Bogus surveys

[AR]

The other day Henry was talking about a bogus telephone survey.

This weekend I've gotten two bogus surveys, one from Michele Bachmann and one from Nancy Pelosi. I'm sure you've gotten these political fundraising pitches too, pretending to be surveys when they're really just fundraising appeals thinly disguised as research.

Here's one of the questions from Ms. Bachmann:

Are you more in favor of the limited government message of the TEA Party or the continued influence of corrupt labor union bosses in government?

My answer: Did you ever hear of something called a false choice?

And here's an equally brilliant question from Ms. Pelosi:

Do you think if more Americans knew about Republican plans to end the Medicare guarantee and privatize Social Security they would join the Democratic Party's efforts to oppose these plans?

My answer: I don't think either party would join the other's efforts to eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

It isn't just that these questions would never be written by anyone who had ever taken an entry-level course in survey research. They're clearly just intended to rile up the respective bases and inspire them to give money. The really frightening thing is that both parties engage in this nonsense so regularly that there's obviously a ton of real research out there that tells them that this kind of appeal really works. This means that there are loads of people who don't see this stuff for what it is, and respond by angrily filling out the forms and eagerly sending checks with their answers.

So let's make further cuts to education funding so that fewer and fewer people will have the analytical skills to see through this garbage.

We're really in trouble.

[Manuel]

I do not respond to telephone surveys.

TM

[ToddDH]

AR and Manuel,

I respond to neither written nor telephone surveys for the same reasons you don't AR.

If someone is going to talk or write to me as if I'm an idiot (whether or not I am) I'm certainly not going to provide them the satisfaction of a reply, much less a donation and I'm someone who once proudly held public office. I certainly would not today, however.

[Lakers Fan]

Everyone I know who has held public office or who is currently in public office has the same opinion with 2 exceptions .

[ToddDH]

You know me, what do you think mine are?