Is Taking A Poll And Saying "People Love Me" The Same As Looking In A Mirror And Saying "How Handsome"?

That was the question I had when I read this.

Comments

[VA Blogger]

I think the Governor taking a poll to judge whether the people who elected him approve of the job he is doing is admirable, particularly since there are no public polls available. It's also even more admirable considering that he can't run for re-election.

Releasing the results should also silence critics and give McDonnell more political capital to complete his agenda, with possibly two special sessions coming up.

So to answer your question, there are many, many reasons beyond mere vanity to conduct this poll.

[Dan]

My, my! I thought it would simply be understood by all that Bob McDonnell is the most wonderfullest governor we have ever had! Without the need for a sales job. But since a Republican firm has conducted this poll that says Bob is wildly popular I guess that cinches it. It's not like a Republican outfit whose results can't be evaluated against any upcoming election would be questioned by anyone. I'm sure this is objective truth.

What with all our transportation issues solved and paid for with all that oil money why would anyone not approve of the governor. It's not like he has been wasting his time protecting us from those godless homos or anything.

[Chris]

I actually wonder why nobody has come out for an independent poll. I would be interested in seeing it, since Chris Christie already has about three different polls out.

[5th 4 Hurt]

Just goes to show how little people really care about bullshit like the slavery thing and obscure political appointments.

Must really suck to be a Democrat in 2010.

[Bob4Blowjobs]

No, it merely shows you that a self serving in house poll can show whatever results you like.

What did you expect? Did you expect a Republican poll designed to support the narrative that McDonnell is a great governor who is beloved by all Virginians was going to show anything else? And if they conducted an objective poll rather than a rigged one and it showed McDonnell was not terribly popular with Virginians do you think they would have published those results?

The only thing you have right is that most people don't care about the governor pandering to the neo-Confederate crowd or his other comical moves. Those things don't make it onto their radar screens.

There is a point where the antics of the governor and the AG do draw notice from many regular people though. When they come with sufficient regularity to make Virginia a punch line for comics nationwide it does draw notice. People don't like the state being made a laughingstock.

[VA Blogger]

Chris, New Jersey has the benefit of being regularly polled by Quinnipiac, so they never have to worry about independent public polls being released. Virginia used to have monthly updates on Governor, both Senators, and President conducted by SurveyUSA, but declining media revenues caused whatever newspaper was sponsoring those to cancel it.

Yes, it is a Republican firm, as are nearly all polling outfits that poll and consult for Republican candidates and officials. Very similarly, Democratic firms do the same thing for Democrats. Second, Public Opinion Strategies has their results released all the time for elections; in addition, one of their partners, Bill McInturff, joins up with Democrat Peter Hart every month to conduct the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which is one of the most respected national polls released.

B4BJs, yes, I believe whole-heartedly that this was an objective poll. If it was rigged to favor Republicans, then Obama's numbers would be dramatically worse, not very slightly below the national average (which you would expect in a center-right state like Virginia). If the results showed he wasn't terribly popular, no I don't think he would release them. But then again, the purpose of such a poll is to 1) get your report card and evaluate your performance, and then 2) release the results if they can benefit you politically.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

Public Opinion Strategies is one of the best polling outfits on either side of the aisle. There is no reason to believe that these numbers aren't accurate.

It is very amusing to see Democrats complaining about how their attempts to take the Governor down with sideshows haven't been working. Especially since they love to taunt us with a similar failure with the President's polling numbers.

[Dem in Roanoke]

To amswer your question...Yes. Taking a poll and saying that the people love me IS like looking in the mirror and saying, "How handsome I am!"

McDonnell has a great need to have people like him...

[Rick Smith]

Since no one else has stated the obvious, I will: Of course McDonnell's approval ratings are high right now. He's got Cuccinelli as a basis of comparison. The "at least he's not as crazy as that other guy" factor has got to be worth some serious points.

[Just saying]

Nobody has released any polling ddata to the contrary - and anecdotale evidence very much supports the pol results.

[NotJohnSMosby]

Anecdotal evidence from a bunch of Republicans talking to each other supports that Taliban Bob is popular? That's amazingly scientific work there.

[VA Blogger]

NotJohn, the scientific work is the methodologically sound poll conducted by a respectable polling firm that has zero evidence to the contrary. The Republicans talking to one another are simply easier-than-pie refutations of desperate liberals such as yourself who are still resorting to cheap nicknames.

[Gretchen Laskas]

As someone who is pretty partisan, I don't despise McDonnell, and as long as he isn't giving us reasons to have to think about him, I'd say the number he quotes is probably in the ballpark.

As to why he released the poll right now, I'm guessing that has something to do with Nikki Haley's very excellent press coverage after winning the SC primary. Just a few months ago, McDonnell was the party darling and the favorite for a VP nomination. Now it's Haley. He wants to make sure Republicans know he is still here. Voters aren't the only ones with short memories.....

[Dan]

"attempts to take the Governor down with sideshows"

Brian, you can hardly attribute the "sideshows" to any outside force. Sideshow Bob was the responsible party. No one held a gun to his head and made him say or do stupid or questionable things. He did that all by his lonesome.

Do you really think it reasonable to expect his opponents to remain mute while he was diving off the deep end? Of course the Democrats pointed in his general direction and said "hey, look at that" while he was acting like a nitwit.

[Gretchen Laskas]

Actually, one of the reasons that I don't despise McDonnell is because when we yelled, he often changed course at least somewhat.

So I'll keep yelling! I'm not doing it to bring him down, after all.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

Dan, it depends on the motivations of the opponents. When we're talking about policy disagreements and staffing issues, that's one thing. But there are plenty of Democrats who are simply trumping up any negative story that comes out in the hopes of undermining McDonnell's ability to get his agenda accomplished and to marginalize him for potential future races.

Fortunately, the voters in Virginia don't seem to pay much attention to those attempts, based on this poll.

[Gretchen Laskas]

Of course, the inability to be elected again cuts both ways. I'd much rather yell about something and evoke a change on Mc Donnell's part than worry about his popularity with voters, for the purely practical reason that he can't be reelected. (Yes, yes, there is the Senate, but given the schedule, this would pit McDonnell against Warner, so I'm thinking McD is think more national than state.)

Ken, on the other hand, is a different political calculus.

[TomPaine]

"It is very amusing to see Democrats complaining about how their attempts to take the Governor down with sideshows haven't been working."

Anybody who is not brain-dead knows that Deocrats have no need to make arttempts to "take-down" Taliban Bob; what has been amusing is watching Taliban Bob committing political hari kari on an almost weekly basis.

[Bubby Hussein, Hillbilly Sheikh]

Breathtaking vanity. Does anyone remember a Democratic Virginia Governor who commissioned a poll of his popularity? All haircut, all the the time.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

That's the thing, TP. He is obviously not killing himself politically because he still has a higher approval rating than the percentage ofmpeople who voted for him. That's the point. You guys are sitting around praying he fails ala Rush Limbaugh and yet he is still popular. Go figure.

BHHS, that you can't remember doesn't mean it didn't happen. I can't imagine that they didn't.

[VA Blogger]

Why are people treating this as an exercise in pure vanity, without even acknowledging the many legitimate reasons for conducting this poll?

[Bubby Hussein, Hillbilly Sheikh]

'cause this is what 12 year old girls do.

[VA Blogger]

12 year old girls commission a poll to gauge whether the public approves of the job she's doing or whether she should adjust her actions to be more in line with the people she represents?

[Virginians4Bob]

I love watching Lefties wring their hands and gnash their teeth when they're not in power.

You guys are hilarious. Thanks for the entertainment. Oh -- and keep bashing Bob and Cooch. Y'all are good for a laugh every now and then

[TomPaine]

Paraphrasing Brian on a national level:

"it depends on the motivations of the opponents. When we're talking about policy disagreements and staffing issues, that's one thing. But there are plenty of Republicans who are simply trumping up any negative story that comes out in the hopes of undermining Obams's ability to get his agenda accomplished and to marginalize him for potential future races.

Two can play this game!

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

TP, I already said that you guys were doing to McDonnell what we were doing to Obama.

[TomPaine]

Brian:

Unlike most Republicans who root for Democratic elected officials to fail on amost all issues, I certainly do not want McDonnell to "fail" on managing the Virginia economy: that position is stupid and self-defeating; however, I am hopeful that Bob fails in his efforts toward whatever theocratic plans he may harbor!

Calling attention to Taliban Bob's and Crazy Cooch's political bobbles is not the equivalent of wishing for Virginia to go down the tubes.