B.J. Lawson’s Reality Check

How Phone Polls REALLY Work

Posted December 5, 2007 by B.J. Lawson
Categories: Ron Paul, campaign

I received a fascinating call from a member of the local grassroots community. Just today, he received an automated telephone poll call for Republican primary candidates. And despite Rep. Ron Paul’s obvious stature as a leading candidate, Rep. Paul was nowhere to be found on the list of choices.

So my friend pressed “6″ to choose “Other”. However, even though he pressed “6″ to choose “Other”, the system responded as if he had pressed “7″ and announced that he had been removed from the list. Keep in mind that “6″ is about as far as you can get from “7″ on a telephone keypad. He’s sure he pressed “6″.

Thanks to the miracles of digital answering services, the whole call was recorded. Listen to it yourself here. I wonder who IMC Polling is? Don’t think I’ll be using them in my campaign.

Next time you hear of Ron Paul “polling in the single digits”, remember the phone poll that didn’t count “Other” votes.

Addendum: Others have commented, and I’ve confirmed to my own ear’s satisfaction, that the touch tone in the clip is, in fact, a “6″. It’s nowhere near a “7″. I don’t have perfect pitch, but certainly close enough.

Addendum 2: Thanks to Unconscious, who set this soundtrack to some great cinematography:

Comments: 29 Comments

Mike Huckabee’s Willie Horton?

Posted December 5, 2007 by B.J. Lawson
Categories: campaign

At one point, I enjoyed listening to Mike Huckabee. His voice has a soothing, almost hypnotic quality. But gradually his words raised a bit of concern. First it was taxation:

Next it was state-funded financial aid for illegal aliens:

Now it appears he released a convicted Arkansas rapist despite letters from other victims protesting against a proposed early release. The criminal, Wayne Dumond, then assaulted and murdered at least one other woman before being re-arrested in Missouri.

Copies of the letters and background on this story are available here.

Should this story withstand the light of further scrutiny, could it derail the Huckabee campaign as Willie Horton did for Mike Dukakis?

Note: I’m not posting this to disrespect Mr. Huckabee. I just think it’s important for Republicans to consider potential “skeletons” as they look to select a presidential nominee. Is this something his opponent would allow to be swept under the rug?

Comments: 7 Comments