Politics magazine Poll of Readers Says Media Showed Clear bias toward Obama during the 2008 Campaign
A poll of Campaigns & Elections' Politics magazine subscribers shows political insiders pick both expected winners and some surprises in evaluating the 2008 election and the political season ahead. Among the results to be presented by Mark J. Penn at the Politics magazine Reed Awards and conference on Thursday, January 22:
Sarah Palin is seen as the "Best Villain" of the 2008 election, named by 23% of respondents. Joe Lieberman (17%) and John Edwards (16%) split the second-place votes.
Who would you say was the "Best Villain" of the 2008 election?
Sarah Palin 23%
Joe Lieberman 17%
John Edwards 16%
Michelle Bachmann 7%
Rudy Giuliani 6%
Ron Paul 5%
Elizabeth Dole 4%
Barack Obama 4%
John McCain 3%
Other 12%
Don't Know 3%Hillary Clinton's "3 A.M. Ad" was named the "Best TV Spot" of the 2008 election, selected by 31% of respondents. Barack Obama's advertisement "The Moment" finished in second- place (24%), with John McCain's "Celebrity" (11%), Mike Huckabee's "Chuck Norris Approved" (9%), and Bill Richardson's "Job Interviews" (7%) sharing third-place honors.
Which of the following political advertisements would you say was the "Best TV spot" of the 2008 election?
Hillary Clinton – "3 AM" 31%
Barack Obama – "The Moment" 24%
John McCain – "Celebrity" 11%
Mike Huckabee – "Chuck Norris Approved" 9%
Bill Richardson – "Job Interviews" 7%
Mitt Romney – "Experience Matters" 3%
Republican National Committee – "Storm" 3%
Mike Gravel – "Throws a Rock in a Lake" 1%
Other 4%
Don't Know 6%
Most respondents (63%) said that the national media exhibited a clear bias in favor of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, while roughly one-quarter said the media fairly represented all the candidates (23%). Few respondents said the media exhibited a clear bias in favor of Hillary Clinton (5%) or John McCain (5%).
Which of the following is closer to your view?
In general, the national media exhibited a clear bias in favor of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign. 63%
In general, the national media fairly represented all the candidates in the 2008 campaign, and did not assist any one candidate above the others. 23%
In general, the national media exhibited a clear bias in favor of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign. 5%
In general, the national media exhibited a clear bias in favor of John McCain during the 2008 campaign. 5%
Don't Know 4%
The full poll, to be presented by Mark J. Penn, will include results of these additional question:
-Who would you say was the "Best Political Duo" of the 2008 election?
-Which of the following would you say was the "Best Slogan" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Best Political Strategist" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Person You Would Most Want on Your Team" of the 2008 election?
-Which of the following political advertisements would you say was the "Best TV spot" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Best Villain" of the 2008 election?
-In your view, what was the "Most Surprising Event" of the 2008 election season?
-Which of the following is closer to your view about media bias in the 2008 election season?
-Who would you say was the "Best Pundit" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Worst Pundit" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Best Columnist" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Worst Columnist" of the 2008 election?
-Who would you say was the "Best Political Blogger" of the 2008 election?
-Which of the following would you say was the "Best-Run Senate Campaign" of the 2008 election?
-Which of the following would you say was the "Best-Run Governor's Campaign" of the 2008 election?
-Which of the following would you say was the "Interest Group Which Had the Biggest Impact" during the 2008 election?
-Which of the following would you say was the "Issue That Most Gained in Importance" during the 2008 election?
-How important do you think this issue will be in the first 100 days? [economy, tax policy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Global War on Terror, healthcare, energy issues, environmental issues]
-Which of the following is closer to your view about additional government loans to GM, Chrysler, and/or Ford?
-Who would you say is President-elect Barack Obama's "Best Cabinet Pick"?
-Thinking about the Obama Administration after the Inauguration, who would you say is the "Cabinet -Member Most Likely to Succeed"?
-Starting from his Inauguration, please indicate on the drop-down menu here how long you think the "honeymoon" will last for President-elect Barack Obama?
-If President-elect Barack Obama called you today and asked you to work in his administration, what would you say?
-If you could give President-elect Barack Obama one piece of advice, what would it be? [open-ended]Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates conducted 475 internet interviews with current subscribers of Politics Magazine on January 3-13, 2009. The margin of error is +/- 4.5%. For more information, contact Beth Lester, blester@ps-b.com or (202) 842-0500.
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