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Newsweek/Daily Beast Poll On Angry Americans: Fact, Fiction, Or Fraud?

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This week you’ll read a great deal about the latest Newsweek/Daily Beast poll (also, embedded below,) titled, “America the Angry,” “Angry Americans,” “Anger In America,” or even, “Anger In America: Could The Arab Spring Happen In The U.S.?” And you should immediately discount it as a work of, if not fiction, then arrogant media wrangling. This, surely, is what Sarah Palin means when she says, “the lamestream media’s gotcha journalism,” right? Shame on you, Newsweek/Daily Beast Editor Tina Brown and shame on you, Douglas Schoen, author of the article and presumably the one responsible for the so-called “poll.”

By the way, the title, “Anger In America: Could The Arab Spring Happen In The U.S.?” comes from reading the URL of the page the “poll” is published on. Obviously, given all the different names, it looks like some Newsweek/Daily Beast editor was just dying to grab some Google traffic off of “anger,” angry,” “America,” and “Americans” keyword searches, with “Arab spring” thrown in for good measure.

Schoen introduces his “poll” by setting you up with the “fact” that “reality is beginning to break down Americans’ normally optimistic attitude. Three-quarters of our respondents think the country is on the wrong track. A majority say the anxiety wrought by this recession has caused relationship problems and sleep deficiency. Two-thirds even report being angry at God,” Schoen claims.

I say “Schoen claims,” because while he writes in his Daily Beast article, “two-thirds even report being angry at God,” somehow that “fact” doesn’t even show in his “polling data” he embeds on the site (also, below.) Curious, no?

Schoen, to be fair, is a political analyst for Fox News, and got his start in his extensive polling career working for Dick Morris in high school. Schoen also is a founding partner in the political polling firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland. And (big surprise!) Schoen just wrote a book with Scott Rasmussen (as in the notoriously right-wing slanted Rasmussen polls that the Tea Party and Fox News love so much) titled, “Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System.” Schoen did not respond to a request for comment on this article Sunday evening.

All this said, a couple of points first you probably already know about polls.

First, any reliable pollster will publish the complete results of a poll.

Second, any reliable nationwide survey generally will poll at least one thousand respondents, especially if it is a broad poll where anyone who answers the phone — if that’s the contact method they used — is a fit respondent.

Third, any reliable nationwide poll will publish not only the answers to the poll, but the exact questions asked, with any variations, and in what order asked.

Fourth, any reliable nationwide poll will publish complete methodology, including who they polled. Americans? Likely voters? Registered voters? Age ranges. Political affiliations. Sometimes religious affiliations…

Fifth, any reliable nationwide poll generally will reach an odd number of respondents. 600, for example, is a strange number to reach, especially over a period of four or five days.

Sixth, any reliable nationwide poll will tell you how they got responses: telephone? Landline? cellular?Email? Internet?…

I suppose I could go on, but all I need to do at this point is to tell you that the latest Newsweek/Daily Beast poll on “Angry Americans” does none of the above.

All Doug Schoen (again, presumably the one responsible for the poll,) does is offer some nice graphics (actually, not really even that nice, but they are in color!) and frame the results without telling you the question. Nice work if you can get it.

Schoen’s “poll” says “This survey was conducted with a representative sample of 600 American adults across the country on April 29th – May 1st, 2011.” What is “a representative sample of 600 American adults?” He doesn’t say.

Schoen claims, “By almost four-to-one, Americans say government is not solving our economic problems.” Really? Is government supposed to solve our economic problems? What was the question asked that brought Schoen to this realization? I don’t know, do you? How was it phrased? Who answered it?

Schoen says, “Respondents say our economy is not delivering the jobs we need by 81% to 12%.” News? Not at all. But the number spread there looks great! (Makes it sound like a lot of Americans are really pissed! That should get The Daily Beast a lot of hits!)

Schoen’s polls proclaims, “while Americans are very concerned about the economic and fiscal issues facing the country, they do not feel that neither President Obama nor the Republicans are addressing these issues.” Huh? So, Americans do feel Obama and the Republicans are addressing these issues? Who writes like that? And what Republicans? House? Senate? Local? State? And why don’t we know how Americans feel about Democrats? What was the question, Mr. Schoen?

Schoen continues: “They say Obama does not have a real plan to cut the deficit, 55% to 33%, and that he does not have a real plan to cut spending, 46% to 42%.” So, 42% of Americans believe Obama does have a plan to cut spending, is that what this says? That’s actually pretty impressive.

More: An actual question! “Do you think that Obama has a real plan to cut the deficit, or does he not have a real plan?” Wait. I take that back. That was a question? Doug, you picked up the phone (well, I assume these people were contacted by phone, and this isn’t some World Net Daily online poll…) and asked 600 people, “Do you think that Obama has a real plan to cut the deficit, or does he not have a real plan?” I amazed they answered and didn’t hang up on you.

Gotta love that “real plan” language, implying there is a fake plan that maybe Obama has…

Did anyone ask these 600 people if the deficit was important? What order did this question come? What questions did you ask before it? Were they, “Is the deficit out of control and responsible for the huge and unprecedented unemployment numbers we are seeing under President Obama after two years in office?” Was there a question in the poll about Obama’s birth certificate too? I wouldn’t be surprised…

Schoen writes, “Given that Americans are concerned about the country’s economic issues and feel that neither party is adequately addressing these issues, it makes sense that they feel frustrated and upset.” How do we know this? Where’s the data? And when have Americans not been “concerned about the country’s economic issues,” and when have Americans not felt “frustrated and upset?”

Schoen continues: “Over half (52%) say their personal economic situation makes them nervous. 48% say it makes them anxious, 44% say it makes them upset, and 30% say it makes them angry.” Really? Is this normal? Can you compare it to a year ago, a month ago? A decade ago?

How about this priceless example of putting words in people’s’ mouths?

“Generally speaking, does your personal economic situation make you nervous, anxious, upset, angry?” (Based on the graphic, we assume this was the question, but have no way of knowing because Schoen did not publish the question or the order of questions.)

How about including, “happy,” “hopeful,” “enthusiastic,” “calm?” Could Schoen lead the jury any more that this?

Or let’s look at this one: “70% of Americans are nervous about their retirement because of their personal economic situation,” and “45% are nervous about being able to put their children through college, 31% are nervous about starting a family, and 29% are nervous about being able to afford to buy a home.”

So of course we know that all 600 of Schoen’s respondents have two or more children, based on the answer to the unidentified question. Oh wait, but then we see that some of them haven’t started families yet… And do they even want to? Look at the home-buying portion and make your own deduction. Do 81% of Schoen’s respondents already own a home? Do they want to?

Schoen “finds” that 42% of Americans answered “no,” to the question, “Would you say that you feel stagnated in terms of your income?” I’m amazed it was that low. Who doesn’t feel “stagnated in terms of your income?” This is America! “More, more, more!” is our rallying cry!

But seriously, again, that’s an actual question? Leading, much? Same goes for Schoen’s “Do you feel like you don’t make enough money to live your life the way you want to?” Amazing that only 44% said “yes.” What’s more amazing is the way the data is presented: “54% disagree.” Really? That means that a majority of Americans — despite being asked a leading question, in a poll clearly designed to obtain negative responses — feel that they do make enough money to live their lives the way they want to!” Given the level of unemployment, underemployment, and people on welfare and food stamps, that’s news! But they way it’s presented is simply sleazy and shameful.

How about, “27% say their family’s economic situation has impacted their health, and 26% of those married say it has impacted their marriage”? So, were all 600 married? How many are married? What percent? We have no idea.

Let’s look at this one: “Of those who say they are angry about their personal economic situation, 13% say their anger has impacted their sex life. 78% say it has not.” America the angry? Really? only 13% of Americans say money — assuming lack thereof — is negatively impacting their sex life? This is America! Americans are pissed whenever anything gets in between them and sex! 13%? The title of this “poll” should be, “America — getting enough, thank you very  much.”

There’s this little thing called journalism that is under attack in America. Journalism, and facts, and fairness. Let’s be honest. I’m about as liberal as they come. Despite the fact that Schoen is a political analyst for Fox News, Schoen, has worked for many Democrats. Schoen, you should know, was named Pollster of the Year in 1996 by the American Association of Political Consultants.

I could easily parrot this study and write about something else an hour from now. But what America thinks is really, really important to me. Presenting facts and reality properly and accurately is really, really important to me. Thst’s why Sarah Palin sends me into a tailspin. So does Fox.

Perhaps Americans are really just angry about being lied to, and having “facts” presented with such slant and arrogance that they are not meaningless but so meaningful as to tell people what to think, not what they are thinking?

Like I said, there’s this little thing called journalism. It’s a little too near and dear to my heart to let it suffer any more without my speaking out once in a while. Doug Schoen, this “poll” is irresponsible and in my opinion, has zero credibility. And Tina Brown, shame on you! Hand in your press pass — you just lost all rights to it.

Angry Americans FINAL

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News

‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

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April 18, 2024

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Some House Democrats and House Republicans are coming together toward a common opponent: far-right “pro-Putin” hardliners in the House Republican conference, who appear to be led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

Congresswoman Greene has been threatening to oust the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Last month she filed a “motion to vacate the chair.” If she chooses to call it up she could force a vote on the House floor to try to remove Speaker Johnson.

House Democrats say they are willing to vote against ousting Johnson, as long as the Speaker puts on the floor desperately needed and long-awaited legislation to fund aid to Ukraine and Israel. Johnson has refused to put the Ukraine aid bill on the floor for months, but after Iran attacked Israel Johnson switched gears. Almost all Democrats and a seemingly large number of Republicans want to pass the Ukraine and Israel aid packages.

RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

Forgoing the possibility of installing Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker, which is conceivable given Johnson’s now one-vote majority, Democrats say if Johnson does the right thing, they will throw him their support.

“I think he’ll be in good shape,” to get Democrats to support him, if he puts the Ukraine aid bill on the floor, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) told CNN Thursday. “I would say that there’s a lot of support for the underlying bills. I think those are vital.”

“If these bills were delivered favorably, and the aid was favorably voted upon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene went up there with a motion to remove him, for instance, I think there’s gonna be a lot of Democrats that move to kill that motion,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “They don’t want to see him getting punished for doing the right thing.”

“I think it is a very bad policy of the House to allow one individual such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is an arsonist to this House of Representatives,” U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane, when asked about intervening to save Johnson. He added he doesn’t want her “to have so much influence.”

U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, one of several Republicans who won their New York districts in 2022, districts that were previously held by Democrats, opposes Greene’s motion to vacate – although he praised the Georgia GOP congresswoman.

CNN’s Manu Raju reports Republicans “say it’s time to marginalize hardliners blocking [their] agenda.”

D’Esposito, speaking to Raju, called for “repercussions for those who completely alienate the will of the conference. The people gave us the majority because they wanted Republicans to govern.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, like D’Esposito is another New York Republican who won a previously Democratic seat in 2022. Lawler spoke out against the co-sponsor of Greene’s motion to vacate, U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY), along with two other House Republicans who are working to block the Ukraine aid bill via their powerful seats on the Rules Committee.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a former Navy pilot, blasted Congresswoman Greene.

RELATED: ‘They Want Russia to Win So Badly’: GOP Congressman Blasts Far-Right House Republicans

“Time is of the essence” for Ukraine, Rep. Sherrill told CNN Wednesday night. “The least we can do is support our Democratic allies, especially given what we know Putin to do. To watch a report and to think there are people like Marjorie Taylor Greene on the right that are pro-Putin? That are pro-Russia? It is really shocking.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), as NCRM reported Thursday, had denounced Greene.

“I guess their reasoning is they want Russia to win so badly that they want to oust the Speaker over it,” he said, referring to the Ukraine aid bill Greene and her cohorts want to tank. “I mean that’s a strange position to take.”

The far-right hardliners are also causing chaos in the House.

“Things just got very heated on the House floor,” NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin reported earlier Thursday. “Group of hardliners were trying to pressure Johnson to only put Israel aid on the floor and hold Ukraine aid until the Senate passed HR2.”

HR2 is the House Republicans’ extremist anti-immigrant legislation that has n o chance of passage in the Senate nor would it be signed into law by President Biden.

“Johnson said he couldn’t do it, and [U.S. Rep. Derrick] Van Orden,” a far-right Republican from Wisconsin “called him ‘tubby’ and vowed to bring on the MTV [Motion to Vacate.]”

“No one in the group (Gaetz, Boebert, Burchett, Higgins, Donalds et al.) were threatening Johnson with an MTV,” Tsirkin added. “Van Orden seemed to escalate things dramatically…”

Despite Greene’s pro-Putin and anti-Ukraine positions, her falsehoods about “Ukrainian Nazis,” and Russians not slaughtering Ukrainian clergy, reporters continue to “swarm”:

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

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‘They Want Russia to Win So Badly’: GOP Congressman Blasts Far-Right House Republicans

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19 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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A sitting Republican Congressman is harshly criticizing far-right House Republicans over their apparent support of Russia.

“I guess their reasoning is they want Russia to win so badly that they want to oust the Speaker over it. I mean that’s a strange position to take,” U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a three-term Texas Republican rated a hard-core conservative told CNN’s Manu Raju, in video posted Thursday. “I think they want to be in the minority too. I think that’s an obvious reality.”

Congressman Crenshaw was referring to the movement led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), now joined by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), over the Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s decision to finally put legislation on the floor to provide funding to Ukraine to support that sovereign nation in its fight against Russia.

“I’m still trying to process all the b*llsh*t,” Crenshaw added.

Crenshaw on Thursday also commented on Speaker Johnson’s remarks, stating he will hold the Ukraine funding vote regardless of attempts to oust him over it.

“To be clear, he’s being threatened for even allowing a vote to come to the floor. For allowing the constitutional process to play out as intended by our Founders. That’s a wild thing to consider, especially when his enemies consider themselves ‘conservative.’ Not conserving the painstaking constitutional process our Founders created, that’s for sure. Conserving Putin’s gains on the battlefield, more like it.”

Journalist Brian Beutler, a former editor-in-chief at Crooked Media, called it, “darkly funny to me that a pincer movement of MAGAns and leftists mock liberals for claiming the GOP works hand in glove with Russia, and then multiple conservative Republican dissenters are like ‘no it’s true, we’re lousy with Russian influence.'”

Watch Crenshaw’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

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OPINION

Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

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21 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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For years U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been called “Pro-Putin.” As far back as 2021, her first year as a member of Congress, the question had been raised on social media: “Is Marjorie Taylor Greene a Russian asset?”

In 2022 The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org reported: “Marjorie Taylor Greene Parrots Russian Talking Point on Ukraine.”

Back then, as the article highlighted, Greene had said, “there is no doubt that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s actions in Ukraine are despicable and evil.”

Now, she promotes a far more favorable view of President Vladimir Putin and his illegal war against Ukraine, a sovereign nation which the Russian autocrat wants to incorporate – at least partly – into Russia.

Just last week Greene spread demonstrably false pro-Russia talking points about a “war on Christianity” while defending and promoting President Vladimir Putin.

READ MORE: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

“This is a war on Christianity,” Greene told far-right propagandist Steve Bannon. “The Ukrainian government is attacking Christians, the Ukrainian government is executing priests. Russia is not doing that.”

That’s just plain false, as NCRM reported.

Largely in response to her strong opposition to the U.S. supporting Ukraine, and her spreading Russian disinformation and flat-out pro-Putin falsehoods, Greene’s fondness for Putin and Russia has been making headlines.

“Republicans Who Like Putin,” was the headline last month at The New York Times, which observed: “A few Republicans have gone so far as [to] speak about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in ways that mimic Russian propaganda. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused Ukraine of having ‘a Nazi army,’ echoing language Putin used to justify the invasion.”

“The Putin Republicans Have the Upper Hand” warned Washington Monthly‘s David Atkins on Wednesday, reporting on “conservative extremists led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

“They admire the strongman as a Christian nationalist leader, and won’t support Ukraine. The global consequences of their besotted love affair with the Russian strongman could be cataclysmic.”

“Russia Is Buying Politicians in Europe. Is It Happening Here Too?” The New Republic‘s Alex Finley wrote last week. The photo at the top of the page? Marjorie Taylor Greene.

READ MORE: ‘Used by the Russians’: Moskowitz Mocks Comer’s Biden Impeachment Failure

Finley pointed to Greene’s interview with Bannon, “about Ukraine’s persecution of Christians, which is a Kremlin talking point aimed at boosting the pro-Moscow wing of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church. The U.S. should be spending money on the border with Mexico, not on Ukraine aid? That’s a Kremlin talking point. Russia invaded Ukraine to defend itself against an expanding NATO? That’s a Kremlin talking point. Call for a cease-fire, and give Russia Crimea and eastern Ukraine? That’s a Kremlin talking point.”

Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post last week ran this headline: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she ‘seriously hates’ people who support sending more aid to Ukraine: ‘Most repulsive, disgusting thing happening’.”

Then there is Greene’s obsession with Nazis. Specifically, equating Ukrainians with Nazis, which she did several times over the past week, including on Wednesday. That earned her the condemnation and wrath of U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who demanded: “Stop bringing up Nazis and Hitler.”

Wednesday night, Congressman Moskowitz, known for his use of humor and sarcasm to make his points, declared: “Just submitted an amendment to Bill drafting appointing MTG [Marjorie Taylor Greene] as Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress.”

Moskowitz’s amendment was in response to Congresswoman Greene’s amendments requiring members to “conscript in the Ukrainian military” if they vote for the Ukraine military funding bill, as Juliegrace Brufke reported.

READ MORE: ‘Big Journalism Fail’: Mainstream Media Blasted Over Coverage of Historic Trump Trial

The Florida Democrat wasn’t joking, as Axios’ Andrew Solender pointed out Thursday morning.

Moskowitz did not stop there.

He drafted legislation on Thursday to name the Capitol Hill offices occupied by Congresswoman Greene after the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, infamous for promoting appeasement in dealing with Adolf Hitler.

Chamberlain also signed the Munich Agreement, which allowed Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

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