Some observations on the polls

I was looking over the CNN website this morning, and I noticed that they'd done some sort of nonsense "Second 100 Days" poll, and I decided to check it out. It was actually a series of questions, apparently asked to the population at large (via CNN's website, I believe), and graded along a traditional "school-grade" system. Readers were asked to rate the following:

1. Obama Administration's handling of the economy (C-)
2. Obama Administration's handling of health care reform (D)
3. "" "" handling of foreign affairs (C)
4. Performance of Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (C+)
5. Vice President Joe Biden (C-)
6. The performance of YOUR state's 2 senators (C-)
7. The performance of Congress (D)
8. The performance of the Republican Leadership in Congress (D)
9. The performance of the media (D)
10. Grade President Barack Obama (C-)

The results were kinda fun, if somewhat telling. Most of the grades indicated are averages of huge numbers (388,000) of internet viewers. The numbers also tend to skew HEAVILY into the "F" category, with sometimes 40 or 50% (or more) of those polled responding in this way.

The first thing that popped out at me was the fact that there is no poll to grade Democratic leadership. Are they afraid of the results? The Repulican leadership was roundly denounced in the polls here (although, checking results, they actually do better, on average, than the "Entire Congress" option (question 7), so read that how you will.

Then, looking at question number 6, only one state gave it's senators a grade over a C: North Dakota. I applaud Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad; you both are apparently well-liked by your constituency. I personally think that they just haven't gotten the joke yet (actually read the details of the Dorgan Tourism bill sometime...he's no better than the rest).

Fun Fact: If you check the results of those polled in Question 7, the only place where Congress got better than a D was in Washington D.C. Apparently, they all voted for themselves!

But yeah; I have better things to do than waste my time on internet polls. The internet is an unreliable, fickle creature at the best of times.....and these are definitely not the best of times