RUSH: There’s one other interesting story from Reuters I want to get into in a minute. Reuters is attacking Gallup, saying their poll is illegitimate. I’ve never seen that before. Reuters also had a story came out yesterday headlined: “McCain Voters Defecting to Obama are Older White Males.” Reuters wants us to believe that a bunch of McCain voters — older white males — have made the decision to vote for Obama! I read the story and I’ve looked at data they provide. I don’t see how this ads up.
I will share with you that data.
You can decide for yourself when we come back.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I have a question for the Official Program Observer. Mr. Snerdley, have we had a single call that maybe you didn’t put on the air — because I know we have not had one on the air. Have you had a single call — be honest — from a white guy, old white guy claiming he voted for McCain but is now gonna vote for Obama? (interruption) You’ve not? (interruption) Okay. We have not had such a call, and certainly not one on the air.
I had to ask Snerdley. Because for every call that gets on the air here, there are about 2500 that don’t. (interruption) Well, no, not now. If I say that when we get one you’ll put it up first, everybody in the world will call and say that they’re one just to get on the air. Reuters has this story: “McCain Voters Defecting to Obama are Older White Males — In today’s highly polarized political environment it is somewhat surprising to find voters who backed John McCain in 2008 and now support President Barack Obama, but they exist.
“Roughly 5% of respondents in Reuters/Ipsos polls said they chose the [McCain] in 2008 and will switch to Obama in 2012. This number peaked at around 9% two separate times over the summer, according to data collected since January. Who are these defectors? … The McCain-to-Obama switchers are 55% male, and 34% of them are 55 or older. (Overall, Obama trails Romney 34% to 52% among white men over 50.) About 72% of them are white.”
Now, numbers run together when you’re listening to them, but I want to you follow this ’cause I don’t think these numbers work. Reuters is claiming older white males who voted for McCain are defecting to Obama. That’s one. Reuters claims roughly 5% of respondents in their poll said they chose McCain in ’08 and are gonna switch to Obama this year. They also say the defectors are 55% male, and 34% of those are 55 or older.
Then Reuters says — and this is interesting. It’s the key. “Overall, Obama trails Romney 34% to 52% among white men over 50.” Now, that’s an 18-point difference. That’s the key number. As of right now, Reuters’ own number: Obama trails Romney 34-52% among white men over 50, which makes me question this entire article. Because according to the 2008 exit polls, as reported by the New York Times, among men in both categories of 45 to 59 and 60 and older, McCain beat Obama by 15%.
So among white men in both 45 to 59 and the 60-plus demo (which would include 55 plus), McCain beats Obama by 15%. Now, if Romney has an 18-point lead over Obama, by Reuters’ own admission now that is 3% higher than the support McCain got in 2008, according to New York Times exit polls. Now, admittedly, we’re using New York Times exit polls to determine the makeup of the voters in 2008. But using that data, you would have to say that more older white men are moving to Romney, not away from him.
Eighteen percent is three points higher than 15%.
The older-white male vote for McCain was 15% in 2008, and Romney has got ’em by 18%. I may have got one of those backwards, but point is, it’s a three-point difference. Romney is leading by three points over what McCain got in 2008. Romney’s doing better by three points. How in the world this becomes white male voters “defecting” to Obama mystifies me. I don’t know. We mighta caught ’em in something here. But it’s clear that this is an attempt to suppress/depress Republican turnout.
No question about it.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You want to hear some of the comments of these white guys that voted for McCain now voting for Obama? You gotta hear some of this. “‘Right now if I had to choose it would be Obama, because he’s more personable,’ said William Holliday, a 58-year-old retiree from Convis Township, Michigan. Holliday said that in general he leans Republican. ‘I did vote for McCain four years ago in spite of the fact he picked Palin. Because I thought that was a cheap trick he pulled there.’ He worries that if Romney is elected he will put ‘Cheney and Rumsfeld back in there to run the show.'”
Now, folks, I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any Republicans who are worried about Cheney and Rumsfeld. They would much prefer either, Republicans here would much prefer Cheney and Rumsfeld to Van Jones and anybody else in the regime.
“Jeffrey Baker, 56, a retiree in Strong, Maine, thinks Romney’s refusal to release his taxes disqualifies him. ‘If you can’t be honest from the start, I don’t want you in the Oval Office.'” Oh, really? Jeffrey? Honest? As though Obama has been? “Obama is more for the whole country than Romney is. Romney, that’s his honest feelings. He doesn’t really care about the 47 percent.” This is just too pat. These are the kind of things that the Democrat base says. These are all the hot buttons for the Democrat base. Cheney, Rumsfeld, the 47%, Palin. Dirty trick. Obama’s more for the whole country? “Jeff Waltrip, 56, is a retired electrician and retail worker who has voted Republican all his life. … says Romney is out of touch with lower-income Americans, and he mistrusts the candidate’s religious convictions.”
Well, why not cap it with an anti-Mormon comment? All of this Reuters finds among old white guys who voted for McCain. Has Jeff Waltrip maybe been talking to Whoopi Goldberg about Mormons? Does this guy watch The View by any chance? Anyway, so you got this Reuters story and the Reuters story attacking Gallup for their “fraudulent” poll.
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