Latest NYTimes/CBS Presidential poll

Is the media trying to manufacture a horse race? Powerline digs a little deeper into the latest NYTimes/CBS News poll on the presidential race and notes a shift in the percentage of Dems and Republicans polled:

The poll’s internals are easily accessible–which is praiseworthy–so it takes only a moment to determine that the October poll sampled 34% Democrats and 29% Republicans, while the September poll sampled 33% Republicans and 31% Democrats. So it’s hardly a surprise that Kerry did better in the October survey. If the pollsters sampled only Democrats, they could show that Kerry was sweeping toward an unprecedented victory.

We aren’t going to be able to untangle the pros and cons of “correcting” samples between now and November; suffice it to say, however, that 4% of the population didn’t abandon the Republican party for the Democrats over the last 30 days.

Please read the whole thing.

4 Responses to "Latest NYTimes/CBS Presidential poll"

J Thomas says:

October 5, 2004 at 5:56 pm

It is sad that I now look at polls the same way I look at beauty pagents; empty and devoid of good sense.
Sister Toldjah says:

October 5, 2004 at 6:04 pm

Sadly, they just cannot be trusted the way they used to, J.
wilbur says:

October 5, 2004 at 7:55 pm

You do realize that many polls in the past have had much larger percentages of Republicans polled than Dems, even when conducted in areas where there are more registered Dems than Repubs. There are many reasons to distrust polls and not just because Kerry is ahead and/or tied now.
Sister Toldjah says:

October 5, 2004 at 8:31 pm

Wilbur, I’ve always taken them with a grain of salt – the last few weeks have convinced me to perhaps not even do that. Can’t trust the media, and the pollsters are next.

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