Breaking News: Pro-Clinton push poll erupts in California

Ed Coghlan was just starting to prepare his dinner in the northern San Fernando Valley the other night when the phone rang. The caller was very friendly. He identified himself as a pollster who wanted to ask registered independents like Coghlan a few questions about the presidential race and all the candidates for Super Tuesday's California primary.

Ed, who's a former news director for a local TV station, was curious. He said, "Sure, go ahead."

But a few minutes into the conversation Ed says he noticed a strange pattern developing to the questions. First of all, the "pollster" was only asking about four candidates, three Democrats -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, who was still in the race at the time -- and one Republican -- John McCain.

Also, every question about Clinton was curiously positive, Coghlan recalls. The caller said things like, if you knew that Sen. Clinton believed the country had a serious home mortgage problem and had made proposals to....

freeze mortgage rates and save families from foreclosure, would you be more likely or less likely to vote for her?

Ed said, of course, more likely.

Every question about the other candidates was negative. If Ed knew, for instance, that as a state senator Obama had voted "present" 43 times instead of taking a yes or no stand "for what he believed," would Ed be more or less likely to vote for him?

"That's when I caught on," said Coghlan. He realized then that he was being push-polled. That malicious political virus that is designed not to elicit answers but to spread positive information about one candidate and negative information about all others under the guise of an honest poll had arrived in Southern California within days of the important election.

It could become an issue in the closing hours of the campaign.

Someone who obviously favors Hillary Clinton is paying an unidentified company to spread this material phone call by phone call among independent voters, who can, according to California party rules, opt to vote in the Democratic but not the Republican primary on Feb. 5, when nearly two dozen states will choose a large chunk of the delegates to the parties' national conventions next summer.

Coghlan said he was offended by such underhanded tactics and knew he was going to get out a warning about this dirty trick, but he said he played along for the full 20-minute "poll."

"The guy was very slick, very personable," Coghlan told the Ticket. "He never fell out of character as a pollster the entire time. He seemed interested in my answers and just kept going through his list of questions as if he was noting my answers. He was very good, very smooth."

For instance, the caller inquired, had Ed watched a recent Democratic debate? Ed said yes. And who did Ed think had won the debate? the pollster inquired.

Coghlan replied, honestly, that he thought Edwards had won because he was calmer and more reasoned didn't get involved in all the petty arguing and finger-pointing like the other two. Now, the pollster said, if Ed knew that most people believed John Edwards could not get elected in a general election, would Ed be more or less likely to vote for him?

Ed said, oh, well then, less, of course. And the caller appeared to make a note of that.

"He was not pushy at all," Coghlan said. "And at the end he thanked me for giving him my opinions."

Phil Singer, the spokesman for the Clinton campaign. was contacted by e-mail last night. He answered that he was there. He was asked if the Clinton campaign was behind the push-poll, knew who was behind it or had any other information on it. That was at 5:27 p.m. Pacific time Saturday. As of this item's posting time, exactly eight hours later, no reply had been received.

--Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Robyn Beck AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[timeforchane]

Regarding Barack Obama and my reasons for not liking him and not voting for him.

Many of them are logical and I cannot debate his supporters who come back with illogical responses based on personal jabs and loss for words thus things like "You're a waste of time."

I also have gut feelings about him that aren't quantifiable but they are logical.

Since we don't know a lot about him, since he doesn't have as much of a history as Hillary Clinto for us to say, "OK, he is a pretty responsible person, he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder about being an "African" American (he really isn't but I suppose that's neither here nor there in most instances), he is definitely completely PRO USA and has no ties or allegiances to Farrakhan, etc.

I am still perplexed about his membership in a church (Christian?), that aligns itself with Farrakhan, a Muslim (another reason for my gut feeling).

He goes back on his promises, votes present in IL senate to preseve HIS political standing rather than trying to go on record as opposing a bill in it's final form or better yet, CHANGE IT! WORK TO CHANGE IT! THIS CANDIDATE OF CHANGE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS IN IL VERY EFFECTIVELY!

He said he would not run for president in 2008. Then he said it was due to wanting more experience, etc. OK, so according to some of his supporters here, he was told what a wonderful candidate he would be.

This just proves that what he says today in his campaining can DEFINITELY be manipulated and changed by OTHERS. He can be made to change HIS mind and go against his own promises and visions.

So that among many other things makes me wonder what changes we can believe in today which he will go back on tomorrow.

He is too raw, new, inexperienced and flaky to have my vote.

[Howard]

I WANT A PRESIDENT WHO REPRESENTS ALL AMERICANS

Here is Pastor Wright's 'Black Value System'
posted at his website. This is what Barak Obama
pledged an oath to for the past 20 years:
http://www.tucc.org/black_value_system.html

Pastor Wright gave Louis Farakan a life time
achievement award. Here is what Louis Farakan believes:
Posted at his own website.
http://www.noi.org/muslim_program.htm

AMERICANS JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES ...

[Howard]

This is a democracy ... ALL the votes should count. The voters, and the country shouldn't be disenfranchised just because a handful of party hacks moved the dates. Again, as I read the blogs, the Obama supporters express their sarcastic condescending comments about Mrs. Clinton, never acknowledging that she has over 17 million Americans who have chosen her over Obama so far. Before the Obama supporters continue to use such vile language towards Hillary, and her supporters, they should remember that they can't get their lord and master elected without us! The arrogant, lock-step Obama supporters are like a cult that shares one brain.

[Howard]

Obama is the least qualified, least experienced candidate ... not to mention the continuing pattern of unsavory Obama associations ... some lasting over 20 years. Of course these facts don't matter to the Obama supporters, who like cult members, follow him with blind faith, as if they all were sharing one brain. The blogs of Obama supporters have been extremely arrogant, sarcastic and condescending towards Mrs.Clinton and her supporters (even though Mrs. Clinton has received 17 million votes) however they will need us Clinton supporters in November, if they want to get their messiah elected ... and, after the way they have disrespected Mrs. Clinton, as well as her supporters, I suggest they look elsewhere to get their cult leader elected.

[Lee]

I'm sick of all these people who are calling for Clinton to drop out. They are probably quitters in their own lives, or they'd admire Hillary's tenacity, and know that is one of the most important qualities of a leader. In addition, the foundation of a democratic society is to count ALL the votes, and not to prematurely pull the rug, just to serve the needs of a particular political party. I've also noticed that most of the anti-Hillary postings do not attack her on substantive issues, but instead merely consist of nasty insults. This says more about Senator Clinton's detractors than about Mrs. Clinton. Also, the lock-step nature of the anti-Hillary blogs appear to be a coordinated and organized effort by the Obama campaign.

[Howard]

I would be very sorry to see Hillary drop out. She is the better candidate, and she would be a much better President. So now I guess we get to hear the Obama supporters accuse the McCain supporters of being racists, every-time one of them disagrees with their candidate. Don't the Obama supporters understand that it's not racism, it's the fact that their candidate lacks judgement, lacks experience, has spent his entire campaign criticizing, but has put forth no solutions ... and, has surrounded himself with
a continuous precession of despicable anti-American racists. Although I'm a registered Democrat, but like Harriet Christian - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KACQuZVAE3s - I can barely recognize today's highjacked democratic party ... and, I feel like it's moved away from me ... that's why, like millions of other democrats ... if Obama becomes the democratic candidate, I'm voting for John McCain in November.

[Luis Contreras]

Obama and McCain are green and unexperience; except for McCain's military experience. But Obama has money to burn like Bush, never served in military, does not want his patrictism quertion, took 20 years to find out his preacher,his wife been proud of her country for the first time, he still retains double duel citizenship,etc.,etc.He talks a lot. But actions speak louder than words. How can you tell others what to do when you don't know yourself? Most soldiers don't like war any more than you or I do. But they go to war to protect us if their country needs them. Sorry I can't say that of military dodgers. McCain is not George W. Bush Or Obama is not Jimmy Carter.And I vote for the person, regardless of party.