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Thursday, October 5, 2006

Timing is Everything

By Marilyn Geewax | Thursday, October 5, 2006, 11:16 AM

Release of the latest edition of the George Washington University Battleground 2006 Poll is supposed to be a breaking-news event.

On Thursday morning, political reporters gathered at the Sofitel Lafayette Square Hotel, near the White House, to hear pollsters divulge the latest results.

But instead of getting a scoop, reporters found themselves peering into a time capsule, learning what Americans were still thinking back in the day.

The poll was conducted Sept. 24 to 27. The sex scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., began breaking on Sept. 28. He resigned on Sept. 29.

Since then, the Foley fallout has dominated the news. The new poll captures none of it.

For what it’s worth, the poll shows that even in pre-scandal days, the Democratic Party enjoyed an eight-point advantage over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot (49 percent to 41 percent). The majority of likely voters believe the country is on the wrong track (62 percent) while a majority (52 percent) think the country is worse off than four years ago.

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The first lady meets Miss Diva

By Ken Herman | Thursday, October 5, 2006, 10:07 AM

Here’s the first few lines - verbatim - from First Lady Laura Bush’s radio interview on Wednesday with AM 1700 Teen Radio in Buffalo:

Q. This is AM 1700. I am Miss Diva, Amber Bellamy, here with the first lady, the first lady, Mrs. Laura Bush. Wow, it’s a great experience.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks, Amber.

Q And I’m here with Mrs. Bush and Amber Bellamy. This is DJ Whiter. We’re here with Mrs. Bush, like Amber, Miss Diva, said.

Q Mrs. Bush, the first lady, this is a great experience, wow.

Q Yes, real great.

The interview allowed Mrs. Bush to promote her Helping America’s Youth initiative.

Let’s listen in a little more:

Q. In Buffalo today, a lot of our committees are being swiped away because of the funding. So now it’s like, if it wasn’t for your Buffalo, I couldn’t meet teen radio, I wouldn’t be able to meet you, which is a wonderful experience. But we don’t have — there’s really nothing for the teens to do anymore because no more funding.

MRS. BUSH: Well, that’s a problem, and Helping America’s Youth is not a funding program. It does support community groups around the country — or I’ve visited community groups around the country that do receive federal funding. But not all of them do. Some are faith-based, some are supported by different churches or mosques or synagogues. Others are just started by groups that want to do something good and raise their own money privately, without federal funding.

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