George Takei 
🏳️🌈🖖🏽The reason we shouldn’t trust poll numbers is because the outfits running them are often biased. The news is filled with citations from a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal, that bastion of impartiality. Turns out, they included 600 GOP primary voters in their sample, and it was run by an outfit called Fabrizio Lee. Tony Fabrizio worked with Paul Manafort in Ukraine to support the Russian-backed president there. We’re being punked. H/T Mueller, She Wrote.
Giles@georgetakei Agreed. I don't pay attention to any polls other than fivethirtyeight. They are extremely competent and outline any biases they find in polls.
Thomas Traynor@georgetakei when I took statistics in college the prof dedicated a number of classes on how to game the system. Picking populations with goals in mind, framing the questions, playing with data to skew results. Loved the courses as he made it relevant and fun. Good enough that I was one of a few who helped tutor others.
Louee@georgetakei I’ll say. I immediately said that it wasn’t true. How embarrassing for that bastion of truth. Every lie or omisssion eats into their so called reputation.
crhensley@georgetakei Most polls are biased so that the pollster can claim truth. If the poll doesn't show a good ratio for bias, you know they don't know what they are talking about.
@georgetakei WSJ is a Murdoch rag
Thad@georgetakei I think the poll should be taken with a huge grain of salt, but I don't think it's because the pollster is biased. It's because the election is so far out, and because while voters may be worried about Biden's age or handling of the economy that doesn't mean they won't vote for him against Trump.
I think the problem is less the polls than how the media reports on them.
538's Pollster Ratings give Fabrizio Lee a "B/C" rating, for what it's worth.
SometimesIGetBored@georgetakei which poll?
Alfred Poor@georgetakei ...and then people get upset when the polls didn't precisely predict the outcomes. It's not like the days back when everyone still had a landline (and would answer it).
Chris WilliamsAll polls measure anymore, is opinion among people too old or set in their ways to figure out how to cancel their landline.
@georgetakei also even well-done national polls are meaningless because of the Electrical College. They have to be done state by state. Does anyone think the 7 states where Trump tried to steal their votes are going to vote for him in 2024? He needs to win then all. Not gonna happen.
Lou Katz@georgetakei Thanks for doing the research on the actual 'poll'
Claus Cramon Houmann@georgetakei it’s like the trolley problem, presented to US public media, with the choices being democracy or selling papers
WndlB@georgetakei I occasionally check 538 to see which polls have been decently predictive, versus which are garbage
YogaForCommonConditions
@georgetakei
There is also the issue that the votes of some people do not count in a presidential election... I doubt that the polls even take that into consideration.
There is also the issue that the votes of some people do not count in a presidential election... I doubt that the polls even take that into consideration.
J.H.Noyes