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angelatc
08-23-2007, 08:37 PM
http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/primarysource/2007/08/a_trick_questio.html

Thursday, August 23, 2007
A trick question or weird poll?

The Divided We Fail campaign (the conglomeration of heavy-weights like the AARP, SEIU, and Business Roundtable) released a new poll of likely primary and caucus voter in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada.

The group wants candidates from both parties to present comprehensive plans for healthcare and retirement security.

The results of one question in particular poll will be sure to raise a few eyebrows. Likely Republican voters were asked how familiar they were the healthcare plans of all their candidates, even including non-candidate Fred Thompson.

The results? In Nevada 29 percent said they were familiar with Thompson's healthcare plan. In New Hampshire it was 15 percent, in Iowa 18 percent, in Florida it was 22 percent and in South Carolina had 24 percent with some idea about his plan.

Huh?

Thompson makes no reference to healthcare in his short stump speeches and has yet to even enter the race much less offer a healthcare plan.

Nonetheless voters in these states told the pollsters at Woelfel Research, Inc that they were more familiar with Fred Thompson's healthcare plan than they were of Tommy Thompson, Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback.

So was it a trick question or a bad poll?

Gretchen Straw, AARP's Director of Integration and Operations, said they tried their best to not make the poll just about name recognition of the current candidates.

"We gave respondents a way to save face if they really didn't know anything," Straw said. "It was one of those answers were were puzzled over also, but they could be making up their minds about the candidate and the issue from years before and not exactly what they are saying during the campaign today."