Like a problem gambler, CBS News has a hard habit to break. Apparently, the network didn't learn anything from Rathergate. CBS has an addiction when it comes to trying to influence events with well-timed "news".
Dan Rather and CBS Evening News released documents on the eve of the 2004 election that purported to show that President Bush was a slacker. The validity of those documents was immediately challenged and they were found to be fakes.
Now, CBS releases a poll on the eve of an important Congressional vote that purports to show that anyone opposing SCHIP is a slacker. The validity of that poll should be challenged. Later, more rational polls will find these results to be something of a fake also.
From CBS News:
CBS) As Democrats try to rally support to override President Bush's veto, a CBS News poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans support legislation that would expand a popular children's health insurance program.
Eight in 10 Americans favor expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP, including large majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
So CBS would have us believe that only 19% of Americans disapprove of this blatant attempt at government expansion? There's more validity in a post-debate poll showing 76% of Americans favor Ron Paul as president. Brent Baker over at NewsBusters has more on the poll's inner workings.
Looking on CBS's website, there was no information that the poll had a statistical margin of error of +/- 36%, but perhaps there should have been. That's approximately the number of Americans that consistently poll against the expansion of government services on general principles.
So CBS will intone it's results on the air, hoping to stampede faint-hearted Republicans into voting for yet another program for which the money will have to be found to pay for. That will be difficult to do.
Just like not buying a lottery ticket is for a problem gambler.
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