Independent democrats say Gallup's response is dishonest and the company is using a double standard when considering the nationwide poll run during the Clinton presidency. September 2, 2005 By Greg Szymanski
Behind the scenes, independent Democrats who are not “bought and paid off ” by the neo-cons have been pushing the Gallup Poll organization to conduct a nationwide inquiry, asking Americans if they support the impeachment of President George Bush.
But Gallup officials this week categorically refused to poll Americans, telling Bob Fertik, Democrats for Unity president until impeachment was discussed by congressional leaders or news commentators in the media, it was their official policy to refrain from asking hypothetical questions.
Frank Newport, Gallup Poll editor-in-chief, wrote in response to Fertik:
“The general procedure Gallup uses to determine what to ask about in our surveys is to measure the issues and concerns that are being discussed in the public domain. We will certainly ask Americans about their views on impeaching George W. Bush if, and when, there is some discussion of that possibility by congressional leaders, and/or if commentators begin discussing it in the news media. That has not happened to date.”
Fertik, head of an organization at http://www.democrats.com, disagreed with Gallup, saying the company’s justification was “completely dishonest” since Bush’s impeachment is a hot topic clearly in the public domain and on the minds of many Americans.
“Of course, your justification is completely dishonest. Is Bush's impeachment being discussed in the public domain? Unquestionably! Simply Google ‘impeach Bush’ and you'll get 723,000 links, said Fertik, reminding Gallup that a recent ZogbyPoll in June found 42 percent of Americans polled support impeachment if Bush lied about Iraq
“And this discussion is not limited to the Internet. Wherever Bush goes, he is greeted by "Impeach Bush" signs (e.g. August 29 in Camp Casey and August 30 in California.. And I hear it discussed on political talk radio frequently.But clearly you did not genuinely mean discussed in the public domain, because your next sentence limits the public domain" explicitly to congressional leaders and/or pundits.
“Thus your answer to the other 99.9 percent of Americans who are neither congressional leaders nor pundits can be summed up by paraphrasing a famous Daily News headline: "Gallup to Americans: Drop Dead!”
Fertik also called to Gallup’s attention that many discussions of impeachment have appeared in the media, including statements or references made in the made by Pat Buchanan, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Dan Froomkin, John Zogby, Keith Olberman. Mark Morford, Rush Limbaugh. Rep. Charlie Rangel, Alan Combes, Ralph Nader, Lyndon LaRouche and John Dean.
Further, Fertik reminded Gallup editors that a poll to impeach former President Clinton appeared in January1998, shortly after allegations about his affair with an intern surfaced, the poll being taken with much less public fanfare than Bush is receiving over a host of possible impeachable offenses.
In response to Fertik’s campaign for an impeachment poll, Gallup was hit with an email barrage, asking why Gallup is skirting the impeachment questions.
One email typical of many others asked Gallup editors:
“I'd like to see more polls on whether or not people think Bush lied to the American people regarding the reasons we went to war in Iraq and if they think he should be impeached for it. The Gallup Organization was very interested in if people wanted Clinton impeached.
“The latest polls were all we heard about at the time. Is lying about adultery more of a crime than lying to the American public in order to go to war? Shouldn't our soldiers know why they're dying? Give the Republicans equal treatment as you gave the Democrats. Raise the impeachment issue."
The question of the Bush impeachment has been a hot topic on the internet with millions of people all over the world discussing the subject. Further, internet bloggers have marveled at the ability of Bush, called the “Teflon President” to avoid impeachment due to a government that has basically turned into a one party system or, as some say, a dictatorship in the guise of democracy.
There have been many reasons cited by Bush critics that merit impeachment, but the issue mentioned the most the facts that have surfaced, indicating the President doctored WMD intelligence reports to justify the Iraqi invasion, exposed in the infamous Downing Street Memo.
Although the issue is much more serious than the sexual promiscuity of President Clinton, Bush has avoided being subjected to impeachment hearings due to a Congress, bought and paid off by special interests advancing what has been called a neo-con stranglehold on democracy.
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