Read the fine print

The headline on the CNN.com web site suggested President Barack Obama’s health care address to Congress really rang the bell with Americans: “Poll finds big swing after Obama speech”. The report said a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 67 percent of those who watched Obama’s speech favored his health care plans. Now, that’s not the same thing as 67 percent of all Americans — just those who tuned in to the speech. Indeed, further on the report says the poll same was weighted to include way more Democrats than Republicans — 45 percent to 18 percent. With that kind of sample the only real news would have been a poll that found the speech bombed.