Latest GOP push poll shows they are not interested in change

I received a letter today from the National Republican Committee which contained an official “GOP census document” which was “assigned and prepared especially for you as a representative of all Republicans living in your voting district.”  The letter claims to be working to build a grassroots consensus on what they should be doing as a party.  The letter says the purpose of the census poll is to “grow our ranks, educate voters, and turn out a winning vote on Election Day.”  Having read that, you might expect a fair minded and honest questionnaire about serious issues and how to deal with them.  After all, if a political party really is looking to find out what the voters want, it would make sense for them to listen to what they voters are saying.

The enclosed census questionnaire, however, is just one big push-poll that leaves little doubt that the entire census campaign is nothing more than a stunt.  I’ll just summarize the definition of a push poll from Wikipedia here - A push poll is a political campaign technique that seeks to influence people under the guise of a poll.  Large numbers of people are contacted with little to no effort to analyze response data, the push poll is a form of propaganda and rumor mongering masquerading as a poll.

The questionnaire has only three options for response - yes, no, and undecided.  Their are only 28 questions in the form and the questions are phrased to push respondents to the answer the GOP wants to hear.  For instance, a question on domestic issues says the following:  

“Should we do everything we can to stop Democrats from using the so-called “fairness doctrine” to shut down conservative talk radio shows like Rush Limbaugh and others?”

Using phrases like “so-called,” and saying that a re-introduction of the fairness doctrine would necessarily force a shut down of the Rush Limbaugh show make this question useless as an actual polling question, they lead the reader, a Republican party supporter, to a pre-ordained conclusion.  Another question on family and social issues says:

“Should Republicans filibuster judicial nominees who bring a personal, left-wing agenda on social issues to their jobs as judges?”

The problem with this question is that it is the only one on judicial nominees and the “personal, left-wing agenda on social issues” part is never defined.  The question is too vague to be useful.  After all, any judicial nominee made by the President can be said to carry some sort of left or right-wing ideas on certain issues.  Likely, what they are looking for is an idea about how hard the party’s base wants them to oppose Sonia Sotomayor.  The question, however, leaves the reader with only one option.  After all, how many Republican donors will say no to that question?  Not many.

Here are some other questions from the form, you can make your own determinations:

“Should we unite as a Party to oppose President Obama’s huge tax increase on the American people, particularly the new tax on dividends, capital gains, and small businesses?”

“Should the Democrats so-called Stimulus Bill with its wasteful pork-barrel spending be repealed?”

“If Obama tries to gut the USA PATRIOT Act and other important laws that promote the safety and security of all Americans, should Republicans in Congress fight back?”

“Even though Barack Obama pledged to meet personally with the likes of Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, should Republicans continue to focus on supporting democratic movements in oppressive states like Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran?”

And, showing they still haven’t given up on the idea - “Are you in favor of a space-based defense system to protect American from intercontinental ballistic missiles?”

The questionnaire ends with a plea for the respondents to contribute up to 500 dollars to the RNC.  Those that do contribute get a special bonus question, they get to check which part of the “Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda they most forcefully oppose?”

-Massive tax hikes

-Left-wing activist judges

-Legalized partial-birth abortions

-Forcing troops to surrender

-Expanding federal power and wasteful spending

-Job-killing new regulations on small businesses

-Repealing the USA PATRIOT Act

-Other

Honestly, if this is how the GOP hopes to rebuild and expand itself, those that are giving the party money in the hopes that they will actually achieve that goal are just wasting their hard earned money at this point.