The Worst AP College Football Voter Ballot I've Seen This Year

I give you Doug Lesmerises of The Cleveland Plain Dealer (figures he's from Cleveland)

 Come on, man. Florida 5?!?! Miami, Houston, and Cincinnati are better than everybody but Alabama? Come on, man. Just come on.


Hat Tip: PollSpeak

College Football Player Poll On Different Topics [Interesting Read]

Let the coaches, writers and computers have their polls. But don't players have opinions? Turns out they do.

This spring, ESPN The Magazine asked 85 FBS players about drugs, playoffs, refs, gay teammates and much more. In exchange for honesty, we promised not to reveal any names or schools -- only secrets.

• Who will win the 2009 Heisman trophy?

When the ballots were counted, it was a landslide -- for Colt McCoy.

The Texas QB received 42 votes, followed by Florida QB Tim Tebow (20) and Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford (9). Four others were named more than once: USC safety Taylor Mays (4), Cal RB Jahvid Best (3), Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant (2) and Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead (2).

• What player would you pay to watch?

Of 19 players, one came up most often: Tebow, who pulled in 35 percent of the votes and was the only QB among the top three. The top five vote-getters: Tebow (30), Tennessee safety Eric Berry (9), OSU's Bryant (7), Texas' McCoy (5) and Florida LB Brandon Spikes (5).

• Who will win the BCS title in January 2010?

Nearly half (40) of the respondents said the Gators will help Tebow win a third BCS title. The other faves: Texas (23), Oklahoma (10), USC (9).

• What is the nation's best program?

By a whisker players named Florida 32-31 over USC. But by the same thin margin, Trojans' boss Pete Carroll was the top pick when players were asked who the smartest coach is. No. 2? Florida's Urban Meyer.

• What is the nation's most overrated program?

More than half of those surveyed (46) named Notre Dame or Ohio State. And the winner, if that's the right word, is -- OSU, 24 to 22. Uh, congratulations, Coach Tressel!

• Do any players on your team take steroids or other PEDs?

Of those surveyed, 55 percent said they know of at least one teammate taking PEDs; among non-BCS players, 53 percent answered yes; 58 percent of BCS players said yes.

• Should drugs and alcohol on campus be a bigger NCAA concern?

Just say no. That's how 52 percent of players answered, with 47 percent saying the NCAA should pay more attention to the issue.

• Should guns on campus be a bigger NCAA concern?

Yes -- 21 percent; no -- 67 percent. While guns were not a concern for most players, 57 percent of the players in the Big East were alarmed at the number of firearms around the team.

• Were you ever offered money during recruiting?

Yes -- 3 percent; no -- 97 percent. Few players admit to cash offers, but many concede the problem exists. Some paused long enough to make us wonder. Answered one Pac-10 player, "No. Well -- no."

• Should players be paid?

A scholarship is worth about $19K a year. It sounds like a lot until you realize the bowl teams in 2008 made 148 million in postseason profit alone. That's why 71 percent of players want to be paid.

• Does the FBS need a playoff?

For the postseason, 75 percent wanted change. Only one conference liked the status quo, 60 percent-40 percent: the Pac-10, winner of one BCS title (USC, 2004) in 11 years.

• Better OT format, college or pro?

College -- 99 percent; pro --1 percent. The lone fan of the NFL rules? A Pac-10 player: "I like that pressure. If you lose the toss, you have to make a play to survive."

• What's the worst rule in college football?

More players are worried about being heard than hurt. Excessive celebration (22 percent) was the most hated penalty, edging horse-collar tackles (12 percent) and crown-of-the-helmet hits (11 percent).

• Does replay work well?

They may not like every call, but 78 percent of those polled think the refs get it right in the end, with identical responses from BCS and non-BCS players.

• Are the refs doing a good job?

Although 57 percent of ACC players see room for improvement, every other conference's players gave the men in black-and-white a vote of confidence. Overall, refs get a 71 percent approval rating.

• Do you notice the cheerleaders at other schools?

An overwhelming 81 percent answered yes. Players singled out seven schools: Clemson, Cincinnati (haha), Florida International, Louisville, South Florida, UCLA and their No. 1 -- Oregon.

• How many times a week do you get hit on?

It's pretty good to be a college football player. On average, they're hit on 5.5 times every week. It's really good to be playing at a BCS school, where players get hit on 6.6 times a week. And it's really, really good to be a Pac-10 player, where that number is 10.2.

• Should academic fraud be a bigger concern for the NCAA?

Yes -- 47 percent; no -- 51 percent. Both sides cited the Florida State scandal. Says one concerned player: "Look at what they're doing at FSU." Says one unconcerned player: "Look at what they're doing to FSU."

• Do you have any gay teammates?

Almost half of those surveyed (49.4 percent, to be exact) said yes, they believe they have at least one gay teammate. In the Pac-10, 70 percent of those surveyed said yes.

• Does the NCAA do enough to promote fair-hiring practices?

Even though only seven of the 120 FBS head coaches are African-American, the majority of players (61 percent) don't see a need to address minority hires. (This one makes me frown, even moreso than the OSU overrated question. Damn.)


(Credit: ESPN & Bruce Feldman and Ryan Hockensmith )

Gallup: Obama is as Popular as Bush is Unpopular

Men lie, women lie, numbers don't.

1 Week Out From The Election

Here's how its looking right now in a couple key states mixed with a couple national polls. Finish it out now.

And A Quick Check-In Of The Polls As They Stand...

Because I haven't done it in a while.

New Poll Numbers In FL, OH & PA Post-Debate

Poll numbers is what I do around here:

FLORIDA: Obama 51 - McCain 43

OHIO: Obama 50 - McCain 42

PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 54 - McCain 39

(link via Quinnipiac)

One Final Post Debate Poll (I Promise)

I know it's Sunday and the debate is already dissipating from our memories like a fart in the wind but one final poll conducted by USA Today/Gallup finds Americans who responded think Obama won the debate.

A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows 46% of people who watched Friday night's presidential debate say Democrat Barack Obama did a better job than Republican John McCain; 34% said McCain did better.
debate

Obama scored even better -- 52%-35% -- when debate-watchers were asked which candidate offered the best proposals for change to solve the country's problems.

More than six in 10 people or 63% in the one-day poll, taken Saturday, said they watched the first faceoff in Oxford, Miss. For those 701 people, the margin of error was +/- 4 percentage points.

The poll suggested the debate was to some extent a wash for McCain: 21% of those who watched say it gave them a more favorable view of him, 21% say less favorable and 56% say it didn't change their opinion much.

Three in 10 said their opinion of Obama became more favorable after seeing the debate, compared to 14% who said less favorable and 54% who said it didn't make much difference.

More than one-third of viewers, or 37%, said they had less confidence in McCain to fix economic problems after seeing the debate; 23% said more. For Obama, the survey results were 34% more confidence, 26% less.

Neither candidate broke away on national security and foreign policy. About a third of viewers said they had more confidence in each man on that front after the debate, and slightly less in each case said they had less confidence.

Obama held a 5-percentage-point lead over McCain, 49%-45%, in the Gallup tracking poll taken Wednesday through Friday. Tomorrow's poll will be the first to include impact from the debate.

More Debate Polling

CNN:

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one better described Barack Obama or John McCain during tonight's debate:

• The current financial crisis: Obama 54%, McCain 36%

• Was more intelligent: Obama 55%, McCain 30%

• Expressed his views more clearly: Obama 53%, McCain 36%

• Spent more time attacking his opponent: McCain 60%, Obama 23%

• Was more sincere and authentic: Obama 46%, McCain 38%

• Seemed to be the stronger leader: Obama 49%, McCain 43%

• Was more likable: Obama 61%, McCain 26%

• Was more in touch with the needs and problems of people like you: Obama 62%, McCain 32%

Even Fox News Focus Groups!

Finally, The Post Debate Polling...

From CBS:

Forty percent of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. Twenty-two percent thought John McCain won. Thirty-eight percent saw it as a draw.

Forty-six percent of uncommitted voters said their opinion of Obama got better tonight.

Sixty-eight percent of uncommitted voters think Obama would make the right decisions about the economy. Forty-one percent think McCain would.

Forty-nine percent of these voters think Obama would make the right decisions about Iraq. Fifty-five percent think McCain would.

From CNN:

CNN/OPINION RESEARCH CORPORATION POLL OF DEBATE WATCHERS

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Obama 51%
McCain 38%


Who Would Better Handle Economy?

Obama 58%
McCain 37%


Who Would Better Handle Iraq?

Obama 52%
McCain 47%

From Insider Advantage:

Obama won 42%, McCain won 41%, Undecided: 17%

In Todays Political News...

New Electoral Map
If West Virginia is a toss-up than you might have already lost McCain. West fucking Virginia.

Also Warren Buffet has economic trust in Barack and Hillary.

"I would put either one of them in charge of a business."

That's the richest businessman in the world talking about Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

But John McCain's business adviser doesn't McNutjob should run a business. And now she's going to be disappeared for saying so.

Of course Buffett is right: Obama has been running his multi-millionaire dollar campaign, and doing very very well at it.

Obama: fit to run a business.

McCain: fit to run his mouth.

Lastly, the latest poll numbers:

Obama ahead by a margin of 48 percent to 43 percent (According to a national CBS News/New York Times poll)

New Mexico	SurveyUSA	Obama 52, McCain 44	Obama +8

Wisconsin	Rasmussen	Obama 48, McCain 46	Obama +2
Oregon	Rasmussen	Obama 51, McCain 47	Obama +4
National	Gallup Tracking	McCain 45, Obama 47	Obama +2
National	Rasmussen Tracking	McCain 48, Obama 47	McCain +1
National	Hotline/FD Tracking	McCain 42, Obama 45	Obama +3
Florida	CNN/Time	McCain 48, Obama 48	Tie
Ohio	CNN/Time	McCain 47, Obama 49	Obama +2
North Carolina	CNN/Time	McCain 48, Obama 47	McCain +1
Virginia	PPP (D)	McCain 46, Obama 48	Obama +2
Wisconsin	CNN/Time	Obama 50, McCain 47	Obama +3
Indiana	CNN/Time	McCain 51, Obama 45	McCain +6
Rhode Island	Rasmussen	Obama 58, McCain 39	Obama +19
National	CBS News/NY Times	McCain 44, Obama 49	Obama +5
National	CBS News/NY Times	McCain 43, Obama 49, Nader 2, Barr 1	Obama +6
National	Reuters/Zogby	McCain 45, Obama 47	Obama +2
National	Ipsos Public Affairs	McCain 45, Obama 45, Nader 2, Barr 1	Tie
Virginia	CNU Virginia Poll	McCain 48, Obama 39	McCain +9
California	Field	Obama 52, McCain 36	Obama +16

Obama winning in 10/15 state polls released today. I'll take it.

Good day, today.

Latest Polls & Obama Taking The High Road Concerning Candidate's Children

From Diageo/Hotline Poll: Obama 48, McCain 39
Gallup Daily Tracking Poll : Obama (D) 50%, McCain (R) 42%
Sep 2 ARG: Obama (D) 49%, McCain (R) 43%
Rasmussen Poll: Obama (D) 51%, McCain (R) 45%

It's looking good right now and when you average all the polls together you're looking at Obama + 7.2%. I should note though that these are just national polls and elections are won by states and not by the country's numbers as we all well know via Al Gore in 2000. National polls might oversample from certain states and that could affect the numbers one way or the other but everything is trending towards Obama and it's being consistently born out in all the recent polling so this is a great sign. Let's hope it continues...

-----------------------------------

Obama yesterday on the pregnancy of Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Gov. Sarah Palin and his thoughts about coverage of it:

Certainly the honorable respectful approach by any measurement. Commendable.
Now let's see how the G.O.P stands on attacking candidate's children:

John McCain on Chelsea Clinton in '98:

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

Rush Limbaugh on Chelsea Clinton in '93:

Limbaugh mentioned to his viewing audience that the Clintons had a cat, and displayed a photo of the well-known White House cat, "Socks." Continued Limbaugh, "But did you know they also have a White House dog?", at which point what came up on the screen was a picture of thirteen-year-old Chelsea Clinton

Stay classy, GOP.

Race questions cast doubt on presidential polls

The year was 1984, and the state was Iowa. A white man who had just voted walked out of his precinct caucus and saw the Rev. Jesse Jackson standing outside.

"I did all I could," the man told Jackson ruefully, "but I just couldn't bring myself to pull the lever and vote for you."

L. Douglas Wilder laughs as he relates the story Jackson once told him, the sting eased by time and Wilder's vantage point as the nation's first elected black governor.

Now it's a quarter of a century later, and the man everyone's talking about is Barack Obama, the Illinois senator holding a slim lead in many polls. But can the polls be trusted? A central question about race and politics hasn't changed since 1984: Do white people lie — to pollsters or even to themselves — about their willingness to vote for black candidates?

In the not-so-distant past, the consensus was a clear yes. Today, however, there is widespread disagreement about whether Obama is subject to the predicament known as the Wilder or Bradley Effect — whether in the privacy of the voting booth, white people will actually pull the lever for the first black man to come within shouting distance of the presidency.

Given that surveys can have trouble uncovering the truth about many things besides race, plus the massive technological, demographic and cultural changes in play, this question is contributing to an almost unprecedented air of uncertainty surrounding this year's polls.

In 1989, Wilder polled as many as 15 points ahead in the days before the election for Virginia governor, but squeaked into office by a minuscule 6,700 votes. David Dinkins had a similar experience that year, when he became New York City's first black mayor. And the phenomenon was first noted in 1982, when Tom Bradley endured a stunning defeat in the California governor's race after exit polls indicated he was the winner.

The reason for these disparities? A significant amount of white people did not admit that race played a role in their voting decision, pollsters and academics say. Another factor: When the person asking the questions was black, respondents were more likely to say they favored the black candidate.

In the recent Democratic primary, exit polls in 28 states overstated Obama's actual share of the final vote.

Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, doesn't think people are lying to pollsters today about their support for Obama, "because I don't think there's a lot of stigma in saying you're voting for John McCain." Kohut said it's not like polls are asking, "Do you want to vote for the white guy or the black guy?"

But he did see potential for error based on the people who decline to participate in polls, whom he describes as largely lower-income whites more likely than the population at large to have racially intolerant views.

"The real frailty of our polls is that we get very high refusal rates, and we survive because the people who we interview are like the people who we don't interview on most things," Kohut said. "(Racism) is not one of them."

So are current polls accurate? "I don't know," Kohut said, "and to be honest with you, this is something every pollster I know is concerned about."

Wilder, now the mayor of Richmond, Va., said his internal polls during the governor's race showed it to be much closer than most people thought. "It was clear that people were having the first opportunity to vote for an African-American, and there was uncertainty," he said. "You know, 'Is he going to be fair, is he just going to look out for his own people. And who are his own people?' I think we've come a great distance from that. I've seen the progress."

So is Wilder ready to bury the Wilder Effect?

"No, I won't say that," he said with a laugh. "I won't go that far."

Daniel J. Hopkins will. The Harvard University postdoctoral fellow examined data from 133 gubernatorial and Senate elections from 1986 to 2006 and concluded that the effect vanished in the early 1990s as racially divisive issues such as crime and welfare reform receded from the national stage.

Hopkins said that race could play a larger role if it is injected into the campaign — as it often is in the waning days of close contests involving black candidates.

Days before the 2006 Senate election in Tennessee, with polls showing the race almost deadlocked, Republicans released an ad featuring a ditzy blond actress saying she met Harold Ford Jr. at the Playboy Club and asking the black Democrat to "call me." Ford lost.

In 1990's tight North Carolina Senate contest. Republican Jesse Helms was running about even with Democrat Harvey Gantt when he released an ad showing white hands crumpling a job rejection letter as a narrator mentioned racial quotas. Helms won.

Blacks, too, have sought to use race to their political advantage: In a congressional primary this month in Memphis, a black challenger tried to link the incumbent, Steve Cohen, to the Ku Klux Klan. Cohen won easily.

While Obama may face some of these historical hurdles, there are other, unprecedented factors at work: a presidential instead of statewide election, a spike in black voters and the increase in young voters who are more racially tolerant, watch more YouTube than television and eschew the land telephone lines used by most polls.

The racial pendulum may even have swung back the other way, said Anthony G. Greenwald, a psychology professor at the University of Washington, citing a "reverse Bradley Effect" during the Democratic primary: In states with larger black populations, such as Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia, Obama got more votes than polls predicted.

Like Kohut, Greenwald doesn't think people are deliberately lying in polls. But he does see potential for polling errors due to undecided white voters overstating their support for Obama or choosing McCain at the last minute, and the influence of "racial attitudes and stereotypes that people in many cases are not aware they have."

Many pollsters are trying to adjust their methods to account for these unprecedented variables. It's not easy, however, to solve these new problems in the heat of a tight presidential race.

"I don't think anyone is correct or incorrect, including me," Greenwald said of the current poll numbers. "To get to the heart of that, you'd have to do the kinds of research that haven't been done."

The Obama campaign declined to comment on how it conducts its polling. The McCain campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Matthew Dowd, an ABC News commentator and former chief strategist for President Bush's 2004 campaign, expects the Wilder Effect to be a "small factor" in November. "I wouldn't want to be Barack Obama and up two points going into Election Day," he said.

"My guess is that (the Obama campaign) understands that and they know it's not enough to be ahead," Dowd said. "They have to be ahead by a lot."

The Newest Presidential Polls In The Battle Ground States

National	Pew Research	Obama 47, McCain 42	Obama +5.0
Oklahoma	Sooner Poll	McCain 56, Obama 24	McCain +32.0
New York	Siena	Obama 44, McCain 26	Obama +18.0

Kentucky	Research 2000	McCain 56, Obama 35	McCain +21.0

Pennsylvania	Strategic Vision (R)	Obama 49, McCain 40	Obama +9.0
Washington	Strategic Vision (R)	Obama 48, McCain 37	Obama +11.0
Pennsylvania	Quinnipiac	Obama 49, McCain 42	Obama +7.0
Ohio	Quinnipiac	Obama 46, McCain 44	Obama +2.0
Florida	Quinnipiac	McCain 44, Obama 46	Obama +2.0
California	PPIC	Obama 50, McCain 35	Obama +15.0

Montana	Rasmussen	McCain 47, Obama 47	Tie
Idaho	Research 2000	McCain 53, Obama 37	McCain +16.0

Michigan

PPP (D)

Obama 46, McCain 43

Obama +3.0

Very interesting. I'll keep you all up to date but this is going to come down to November. We can all see that coming even though we're in the midst of an election that a Democrat shouldn't lose. We'll see.

And For Those Keeping Score At Home, Some New State Polls

New York Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 60%, John McCain 29%

Georgia Poll Released by InsiderAdvantage Poll Position: Barack Obama 44%, John McCain 46%, Bob Barr 4%

Connecticut Poll Released by Research 2000 for Daily Kos: Barack Obama 57%, John McCain 35%

Rhode Island Poll Released by Rhode Island College: Barack Obama 53%, John McCain 25%

Montana Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 48%, John McCain 43%

Florida Poll Released by Public Policy Polling: Barack Obama 46%, John McCain 44%

North Carolina Poll Released by Public Policy Polling: Barack Obama 41%, John McCain 45%, Bob Barr 5%

Massachusetts Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 53%, John McCain 33%

New Wa. Poll: Obama up by 8, leads McCain 47-39

Obama leads McCain in new statewide Michigan poll, 48-42

Needless to day, save a few states, it's looking good and the narrative continues that this election is truly Barack's to win or lose.

New ABC/Wall Street Journal Polls and Inside Numbers In Obama's Favor

(According to the new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll) In the head-to-head matchup, Obama leads McCain over all 47-41 and among the following demographics:

African Americans (83-7 percent)
Hispanics (62-28)
Women (52-33)
Catholics (47-40)
Independents (41-36)
Blue-collar workers (47-42)
White Women (46-39)
Clinton Primary Voters (61-19)

Not a shoe-in just yet but it's looking good for the man right now unless his former church starts up again with that bullshit.