MEANINGLESS POLL
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James Joyner | Wednesday, October 29, 2003 |
I know Internet surveys are meaningless, but they can still be interesting. This one on the Army Times website is one of those cases:
If you were going to vote for president right now, which candidate would you support?
Results:
Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun 2.91 % (654)
Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) 26.86 % (6,036)
Gov. Howard Dean 11.28 % (2,535)
Sen. John Edwards 15.93 % (3,579)
Rep. Dick Gephardt 0.70 % (158)
Sen. John Kerry 5.74 % (1,289)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich 1.05 % (237)
Sen. Joe Lieberman 0.66 % (149)
Rev. Al Sharpton 1.18 % (265)
President George W. Bush 33.68 % (7,568)
Total votes: 22470
It’s especially amusing that Carol Moseley Braun is ahead of Dick Gephardt, Joe Lieberman, and Dennis Kucinich. One also wonders if the numbers are unduly affected by inclusion of titles with the names. I suspect Braun’s stature is enhanced with the title “Ambassador,” which makes her sound as if she knows something about foreign policy. I know “General” is adding some clout to Wes Clark.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Thanks James for scaring the Do Do out of me...
Normally these polls are ranked by percentage not Sir name.
I thought Carol Moseley Braun was leading the pack.
That took at least 6 months off the end of my life.
P
It's even more amusing to realize that 66% of those polled picked a Democrat over George Bush.
In any event, if you're going to assume that people pick up votes just because of the title in front of their names, then the term "President" might also be considered somewhat helpful.
Gunther,
Sure. I'm trying to figure out the differential votes among the Democratic contender; George Bush's place on the ballot is secure.
And I'm not sure who votes on the polls on the Army Times website. While it's true that the officer corps is disproportionately Republican, I don't think that's the case with enlisted soldiers.
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