[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13069]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ABC, WASHINGTON POST SPIN POLL RESULTS

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                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 14, 2010

  Mr. SMITH of Texas.. Madam Speaker, Americans' confidence in 
President Obama has reached a new low, according to an ABC News/
Washington Post poll. But ABC and The Post found a way to spin the 
poll's results and point out negatives for Republicans.
  Six in 10 Americans say they lack faith in the President to make the 
right decisions for the country, according to the poll. A majority 
disapprove of his handling of the economy.
  And those most likely to vote in the midterm elections prefer 
Republican leadership over continued Democratic rule by a 15-point 
margin.
  These results are indisputably bad news for Democrats. But during 
ABC's coverage of the poll, George Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic 
adviser, claimed that ``there's still . . . not a lot of confidence in 
the Republican Party.''
  The Washington Post highlighted a misleading graphic that indicated 
Americans have more trust in Democrats than Republicans. In fact, a 
greater number of poll respondents said they had at least some trust in 
Republicans rather than Democrats.
  ABC and the Washington Post should give Americans the facts, not spin 
their poll results.

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