House GOP’s Pollster Tests Attacks On Pelosi’s Credibility Over CIA Mess, Finds They’re Working
The pollster for the House GOP leadership has conducted a poll to determine the effectiveness of one of the GOP’s leading attacks on Nancy Pelosi — that she wasn’t being truthful when she claimed the CIA lied to her about torture.
The poll, which I obtained from a source, found that it may be working. People believe that the CIA didn’t mislead Pelosi by a wide margin, 49%-27%.
The poll — which was conducted by longtime House GOP pollster David Winston — is interesting because it suggests that Republicans remain committed to this line of attack and are eager to gauge whether it’s effective in hopes of keeping it going. Here’s the question and the response:
Do you believe that the CIA did or did not mislead Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the use of waterboarding and torture?
Did 27%
Did not 49%
Don’t Know 24%
Pollster Winston conducted the poll for a nonprofit communications and research outfit called New Models, and it will be presented to John Boehner and the House GOP leadership within days, and ultimately released to the public.
While internal polls do often yield results desired by clients, it’s interesting that Republicans are polling on this question, and it all but guarantees that Republicans will keep banging away on the torture drum. So if you hear more GOP criticism of Pelosi along these lines, you’ll know why.
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The headline here should be “GOP Pollster tests effectiveness of lies. Expect more.”
If I were Nancy, I’d hold a press conference, get everyone hyped up about it, with this information in had and explain exactly to people the Republicans position on this will be determined on the results of this poll. If they found out people weren’t falling for their shenanigans, they would drop it. If they find out people are, they will continue to try and score political points.
Talk about scraping the bottom…good lord, don’t they have anything to talk about besides Pelosi and the CIA, even if it does poll well for their talking point…they need a new talking point (that is a solution, not just NO to the Dems idea) on a subject that American’s hold as a priority…WHO CARES about Pelosi and the CIA in the big picture…What went on between the CIA and Pelosi is NOT what is “keeping most (had to have a caveot for those that really do) Americans up at night”…new/green Energy, Healthcare, Jobs and Education…these are much higher on the priority list for most Americans…not what is or has gone on with Pelosi and the CIA…good god GOP buy a clue for the love of the lord…
Isn’t it strange that the CIA did not” mislead Pelosi, but when the same evidence was “presented” to President Bush, it was faulty and was the reason that went to war?
So…they did lie to Bus, but didn’t to Pelosi, using the same information in both cases, right?
This isn’t really the same subject but I wanted to share this clip of Jim Moran speaking truth to power about GITMO detainees on the floor of the House.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL28mbPpDH8
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If Democrats want to start moving public opinion on issues like torture and GITMO they need to all start giving floor speeches just like that one. You can’t expect regular Americans to shift their opinions without someone informing them. They should also be putting up youtube videos where they give the facts about who the detainnees are and who they aren’t. If Pelosi wants to change public opinion on this issue what I would suggest is she sit down and do a 1 minute youtube video which wouldn’t cost much of anything. She sits down and goes through all of the evidence so far that isn’t confidential that proves that she WAS in fact mislead like for instance the time lines that Marcy Wheeler has worked up that shows its unlikely she was briefed on what really happend and the assertions of other Democratic members of Congress that they too were mislead and she ends the video with clip after clip of Republicans saying the CIA had lied to them or screwed up for WMDs, on the NIE about Iran not having nuclear ambitions, and so on and so forth. Then send the youtube out in an email blast as a press release and put it on her own personal youtube account. THAT is what will change public opinion. Its time for Dems to stop being so d@mned timid and stand up for themselves!
I have a question for this pollster, How can anyone who was polled fairly answer a question for which they have no information? As I understand it Pelosi was briefed by the CIA and is it not the case that what was briefed was classified? Was it not the case that only limited amounts of what was discussed in the briefing is releasable? So how the **** can you take a poll over information which can not be verified one way or the other. At a bare minimum I think the precedent has been set where the CIA in the past has misled congress in the briefs, as in the case of our very own “slam dunk” evidence in front of the UN. Or how about any of the briefings related to Joe Wilson’s letter regarding Nigerian “yellow cake” uranium?
If I were the spokesperson for the House, I would just be ready for the barrage from the GOP, and then ask each and every congressman if they know specifically what was discussed during the incident in this case involving Pelosi and the CIA. Then I would ask them if they don’t know what was discussed how they explain that their constituents or other Americans would know what was discussed. After that, you ask then how can we take any stock in these polling numbers when the actual question which was asked was a non-starter?
O come on, poll! At any given time, Congress is about as popular as syphilis.
Ask about anyone in Congress – see what the answer is -
Well, there’s no improvement. Paragraph breaks never did work. But line breaks did, and with those, the dot-on-a-line trick can be used to simulate para breaks. It’s the line breaks that have recently stopped working.
But I have found a new work-around. An empty pair of <blockquote></blockquote> tags makes a real paragraph break.
Thanks for investigating this. But I’m feeling guilty that I’ve distracted you from your substantive work!
Who does PR for these people (the Dems)? I know that there are monumental things happening on the Hill, but is every Democratic Congressman so busy governing that they can’t go on tv and laugh these ******** down? I know the Repubs have nothing to do being shut out of actually running anything (except the MSM), but the fact that people who have lost the backing of the people en mass over the last 3 years can go out and spread lies over the airwaves and no one calls them on it is chilling.
I should run for office as a Republican; apparently they can get away with murdering thousands of people and then call the leader of the opposition a liar and get away with it. No wonder Daniel Pipes endorsed Abombinajar…
first, any time someone says “their source”, no credibility , second , Nancy was not misled, Queen Nancy lied
Right on cue. Check out the Politico article. Boner is asking the press to say ask her about the three letters, CIA.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/24192.html
What I want to know about torture is when people are going to start being held accountable. This is a stupid issue for the GOP to harp on. What matters is that there is accountablility for those who tortured and those who ‘ordered’ the torture. I have no faith that the CIA has any intergrity at all at this point. Without any accountability the CIA must face the fact that the public does NOT trust them whatsoever.
It is outrageous that more action toward accountability regarding torture and the other crimes of the previous administration has not been taken. It is unacceptable… so as far as Nancy Pelosi goes.. she has more credibility than the CIA, period!
“. This is a stupid issue for the GOP to harp on. ”
I agree. They’re trying to change the subject from the illegality to a kind of justification for what cannot be justified. And if that fails, to hold the Democrats responsible with the GOP for what happened. But the more they talk about it, the more obvious it should be that that’s what they are doing.
Hey whatever happened to that redshit guy?
And paragraphs still aren’t working
if I were pelosi, I’d ‘fess up and admit I screwed up.She aided and abetted an illegal situation in deferring to george bush and his band of merry men…
christopherflynn – and you know this because…?
It seems to me that Nancy Pelosi, does not like to air her grievances publicly. She likes to shove the shiv in privately or legislatively (that’s a compliment BTW). It’s time for Pelosi to fight back!!!! We saw Dick & Liz Cheney’s ugly mug for weeks and weeks like a blitzrieg on the airwaves. It seems like Nancy doesn’t really like doing interviews, but she needs to do it.
It’s time for Nancy to fight back! One has to wonder, as Speaker why she hasn’t done more (anything) to investigate an intelligence organization that she claims lies all the time.
Did that poll also find that this issue is deader than dogsh*t? If it did, then maybe it’s worth a second look….
hey guys-really, really sorry re the para breaks and all the tech trouble in general. we ARE on it. it’s just a little harder to fix than everyone anticipated. has something to with a blog being integrated into a wiki site. too complex for my non-techie head.
but hopefully, the “posting too fast” issue is over.
bear with us…we really appreciate it.
-Rachel (editor, whorunsgov.com)
This is not about what Pelosi knew.
It is about the Torture that Bush and Cheney authorized
and the crimes They Committed against
Our Federal Anti-Torture Laws.
See the law: http://tinyurl.com/besdd3
PLEASE
SIGN THE PETITION
To Prosecute Torturers
& Forward it to all
http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG
God bless