i just got push-polled. push-polling is where it's not really a poll at all, but a way to make it seem like a general public survey but twists the language of the questions in a way to inspire an answer the 'poll'-ing company wants you to think. thereby not really polling you of your thoughts but trying to push you into a position to take or at least make you think about something in their frame of mind.

so my push-poll came from this same outfit that claims to be a research company, but in reality is an advertising company. listen (and do listen!) to some of their 'polls' on their website-- they don't even pretend that they're research on their own site! if you listen to some of their 'polls' you'll hear biased questions, questions about whether specific (i.e. Republican) campaigns can call you later for volunteering, the polls done by well-known conservatives, and other such nonsense-- non-research, non-scientific, non-polling.

so what did my push-poll 'ask' me? well, first they wanted to know if i was in support of proposition 73 (and asking me in a way that highlighted the word 'abortion'); then they asked me if i was in support of proposition 75 (and asking in a way that nuanced it against unions); then they asked about whether i considered myself 'pro-life'; then they asked me if i believed that 'marriage should only be between a man and a woman'; then they asked me whether i liked arnold; then if i was a republican; then if i was a democrat; and then some other stuff....

what kind of 'research' does an advertising company do other than to simply promote their clients' interests? obviously this push-poll group isn't into really studying the public's thoughts but pushing their own agenda onto the public in the name of 'research.' and the sad thing is, it denigrates professional public research companies by doing these type of shenanigans-- which is all part of the master plan anyway...