ducey? Interesting to see that their site http://www.azfree.org still lists only the ‘founding members’ of their Club, while recently removing the link to the one-and-only-board-member, Scot Mussi, the one-man show and puppet behind the dark ca$h. Apparently he is now (filed 9-23) whining that their little Club is being ‘targeted’. http://www.azfree.org/club-files-public-records-complaint-against-secretary-of-state/
I’m sorry, but you seem to be under the delusion that the Republic and those other ‘media organizations’ give the teensiest tiniest flying f-word about ‘narrative polls designed to manipulate them’.
The truth does not matter. Facts do not matter. Reality does not matter.
Only the story matters, and if this gives them a better ‘horse race’ story to sell their fishwrap, then lo and behold they’ll publish the narrative.
So when a poll favors DuVal, it is a reliable poll, but when it favors Ducey, it is some sort of manipulation of the facts and is not to be trusted? Hm-m-m…
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club is not a pollster, it is a 501(c)(4) “Kochtopus” dark money group. It has zero expertise in polling. It is simply making shit up to reinforce what partisan suckers like you are willing to eat up. When someone conducts a credible poll, I will post it.
I won’t argue that some polls are legitimate and other are pure BS; and I especially argue the point with you because you are far more knowledgeable about these things than I. But I do understand the psychology of tools like polls and in elections, bad polls can be used to manipulate voters provided the message of the bad polls can be spread effectively. In this case, the 6 point difference was carried here in Phoenix on all the major TV news stations, most radio stations and in the newspaper. I can’t speak for Tucson, but I suspect a similar outcome there. If this type of poll keeps getting released, it will definitely give a bump to Ducey because people like voting for a winner.
Which bugs me. I am moving in the direction of voting for DuVal and crap like these polls makes getting him elected more difficult. But how do you fight it?