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Fox News' ObamaCare Poll Is A Joke

Posted by Ellen -7842.60pc on February 10, 2014 · Flag

Here's how Fox News used one of its own polls to spread anti-ObamaCare propaganda.

Last October, just after the Republican-led government shutdown ended and as the ObamaCare rollout was in the throes of dysfunction, Fox News conducted a poll. There were questions about the public's feelings for President Obama, Congress, Democrats, Republicans and, of course, the Affordable Care Act. It's worth noting that Fox's poll used the derisive term "ObamaCare" for the Act, as opposed to its real name or "health care reform" or "health reform law" or some other neutral term that most other polls used.

Fox's October 23, 2013 poll asked the following questions about ObamaCare:

34. In general, how do you feel about the health care law known as Obamacare? Do you think the law should stay in place or would you get rid of it? 

Notice how "fix it" wasn't an option? For the record, 41% said to keep the law, 51% wanted to get rid of it.

Then came this "question":

36. And which of the following do you think best describes how Obamacare is being carried out and implemented?

The only answers to choose from were, "It's going fine" and "It's a joke."

As iMediaEthics, which alerted us to this poll today, noted:

As a way to manipulate what passes for public opinion, this question is a gem. How could anyone who gave even a scintilla of attention to the news during that period say the rollout was going “fine”? No one in the White House would have said that, nor would have any members of Congress – including Democrats. So, does that mean that everyone else thought the rollout was a “joke”?

Well, as Eliza Doolittle exclaimed when asked if she was going to walk across the park, “Not bloody likely!” But the contrivance that 60% of the public thought the rollout was a joke was fun trash talk for pundits grasping for something…anything…to fill those 24 hours.

Sure enough, Fox milked the results it all but guaranteed itself it would find. The day the poll was published, Fox'News.com's Dana Blanton ignored such results as a new disapproval rating for Republicans (Question 4), a significant uptick in the sentiment that the Tea Party is bad for the country (Question 33) and that 85% of all respondents had not even tried to access the glitch-plagued ObamaCare website (Question 37). Her headline was, "Fox News Poll: 60 percent of voters think implementation of ObamaCare is 'a joke'."

From there, the spin spread to other news outlets:

Townhall.com (whose News Editor just happens to be paid Fox News Contributor Katie Pavlich) published an article the next day called, "Poll finds 60% believe implementation of ObamaCare has been a 'joke'." 

The Washington Times fed the results to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), got his predictable (and prompted) affirmation and then promoted it. Their October 24 article included this paragraph:

Asked about a new Fox News poll that showed six in 10 Americans feel the implementation of Obamacare has been a joke, Mr. McConnell quipped that the law is an “expensive joke.”

The Washington Times then trumpeted the quote they had all but manufactured (with a little help from Fox) in its headline: "Sen. Mitch McConnell calls Obamacare an ‘expensive joke.’"

Fox News: Where they don't just distort the news and the facts but help create them.

 

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Ellen commented 2014-02-13 23:31:17 -0500 · Flag
Karl Yackel, You think that someone having a different political view than you are is “the worst threat in America?” You have been banned for such anti-American comments. Don’t. You. Ever. Come. Back. Here.
Jerry Waddle commented 2014-02-13 12:18:09 -0500 · Flag
Karl, “FOX News is brave and honest”???? Cowardly, deceptive, deceitful, unscrupulous, is more like it. Rogers Ailes is a domestic terrorist. You need to see a doctor. You’ve obviously OD’ed on Kool-Aid. Have you applied for your ACA coverage yet? Your best bet for complete recovery is electro-shock therapy. Kill off all of your damaged brain cells and start from scratch.
Karl Yackel commented 2014-02-13 09:03:16 -0500 · Flag
FOX News is brave and honest- you should be grateful that there is some clarity fighting back against CNN – (Communist News Network) and the socialist complaint lapdog media types like MSNBC and the rest Liberalism is the worst threat in America today.
radpat_USA commented 2014-02-11 14:23:02 -0500 · Flag
Another poll providing evidence that one’s level of ignorance is directly proportional to the amount of time one spends watching Fox News.
Jerry Waddle commented 2014-02-10 21:55:36 -0500 · Flag
The real joke is Fox News.
truman commented 2014-02-10 18:35:08 -0500 · Flag
The teabaggers who exclusively watch Fux Noise have been trained like circus animals to loath anything associated with the name “Obama”.
NewsHounds posted about Fox News' ObamaCare Poll Is A Joke on NewsHounds' Facebook page 2014-02-10 17:17:11 -0500
At least it should be seen as a joke.








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