"Hey, Mr. Pollster Man! Are These Numbers for Real?"

Does anybody really believe polling data anymore? They should, when the results are understood in the right context, says the master of polling, John Zogby, who joins the Wilshire & Washington co-hosts today. Zogby, author of The Way We'll Be and President of Zogby International, drops in to deconstruct polling numbers we'll see in the final days before the 2008 presidential election. He also talks generational changes and those ridiculous "baby boomers," what generation Obama is part of, how this election is reminiscent of 1980, the myth that youth voters have not delivered at the ballot box in previous elections, and how kids today are simply more worldly and how that affects their voting. He also addresses criticism of his polling brought by Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight, as well as how his uniquely historical approach is different from the work of others in his field.

Ted, Teresa, and Maegan also talk Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage, with Ted's report from a star-studded fundraiser in Hollywood. What's the deal with the "No On No. 8" ads never showing any gay people? How did Ellen suddenly become a political player? What's the nuanced position of the Obama/Biden ticket on this issue and is it political bravery or cowardliness? The hosts also talk Patriotism and Michelle Bachmann's "anti-America" comments as well as the bi-partisan viewing habits of America.

Listen to the show here or use the Blog Talk Radio player:

Wilshire & Washington, the weekly Blog Talk Radio program that explores the intersection of politics, entertainment, and new media, features co-hosts Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Variety; conservative blogger Teresa Valdez Klein (www.teresacentric.com), and liberal blogger Maegan Carberry (www.maegancarberry.com). The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30am PST on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Comments

[research]

Polls reach old people with land lines and time on their hands.

[Badbone]

How much would you question the data if it had Obama leading by 20 points?

[ckinsobe]

RCP 7+ for Obama
Reuters/Zogby/C-Span 10+ for Obama
ABC News/Wash Post 11+ for Obama
FOX News 9+ for Obama

[Pdubya]

polling data? i don't even believe in ballot data. Live Free or Diebold.

www.blackboxvoting.org

[Mildmannered]

a tie according to an AP poll -- 44-43

[Ginger5]

thats why we have the RCP average

[RobinSeattle]

That AP poll oversampled evangelicals and southern voters in general, so it has no credibility.