February 28, 2007
Don't Read Too Much Into That New Post-ABC Poll
Maybe the Post was seeking an antidote to their speculative stories about black voters, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Hence:
Black Voters Shift Support: Sen. Obama picks up support among black voters over Sen. Clinton, poll shows.
157 of the 1000+ surveyed were African American, and the margin of error for those results is about +/- 8 percentage points. (The Post article just says it's "higher for the subsamples.")
As MysteryPollster will doubtless remind you: one poll does not a trend make, and forming holistic conclusions off sub-samples is fairly silly. Watch for trends; watch for a national poll of African Americans only; watch to see whether Clinton's campaign responds or reacts. If they don't, it's safe to say that they're not panicked by the opinions of 157 people in a telephone survey.
Note that the Post's partner -- ABC News -- didn't even mention the shift in its write up.notion.
Posted at 11:31 AM
Comments
Also note that the same day the Post writes that story... CNN has a story about how Obama is failing to attract black voters...
Obama getting a cool reception from black America
Rob | 02.28.07 01:21 PM
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The CNN poll was from early December... old news.
Chris | 02.28.07 03:24 PM
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What is the obsession in the MSM with this stupid idea that black voters don't support Barack Obama. I can't figure out if it's just lazy journalism or an actual agenda. As a researcher and a black person, allow me to clarify. First you do want to look at trends (note the same finding in a recent Zogby poll--he leads among black voters). Second, take a look at his rallys and note the number of black participants was in the thousands in south central L.A. and Cleveland and S.C.)
Also, if you listen to black radio (for instance, Michael Eric Dyson's show) what you find out is that the "black leadership" may not be on board yet, but the black voters love this guy as much as the rest of America. He just needed a few weeks to introduce himself to the country.
TNDem | 02.28.07 07:27 PM
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I agree. The folks making the "Obama isn't Black enough" comments are either political operatives who were already committed to Hillary or DC insiders who don't get paid unless they're saying or writing something wild and crazy. Barack's rally in LA was in the heart of the 'hood and was filled with everyday Black people, many of whom took off from work and school to see Obama. Many African Americans see the "Is Barack Black enough" a divide and conquer tactic not too much different than efforts to create divison between African Americans and immigrants. The more African Americans see and hear Obama, they more they realize that Barack is just like any other professional African American, and are outraged and distrustful with the MSM for showcasing distorted articles like Debra Dickerson's "Is Barack really Black?" Let's remember, this "Barack isn't Black enough thing" didn't come from Black owned media outlets, but from the White owned media.
harryo | 03.02.07 02:11 PM
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I agree with this writing. Especially about the D.C. people, and Hillary putting these kinds of things out. That why Geffen was right about her and Clinton too polorizing.
Lamont | 03.02.07 03:07 PM
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Spalva-bz | 02.29.08 08:17 PM
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Spalva-bz | 02.29.08 08:17 PM
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Spalva-jh | 02.29.08 08:17 PM
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Spalva-jh | 02.29.08 08:17 PM
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Spalva-jh | 02.29.08 08:18 PM
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