Kathy Kiely/USA Today, hacks mislead about Gallup immigration poll

Posted Fri, Apr 20, 2007 at 9:27 am
Various hacks (Oliver Willis [1], David Weigel [2], etc. [3]) were discussing the USA Today article "Public favors giving illegal immigrants a break" from Kathy Kiely a couple days ago. The Gallup poll wasn't available on their site at the time, a sure caution sign. While - somewhat to his credit - at least Weigel admitted that he hadn't seen the actual poll and there could be problems with it, all the hacks used the poll to support their pro-illegal immigration positions. They bought what USA Today was selling:
While Congress and the White House remain divided over what to do with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the USA, a new poll shows the American public appears to have reached a consensus on the question.

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken last weekend found that 78% of respondents feel people now in the country illegally should be given a chance at citizenship.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who is drafting legislation to grant illegal immigrants an opportunity to stay in the USA, said: "As with so many issues, the American people are ahead of Washington on immigration reform. They know that only a plan that offers a path to earned citizenship will fix our broken system."
Now, Gallup has finally put the poll in question on their website here. It appears that they only asked three questions for this poll, the ones marked "2007 Apr 13-15". The first deals with skilled vs. chain legal immigration, and the other deals with whether the U.S. has made progress in dealing with illegal immigration. The relevant question was this:
Now thinking about immigrants who come to the United States illegally, which comes closest to your view about what the government policy should be toward illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States? Should the government --

14%: "require illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. and not allow them to return"

6%: "require illegal immigrants to leave the U.S., but allow them to return temporarily to work"

42%: "require illegal immigrants to leave the U.S., but allow them to return and become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time"

36%: "allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States and become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time"

2%: No opinion
Adding 42 and 36 I come up with 78, so that's presumably the question they were refering to. I note that 62% (14+6+42) want illegal aliens to leave the U.S., at least temporarily. I guess that number was outweighed by the 78 number.

I note also that many's the slip twixt leaving the U.S. and meeting all the conditions to come back, but apparently that minor issue got ignored in USA Today's rush to support a massive amnesty. And, the fact that a majority of the 78% want illegal aliens to leave the U.S. first and only come back "if they meet certain requirements over a period of time" just seems to have been lost in the rush.

[1] oliverwillis.com/2007/04/conservatives_o.html
[2] reason.com/blog/show/119745.html
[3] thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/10565.html
thinkprogress.org/2007/04/19/thinkfast-april-19-2007

Comments

mary (not verified)

Fri, 04/20/2007 - 19:18

So let me get this straight...The future of the country depends on a newspaper poll??? I've noticed these idiotic politicians often quote newspaper articles when discussing topics and wonder if they ever do their own research??? Newspapers are notorious for ignoring the illegal problem...why , I do not know. Why all these morons want to destroy their own country is a mystery to me.

amanda (not verified)

Fri, 04/20/2007 - 23:41

Yes, the 42% question is the trick. People such as the guy who said this on another site would technically fall into that category: 'Those folks should be able to become citizens, once they leave this place and line up at the embassy in whatever country they are from and apply like any good future american.' Clearly anti-amnesty but USA Today and Teddy Kennedy will gladly count him as part of their so-called 78%. Teddy 'Non Squitur' Kennedy just loves to say 'ONLY a plan that offers a path to earned citizenship will fix our broken system.' I.e., I will hold border security and workplace enforcement hostage to get what *I* (and Roger Mahoney et al.) want. George 'Non Sequitur' Bush's variation merely substitutes 'guest worker' for earned citizenship although he often throws in the mass deportation straw man. But it's guest worker he won't budge on. The funny thing is, he sometimes inadvertently gives away all that really needs to be done. I didn't like his recent excuse for employers hiring illegals--that it's not their fault because it's too hard to tell real from fake ID. But sometimes he'll follow that up with talk of secure ID or ID matching. He admits that will work and knows America overwhelmingly favors it--so he tries to use that as his hostage (or bait). But the more he brings up workplace enforcement in that manner he runs the risk of that idea alone (not his baby) resonating deeper with the public. On its own, wage undercutting guest worker is an impossible sell to citizen workers which is the very reason these 'comprehensive' or compound schemes exist.

CTPatriot (not verified)

Sat, 04/21/2007 - 12:26

By far the best analysis of this flawed and agenda pushing poll. Until I found this post, I could not locate the poll wording or specifics. I found that to be very suspicious and doubted the poll results as soon as I became aware of them. This is typical MSM propaganda. Why wasn't there any fanfare for the Zogby/Worldnet Daily poll that found an overwhelming majority favor immigration law enforcement? This even among Hispanics. The answer is of course it doesn't push the mainstream media agenda of supporting open borders policy and liberalism in general. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44154

The Other Mary (not verified)

Sat, 04/21/2007 - 14:24

Thanks for finding this poll and posting the true analysis. Once again, I am flabbergasted by the bare-faced lying that the Mainstream Media engages in to promote its open borders propaganda.