Mike Barnicle Replied to my E-Mail

[stewert]

I read about something Barnicle said while on Hardball so I decided to e-mail him. Matthews was talking about the polls on Bush and Kerry, Barnicle said he believed the polls that had Bush 11 points ahead. Even though those polls have proven to be flawed by Rasmussen and Zogby. So I took the time to write an e-mail to Barnicle, after all he claims to be a Kerry supporter, and they say he is a Democrat. I wondered why he would believe these flawed polls. I will post what I wrote to him, then his lame ass corporate non-answer reply.

Original e-mail to Barnicle:

Subject: Hey Barnicle..........
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 22:23:40
To: [e-mail]

I see you on Imus and Hardball so let me ask you a
couple questions.

Why did you fall for those flawed Time and
Newsweek polls that had Bush 11 points ahead. When
everyone with a computer and internet access knew
they were bogus. On Hardball you said the double
digit lead for Bush sounded more realistic to you.
Yet many other polls only gave Bush a small
bounce, Zogby and Rasmussen both have Bush 1 to 2
points ahead, the ICR poll has Bush 1 point ahead,
and the ARG poll has them tied.

The Democrats on the internet caught the flaws in
the Time and Newsweek polls almost as fast as the
results were put out. It was posted on many
Democratic web sites on the net almost instantly.
Time and Newsweek sampled too many Republicans in
their polls, Rasmussen and Zogby both posted
explanations for these polls on their web sites.

Here is what Zogby said:

It Is Not An 11 Point Race

by John Zogby

Their sample of registered voters
includes 38% Republican, 31% Democrat and 31%
Independent voters. If we look at the three last
Presidential elections, the spread was 34%
Democrats, 34% Republicans and 33% Independents
(in 1992 with Ross Perot in the race); 39%
Democrats, 34% Republicans, and 27% Independents
in 1996; and 39% Democrats, 35% Republicans and
26% Independents in 2000. While party
identification can indeed change within the
electorate, there is no evidence anywhere to
suggest that Democrats will only represent 31% of
the total vote this year.

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=859

Here is what Rasmussen said:

Differences Between Polls

September 6, 2004--We have been flooded with
e-mails asking (in varying tones of politeness)
why our poll results seem different from those
released by Time and Newsweek.

Those polls appear to have the mirror image
problem of a Los Angeles Times poll in June
reportedly showing Kerry with a huge lead. That LA
Times survey included too many Democrats in their
sample. Today, it seems likely that Time and
Newsweek included too many Republicans.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Poll%20Differences%20Sept%206.htm

If the country is split 50/50 how could Bush get
an 11 point bounce, and how come you guys in the
media report flawed polls while ignoring the polls
put out by professional polling outlets like
Rasmussen and Zogby ?

When Chris Matthews saw the Time and Newsweek
polls he basically declared the race over and
asked who the Democrats would run in 2008. Tim
Russert only reported the Time and Newsweek polls,
even though many other polls had Bush 1 to 3
points ahead. Can you tell me why the media cherry
picked the Time and Newsweek polls, while ignoring
the Rasmussen and Zogby polls.

I have a folder in my bookmarks called polls, in
that folder I have 8 or 10 polling web sites. I
check it almost daily, so I knew that 11 point
lead was wrong almost as soon as it was reported.
And I am just one guy with no money who has a
computer, so how come the powerful media can not
find out what I did and report it. And how come
they cherry picked the only 2 polls that had Bush
11 points ahead.

Can you please explain this to me Mike, I just
don't get it.

Steve

--------

Reply from Barnicle:

From: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 15:41:35
Subject: Re: Hey Barnicle..........

STEVE: I DON'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO POLLS...I PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MY STOMACH, INSIGHT AND HEARING...UNLESS SEN. KERRY STEPS IT UP A NOTCH, HE COULD BE GONE BEFORE THE FIRST DEBATE.

MB

[girl gone mad]

1. What an idiot.

I would try to write something more insightful, but he isn't worth it.

[Leilani]

2. I am impressed that you received a reply...

I never get answers to my emails.

His answer just goes to show that the cable talk shows just talk to make noise. I am convinced that they love to hear the sounds of their own voices. Especially Matthews.

[Zookeeper]

3. Uhhhh...I think Barnicle should skip his "stomach,

insight and hearing" and go with the facts. After all, isn't that what journalists are supposed to do?

[Killarney]

4. Oh please. Gallup had Bush up by 13 pts days before the 2000 election

Outlier polls mean didly shit. Barnicle should go plagarize another story. Defeatist.

Interesting that he wrote back, though. Thanks for posting.

[0rganism]

5. In all-caps? Really? Wow, what a maroon.

Tempting to write him back that his caps-lock seems to be stuck....

[stellanoir]

6. this speaks volumes about why the media

is no longer comprised journalists.

"I DON'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO POLLS...I PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MY STOMACH, INSIGHT AND HEARING..."

He feeds himself with food bought with money he gets from the Boston Herald (?), 96.9 talk radio, and possibly MSNBC.

If he wants to keep getting paid, he has the insight to know that he must listen to, and repeat the corporate screed.

Forget research and corroboration of facts. They simply don't do it, they care only of their job security.

Last week frigging K. Couric said, "I don't know why Kerry doesn't
get on TV more," arghhhhhh

Last night on CBS, they had a reporter at a Kerry event. Kerry was speaking in the backround and a talking head was talking over him. Then they cut to a close up of * blabbering on inanely about 9/11. It's so infuriating.

Kerry could walk on water and the media would report, "Kerry can't swim."

[baldguy]

7. Sort of selective, isn't he?

If its tied, or Kerry is ahead: "I don't pay much attention to polls."

If Bush is ahead: "My,my - it looks like my friend George has got it locked up. Isn't that wonderful?"

[OneTwentyoNine]

8. Funny how he brings up the debates...

ROFLOL--"Kerry could be gone by the first debate" Har,you guys wish...


No,any minor 1-2 point bounce Chimp got from the Convention will be history,if it isn't already.. and then those damned old debates. How can Chimp slide himself out of at least one or maybe two before Kerry totally wipes the floor with him?

David

[devinsgram]

9. Just sent him an email

suggesting he get a new stomach and see a doctor about his hearing problem.

[Justice]

10. and Barnicle is a friend of Kerry's...

I believe he went to Kerry and Teresa's wedding even.

I am similiarly angry with this behavior. He was talking on the radio on Wednesday this week. He kept saying Kerry had 10 days to turn it around. He had 5 people in a row calling in - two "independents" who both said, I don't like bush, I don't like the war in iraq, but kerry hasn't said anything to earn my vote. Huh?

Then two republicans, then another independent with Mike agreeing with all of them. I called in, was on hold for 10 minutes, then the person came on and said, sorry we are out of time. I said -- isn't it funny that you only let republicans speak? He started to speak "I am sorry"...and I said, "you know what the problem is? The problem is the media. The media is the problem." Then I hung up.

After the DNC Mike was on the radio talking about how his friend John would be president, and shared a few more personal moments with the listeners. When I saw him on MSNBC during the RNC he turned my stomache. Time and time again when Mike could have offered something personal about John that would have been appropriate - like, now wait a minute, I know John Kerry and .... he was silent. He betrayed his friend John Kerry.

I think Barnicle's wife Anne Finnacane (Bank of America president locally) told him to shut up.

[thinkingwoman]

11. barnicle has no intelligence and no integrity

he got canned from his newspaper columnist job because he plagiarized.

Why he has a career left is beyond me.