Media Matters: Karl Rove's dopey (and redundant) brand of polling punditry

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Karl Rove's dopey (and redundant) brand of polling punditry

by Eric Boehlert

Surprise! Karl Rove's Wall Street Journal column this week stresses that, based on recent polling data, Democrats are not popular. But yes, that's pretty much what Rove writes about every week. That's his job -- to cherry pick polling results and paint an apocalyptic view for Democrats. (Literally. This week's headline: "Signs of the Democratic Apocalypse.")

That's not just what Rove has been writing about in recent weeks during the run-up to Election Day. He's been doing it all year. Like I said, it's his job.

I suppose when you spend that much time grinding out Dems-are-doom polling "analysis," you're bound to stretch the boundaries of common sense, which is what Rove does this week.

Behold (emphasis added):

Then there's House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, squaring off against Republican Sean Bielat, a Marine and businessman, in Massachusetts. In 2008, Mr. Obama carried his district by 29 points, but Mr. Frank is now stuck at 46% support in a recent poll commissioned by the Boston Globe. Anything less than 50% is a dangerous place for an entrenched incumbent.

You know what represents a really "dangerous place" to be one week before Election Day? If you're only at 33 percent in the latest poll. That's a dangerous place to be.

But Rove doesn't mention that fact. Rove doesn't mention that next Tuesday either Frank or his opponent will have to snare 50 percent of the vote to win, and that the latest poll has Frank at 46 percent and his challenger at 33 percent. Too busy obfuscating about the pending "apocalypse," Rove pretends Frank's 46 percent is the problematic polling number, not his opponent's 33 percent.