Obama Blagojevich Scandal Involvement Believed By 45% Of Voters: Poll

Blogger Matt Yglesias has been in Finland lately, studying up on their education policy, but all it took was a single viewing of Morning Joe to bring him up to speed with the new way the political press corps has been abusing their platform:

[T]his morning on MSNBC there was a lengthy discussion of Obama's involvement in Blagojevich's corruption. Of course, there was no evidence of any involvement on Obama's part. Nor, despite this being a news channel, was there any original reporting of any kind whatsoever. There was, however, a ton of time spent criticizing the Obama campaign's PR strategy with regard to this issue -- the suggestion being that had Obama adopted a better PR strategy, then people wouldn't be on television making evidence-free guilt-by-association accusations against him.

This strong me as odd. The people making the accusations kept acknowledging that they had no evidence. One might think that communicating to television personalities the fact that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on Obama's part would constitute a good PR strategy. Given that they knew there was no evidence of wrongdoing, they should have ceased implying that there was wrongdoing. But they didn't do that at all. Not, I would submit, because of any failings on Obama's part, but because Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, John Heileman, Mark Halperin, and Pat Buchanan don't care at all about the accuracy of the impression their coverage gives.

I really can't sum up the past week of coverage any better. What I can do, however, is relate the effects of this coverage. Via Rasmussen Reports:

Forty five percent (45%) of U.S. voters say it is likely President-elect Obama or one of his top campaign aides was involved in the unfolding Blagojevich scandal in Illinois, including 23% who say it is Very Likely.

Just 11% say it is not at all likely, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken Thursday and Friday nights.

A key finding, by the way? "Voters nationally are more skeptical than those in Illinois."

What can I say? THE SYSTEM WORKS.

Comments

[hernan1333]

Not surprising. This percentage is consistent (just a little less) with that percentage of voters who voted against Obama. There's still alot of people upset about Obama winning this election and it won't matter how many polls or surveys you conduct , if the topic deals with guilt by association (and even if Obama is completely innocent ) Joe the Plumber will gobble it up.

[LiberalBuzz]

I wonder if they actually enjoy tearing down a politician?

Obstructionism at it's outright best.

Keep repeating a lie so often that eventually people begin to believe it is truth.

[wrenny]

Oh, it's even worse than that - they just keep repeating "questions" that don't relate to any reality, and try to create the same reaction that an out and out lie would.

[KRYSTY]

I am surprised that the so-called left leaning MSNBC attacks Obama about non issues than other networks. MSNBC played the REV Wright rants more than Fox news did. So, we all need to stop fooling ourselves about that network just because they have KEITH AND RACHEL. Also, have you noticed that since Matthews decided not to run for Senate, he has been really going after Obama? Finally, the best way to deal with them is to stop watching their shows. The more we watch, the higher their ratings. Joe Scarborough's ratings are high because of LIBERALS, but he spends most of his time insulting LIBERALS and Obama. NO MSNBC except RACHEL AND KEITH.

[WonderingNThinking]

NBC and FOX are pretty tight lately. For instance, did you know about their joint venture, "Hulu.com"?

[BlackMaybe]

Morning Joe has become the Howard Stern of TV!!! More people who watch him, hate him!!! He knows this and he keeps you watching. He's only going to get more outrageous.

The last time I watch Joe was on Nov 5th, so I could look at his eyes and see the anger that O won and I haven't watched since.

He's a Pr!ck and won't get my viewership. The best way to hurt these guys is not to watch. I give some a chance (Wolff, Anderson) but Joe is the only host outside of Fox that I despise. He is Fox!!

[lafrance]

Ha! I did the same thing!!!!!!!!! Watched on Nov 5 to see if he would even show up or stay home pouting with Pat Buchanan. or just sit and look stonily and throw insults about Obama.

[AndyDandy]

Well Howard Stern has good ratings..... can't say the same for lil joey.

[wendynyc]

Stop watching Morning Joe - it is disgusingly biased1

[dbg2]

I wanted to ask Hannity if it was true that he was castrated when he was 13 but I couldn't reach him by phone. Now there is some good solid "news".

[vjoseph]

ROFL

[mckinley]

"it is likely President-elect Obama or one of his top campaign aides was involved" --

that's a pretty sketchy, open statement.

And let's not forget that the percentage of people who believe this, is LESS than the percentage of your friends and neighbors who voted for McCain and Palin....

[chriss0114]

He must be involved because... well... because he knows who Blago is and... well Innannity Hannity says there musrt be a connection since they are from Illinois so there must be SOMETHING? Right?

All the right-wingers are smearing (strike that!) saying so...

[dspencer3491]

The people who believe this are the people who voted for McCain. No Obama voter could possibly believe the medias propaganda.

[courageunderfire]

Yes, about the same number of people who voted for Bush and listen to Limbaugh.
What else is new........

[water57]

First, Morning Joe's jokes were all over Obama about the transition leaks like flies on dog feces. Since, the transition leaks prove to be a joke, because most of the public viewed the the transition favorably. Now, the unfunny clowns are acting like they will win some type of award if they can create seeds of doubts about Obama despite the facts of the case. In fact, if it can be proven that Obama team did nothing wrong, then joke is on the Morning Joe's jokes. Honestly, how would anyone be able to view the show without laughing at them make hopeless clowns out of themselves.

[solid]

I wish I had a shoe handy for all these dishonest "journalists".

[vjoseph]

I've been throwing shoes all day

[KarenT]

This poll is very misleading as it asks who thinks they were "involved". What does that mean? I would say yes as I think they may be involved in helping the prosecutor with evidence. For the media to then take this poll and assume that people think he or someone on his staff is in the wrong, is misleading.

[movecenter]

Exactly. And one would expect that someone from Obama's team spoke to the governor. That hardly means there's any wrongdoing. This article is just as lame as MSNBC's coverage.

[DHC]

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- this country needs to apply the same scrutiny to the MSM that the MSM applies to politicians... Also, during 8 years of Bush/Cheney, the MSM ignored facts and outright illegal activity, hint: see the criminal Karl Rove being treated as a brilliant political strategist. NOW, the MSM will let loose with suppositions, conjecture, hunches, hell even dreams, and indict Obama at every turn, just like the Clinton years. The fact that the economy is collapsing around us will not be reported because the cable and network news stars aren't journalists, they're too stupid to understand, investigate, and report on the economy. But the Blago business and Obama, now that they can sink their teeth into. It's disgusting. And, it will be yet another factor that destroys our country from the inside out.

[WendyInCA]

For goodness sake, how idiotic do Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, John Heileman, Mark Halperin, and Pat Buchanan have to get before people stop watching them?

They fan the flames of their imaginary fire and make misleading and incorrect statements to encourage people to believe in the fire that isn't there, They hash out the minutia of their own ridiculous fantasies; Doth Obama protest too much? Doth he protest too little? Wasn't his tone of voice a little defensive? Was his tone too flat to be believable? Didn't he have a tiny speck of ketchup on his sleeve and didn't his last housekeeper say that he never eats ketchup unless he's hiding something?

My question to you grown men who perhaps at one point in your lives had the dream of becoming journalists - aren't you embarrassed to be acting this way? How do you feel when you go home at night? Like you've done a great job bringing the news to America? I don't think so. You are so far from journalism that you might as well start a daytime talk show and so that you can stop pretending you are reporting news.

The title "journalist" applies to not a single one of this crowd...and is so rarely found nowadays.