By Hunter Walker 10/15/12 4:50pm

Pollster Panic

A chart showing the results of the Gallup/USA Today poll. (Photo: USAToday.com)

RNC Says Memo Blaming Tied Poll on ‘Flaws’ in Gallup Methods Shows Obama Campaign Is ‘Panicked’

After a new poll out today from Gallup and USA Today showed Mitt Romney pulling ahead of President Barack Obama by strengthening his standing with likely female voters in key swing states, the Obama campaign fired back by releasing a memo written by Josh Benenson of the Benenson Strategy Group consulting firm criticizing “deep flaws in Gallup’s likely voter screen.” Tim Miller, deputy communications director at the Republican National Committee, told Politicker the Obama campaign’s memo shows they are “panicked” with battleground state polls tightening in the wake of President Obama’s widely panned performance in the first presidential debate.

“Since the president’s disastrous debate performance, the panicked Obama campaign’s message has vacillated from Big Bird to false character attacks on Mitt Romney to now nitpicking the crosstabs of bad polls,” Mr. Miller said. “Litigating polls won’t help the president fix his two central problems: he can’t defend his economic record and he has offered no plan for getting people back to work in a 2nd term.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/08/12 4:25pm

Hard Day's Night

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Tied Presidential Poll Leads to a Sleepless Night at Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

The folks at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are apparently freaking out about a new national poll that shows Mitt Romney tied with President Barack Obama. After Gallup put out their three day tracking poll today showing both candidates tied at 47 percent among registered voters, the DCCC responded with a rather panicky fundraising email.

“We could hardly sleep last night. Have you seen this poll?” the email begins before showing the Gallup numbers.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/03/12 10:58am

Predictions

Reince Priebus (Photo: Twitter)

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus: ‘We’re Going to Crush Them in Ohio’

This morning, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus held a press conference call to discuss Vice President Joe Biden’s comment that middle-class Americans have been “buried the last four years.” He also talked about his view that, despite poor poll numbers in the swing states, Mitt Romney has a path to winning the 270 electoral college votes necessary to defeat President Barack Obama, and he gave the RNC’s take on footage of an old speech by the president that resurfaced on conservative media outlets last night.

Mr. Priebus said he agreed with Vice President Biden that the middle class has been “buried” during the first four years of the Obama administration.

“Obama and Biden have buried the middle class, and now they want to bury them some more,” said Mr. Priebus. “I mean, just imagine what Barack Obama would do. He buried us economically in this country knowing that he would have to face re-election. Just imagine what he would do with nothing but daylight in front of him. Just imagine where this economy would go.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/27/12 1:50pm

Positive Vibrations

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As Polls Swing Obama’s Way, Romney Advisor Recommends ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’

With polls, particularly in the crucial swing states of Ohio and Florida, starting to show a strong lead for President Barack Obama, one Romney advisor is urging his friends to whistle a happy tune. Michael Biundo, Mitt Romney’s deputy national coalitions director, posted a note to his Facebook page with a video of the insidious 1988 Bobby McFerrin hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

“Somebody I know, (not naming names mind you) needs this song,” Mr. Biundo wrote.

Though Mr. Biundo kept it coy and didn’t refer to anyone in particular, based on his close connection to Mr. Romney and the many headlines generated by the recent polls, it’s hard not to read his message as a comment on the state of the presidential race. Read More

By Hunter Walker 4:03pm

Numbers Game

Todd Akin (Photo: Facebook)

Todd Akin’s Team Mocks McCaskill for Not Beating Them Badly Enough in New Poll

Embattled Congressman Todd Akin’s campaign manager (and son) Perry Akin released a statement saying a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing that the elder Mr. Akin went from leading the Missouri Senate race to running 10 points behind his rival, incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill after his controversial comments on “legitimate rape” is actually bad news for Ms. McCaskill. The younger Mr. Akin’s rationale for this interpretation of the poll numbers is that Ms. McCaskill should be beating Mr. Akin by a lot more than 48 percent to 38 percent in the aftermath of his rape-remark firestorm.

“The fact that Claire McCaskill is only polling at 48% after 72 hours of constant negative attacks on Todd Akin shows just how weak she is. If she can’t break fifty percent after a week like this, Democrats should ask Claire to step down,” the Akin campaign’s statement said.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 8/21/12 9:00am

Survey Says

Todd Akin (Photo: Facebook)

Poll Shows ‘Legitimate Rape’ Flap Might Not Have Sunk Todd Akin’s Senate Chances

A new poll might explain why Congressman Todd Akin isn’t heeding the wishes of Republican Party leaders and dropping out of the Missouri Senate race following the firestorm over his comments on “legitimate rape.” According to the latest numbers from Public Policy Polling, Mr. Akin still maintains the same slim one percent lead over his opponent, incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill,” that he enjoyed prior to the controversy over his suggestion rape doesn’t lead to pregnancy because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/20/12 5:40pm

Regional Delicacies

A pair of Wisconsin football fans cheering on the Green Bay Packers in their trademark "cheeseheads."

Wisconsinites Like Cheese Even Better Than Beer

Wisconsin is both the dairy capital of the United States and a major center for beer brewing, however, apparently Wisconsinites like their cheese way better than their brewskies. That interesting nugget was buried in Public Policy Polling’s latest survey of the Badger State, which found that 64 percent of Wisconsin residents prefer cheese to beer compared to just 18 percent of Wisconsinites who have a higher opinion of beer than of cheese. Read More

By Hunter Walker 5/28/12 9:30am

Memorial Day

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Mitt Romney: ‘We’re Restoring Those Principles That Made America The Great Nation That It Is’

Mitt Romney marked the Memorial Day holiday today with the release of a new web video entitled “Thank You” in which he praises veterans and pledges to “keep America strong, and worthy of the great sacrifice of America’s veterans.”

“We rightly call our fathers and mothers the greatest generation, but every woman and every man who has or now defends amer liberty share in their heritage of greatness every veteran is the greatest of his generation,” Mr. Romney says in the video. “It’s time for us to come together and to carry our message across this country, we’re restoring those principles that made America the great nation that it is.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 7:02pm

Love & Marriage

President Barack Obama (Photo: Getty)

National Organization For Marriage Says Polls On Gay Marriage Show Obama Will Have ‘A Big Problem’ In Swing States

Frank Schubert, political director of the National Organization for Marriage, says the Obama campaign’s newly created LGBT task force is dead wrong to dismiss polls indicating the president’s support for gay marriage could hurt his chances in November. Earlier today, the leadership of Obama Pride said they weren’t concerned about a poll showing voters in Florida, a key swing state, are less likely to support for President Obama because of his recent endorsement of same sex marriage. Mr. Schubert said NOM, one of the leading opponents of gay marriage, believes the Sunshine State poll is just the tip of the iceberg.

“That’s wishful thinking on their part,” he told us. “You saw the numbers themselves, the Quinnipiac poll showed about a quarter of people are going to vote against him for this thing. That’s a big problem and I
think he’s going to have a problem in a number of swing states.” Read More