Monday, May 22, 2006

Push Polling from the Mayor's Office?

A letter to the editor in today's Standard-Examiner caught our attention this morning. Although we'd heard rumors that Mayor Godfrey had been conducting some sort of ongoing "telephone poll," this was the first time we're aware of this having been mentioned in the local print media. Until now, there had been little information about this "poll," or the manner in which it is being "conducted."

Among other things, Ogden resident James Freed provides this helpful information and commentary:
I was contacted for a phone poll concerning the land sale and gondola for Ogden. I asked who commissioned the poll and confirmed that it was the mayor.
Upon completion, I was asked to go to Lift Ogden for more information -- the pro-gondola-at-any-cost group.
I object to the mayor having a poll of registered voters only having one point of view presented.
Are taxpayers' funds used for this poll and meetings that have been set up to show off the gondola proposal?
We'll offer a hat tip to the canny Mr. Freed, who instinctively sensed that something "wasn't quite right" about this so-called "poll." What Mr. Freed describes, if we are not mistaken, has the odor of a highly disreputable form of telemarketing known as "push polling."

Broadly defined, a push poll is a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. The Center for Media and Democracy provides a slightly narrower definition: "A push poll is where, using the guise of opinion polling, disinformation about a candidate or issue is planted in the minds of those being 'surveyed'. Push-polls are designed to shape, rather than measure, public opinion." Notably, legitimate pollsters regard push polling as "unethical," at least in its more aggressive manifestations.

Regretfully, this morning's letter fails to provide detailed information about the kinds of questions that were asked, or the specific "methodology" of this so-called "poll." It's thus impossible to determine whether Blessed Matt Godfrey actually seeks to compile real data, or whether he's merely indulging in more deceitful project marketing. That this poll was concluded by a referral to the Lift Ogden group seems highly suspicious though.

We therefore thought it might be interesting this morning to kick off the discussion with a few queries. We're wondering how many of our gentle readers were similarly contacted by the mayor's "pollsters?" If so, what kinds of questions were asked? Were the questions detailed? Did the pollster ask questions about your demographics? Was the poll short in length, with "only a handful of questions," as if to allow a telemarketer to make as many calls as possible? Did it seem to you that the pollster was actually attempting to compile legitimate scientific data... or did it seem that the caller was merely trying to sell you something?

If you "participated" in this "poll," please don't hesitate to chime in. We're certain our gentle readers would be interested in your filling in the "polling details" that Mr. Freed's brief letter left out.

And for those who weren't privileged to find their names on Mayor Godfrey's calling list, Mr. Freed also asks a series of other probative questions. Mr. Freed's letter provides ample fodder for discussion, even for those who weren't "pollster-bait," we think, so please feel free to comment, if you choose.

The Weber County Forum floor is now open for new discussion, after a relaxing weekend's hiatus.

What exactly is on our gentle readers' keen minds today?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Curmudgeon reports that she was polled on the gondola project. She did not ask the origins, but told me it was "pretty clearly pro-gondola" and that she was referred to the Lift Ogden Wired Ascent Cheerleading Squad site at the end.

I too am very curious if this is being done with public funds.

I am surprized Mr. Zink did not comment on the SE report this morning that Kent Jorgenson is contempating a run for the Mayor's office. Perhaps he [Mr. Zink] has not recovered from his apoplexy yet. [grin]

RudiZink said...

"I am surprized Mr. Zink did not comment on the SE report this morning that Kent Jorgenson is contempating a run for the Mayor's office."

LOL! That article is coming soon.

Anonymous said...

Glasmann kicked this Jorgenson's ass in the last election, and now he wants to run for Mayor?

Just goes to show you how totally disconnected this whole Godfreyite crowd really is! Jorgensen just simply doesn't get it that the voters and citizens of Ogden are fed up with all this Neo-Con, I know better than you, mentality that drives him and Godfrey. He is merely a Godfrey clone. He voted for, and was a promoter of, all of Godfrey's dumb assed schemes that have indebted us for the next twenty five years.

He came into office promising to save the down town mall, three weeks later he led the charge to tear it down - thus beginning a whole sorry chapter in Ogden history that has led us to this mess we and the mall are in now, a thirty million dollar mud hole that needs twenty more million pumped into it to build a rec center that supposedly will draw a crowd of merchants wanting in on such a fabulous new idea!

Jorgensen's fingerprints are all over every failure that Ogden has suffered under Godfrey! At least fifty million bucks worth!

Anonymous said...

SE running a story, front page, this morning [Tuesday] stating the the poll was commissioned by some folks associated with Peterson and the Lift Ogden group. The polling company will not disclose who commissioned the survey. The Mayor insists he was not behind it and that no city money was used to conduct the poll.

The article goes on to quote several people who were polled, who state that it seemed largely designed to convey pro-gondola/development information rather than to solicit public opinion. That it was in fact what is known as a "push poll" in the industry: propaganda designed to be conveyed in the guise of asking polling questions.

Honorable people engaged in public policy debates do not engage in push-polling, and a group's resorting to that kind of deceptive practice is, generally, an indication of the weakness of its arguments. If its arguments are sound and its claims defensible, the group would not have to resort to the deceptive practice of push-polling to try to win support.

If this was in fact a push-poll, as those interviewed in the SE article suggest, then the Lift Ogden and Peterson folks behind it think they need deceptive tactics to make their points. From which we can all draw our own conclusions.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see if Peterson actually answers the questions. Lately he's been relegated to smiling that 'aw shucks' boyish grin playing straight man, while Godfrey gives all the disengenuous and specious 'answers'...and jokes.

"If you want the truth, you come and ask me and Chris".....said the spider mayor to the fly lady who did question!

My husband tells me he received a call from a "pollster". Same thing...leading questions. He'd had enough and started lecturing the young woman on the DEmerits of the gondola "plan".

The mayor says today in the SE article that he's interested in seeing the 'results' so he can know how people feel. HAH! Are we surprised that Geiger and Godfrey won't name those citizens behind this so- called poll? At least they're consistent. Secrecy foremost and always!

Those opposed will again be labeled 'nit-pickers and naysayers'.
That's what the elderly woman at the last P & D show said she's been called by Curt Geiger and others for asking questions.

Yes, Jennifer, let's go to the circus tomorrow, and attend the CC meeting tonight also!

Anonymous said...

Sharon:

If Hizzonah truly wants to know how the voters feel [I presume he means "what the voters think," but he's apparently one of the growing legions who think "feel" and "think" are synonyms], there is a very simple way for him to find out.

Once Mr. Peterson has presented a plan to the City for its approval [which he has not done so far], and the required feasibility studies have been done and made public, the Mayor and Council can put the matter up for public vote in a referendum: Do the citizens of Ogden wish the city to go forard with this project as proposed by Mr. Peterson or do they not? Yes or no. But, as we know, Hizzonah has already rejected that option.

Imagine that.

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