Legions of Editors & Fact-Checkers Watch: The Atlantic poll cherrypicking.

Please note that I am not making the accusation that overt racism has anything to do with Mr. Good’s ill-crafted attack on Governor Bobby Jindal.

(H/T: Instapundit) The Atlantic’s Chris Good, on Governor Jindal’s (correct) observation that polls show that the public does not support the Democrats’ health care plans:

Of the most recent, reliable, non-partisan major polls–a Sept. 12 Washington Post/ABC survey, an Economist/YouGov survey released Sept. 15, and a Sept. 25 NY Times/CBS poll–only the first shows Americans opposed to Democratic plans (48 percent to 52 percent); the other two show Americans in favor, though NY Times/CBS found that 46 percent say they don’t know enough to decide.

Slate’s Mickey Kaus, after noting that Good unaccountably ignored Economist/YouGov polls done after September 15th, not to mention some others that destroyed Good’s narrative, provides a correction:

Of the most recent, reliable, non-partisan major polls–a Sept. 12 Washington Post/ABC survey, an Economist/YouGov survey released Sept. 29, and a Sept. 25 NY Times/CBS poll–two of the three show Americans opposed to Democratic plans. The only one showing even a plurality in favor is the wacky NY Times/CBS survey that managed to generate a 46 percent undecided number. [E.A.]

I know that the Atlantic is getting to be one of those places that seem to be overly tolerant of bizarre conspiracy theories, but this is bush-league stuff – and easily checked. One wonders why nobody did.

Or why nobody’s fixed this yet, either.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Layers of Editors and Fact-Checkers Watch: Political Geography 090.

I’m not going to ask, Can you tell me what’s wrong with the first map below? I’m going to ask you, How long did it take you to figure out what’s wrong with the first map below?

0823-biz-water-jp_full

Don’t worry if it took you a little extra time to find the second one; the fact that you got both still puts you two up on the New York Times.

Crossposted to RedState.