Really! - A Rejoinder to the Quinnipiac National Poll
By Ahmed Olayinka ule! "#A
Obama Is the Worst American President $ Really! Ahmed Olayinka ule! "#A suleaos%&mail'com http())***'scribd'com)Alatenumo)documents http())about'me)ahmedsule +r' ,im +alloy) -r' -ou&las ch*art. Quinnipiac /ni0ersity 123 +ount "armel A0enue 4amden! "onnecticut 56378 /A -ear irs! I *ould 9irst like to con&ratulate you and the Quinnipiac /ni0ersity on makin& &lobal headlines as a result o9 the recent Quinnipiac National Poll! *hich re0ealed President Obama as the *orst American President since World War II' I &uess you must all 9eel a sense o9 accomplishment on this &round breakin& and headline &rabbin& sur0ey' When I sa* the headline on "NN! I *as intri&ued *ith the 9indin&s and decided to analy.e the sur0ey methodolo&y to check the robustness o9 the approach and the 0alidity o9 the conclusion' 4o*e0er! upon 9urther e:amination! I reali.ed that the sur0ey *as not as robust as the headlines mi&ht su&&est' 4ere are my reasons' #irst! the sample si.e used 9or the sur0ey is not representati0e enou&h to arri0e at such a conclusion' In the sur0ey! you used a sample o9 7!;;6 re&istered 0oters nation*ide *ho *ere sur0eyed o0er a si:-day period bet*een 1; <une 157; and =5 <une 157;' As at =5 <une 157;! the total / population *as =76!711!7;=' ,his su&&ests that the sample si.e used *as 5'555;32;787=1> o9 the total / population' #urthermore the sample period only co0ered se0en days out o9 the total 3!766 days since President Obama has been President' ,his translates to 5'7=33> o9 his total tenure in o99ice' econd! the research data does not re0eal the basis 9or selectin& the sample' It *ould ha0e been bene9icial 9or users o9 the research to kno* the rationale 9or sample selection so that they can be con9ident that there *as no bias in the selection' It *ould help i9 in 9uture! i9 your or&ani.ation could pro0ide this sort o9 in9ormation' ,hird! the research 9ails to 9actor the economic status o9 the respondents' ,his in9ormation is critical as certain &o0ernment policies and actions mi&ht be more appealin& to certain socio economic &roupin&s relati0e to others and mi&ht thereby in9luence the respondent?s assessment o9 the Obama Administration' A typical case is President Obama@s healthcare policies' #ourth! *hile the research classi9ies the responses alon& lines o9 the sample characteristics such as party a99iliation! &ender and a&e distribution! one o9 the most important classi9ications that could enable the reader to better appreciate the responses has been omitted 9rom the conclusion i'e' RA"A' In short! the sur0ey 9indin&s is 9la*ed and compromised because it 9ails to account 9or and adjust 9or racial bias' Race is a topical issue in the /nited tates! *hich is a country that has a lon& history o9 racial tensions and injustice startin& 9irst *ith the e:termination o9 the American Indians and later the implementation o9 sla0ery *hich metamorphosed to <im "ro* se&re&ation and is no* mani9ested in the 9orm o9 unconscious and institutional racism' In addition! since President Obama is a black man presidin& o0er a majority *hite populated country! the issue o9 race needs to be 9actored in such a sur0ey by adjustin& 9or racial bias' President Obama is the key 9eature in the 9indin&s o9 the study' ,o recap( B ;3 per cent o9 the respondents say America *ould be better o99 i9 Republican +itt Romney had *on the 1571 presidential election' B 3; per cent o9 the respondents say the Obama Administration is not competent in runnin& the &o0ernment' B 3= per cent o9 the respondents disappro0e o9 the *ay Obama handles his job as President' B +ajority o9 the respondents &i0e President Obama ne&ati0e &rades 9or his handlin& o9 the economy! 9orei&n policy! healthcare! the en0ironment and terrorism' B #inally! accordin& to the respondents o9 the sur0ey! President Obama is the *orst President in / history since World War II' Cookin& at the racial distribution o9 the respondents! 2= percent o9 the respondents *ere White! *hile 7=> and 2> *ere Black and 4ispanics respecti0ely *ith the remainin& 2> classi9ied as others' With such a si&ni9icant bias in 9a0or o9 the *hite respondents! it is hi&hly 9easible that the results o9 the study could be tilted to the 0ie*points o9 the *hite se&ment o9 the respondent sample' ,o adjust 9or racial bias! one needs to analy.e each o9 the responses alon& the racial distribution o9 the respondents' /n9ortunately! the study rele&ates this to an appendi:' In the main body o9 the sur0ey *hich 9eatures prominently on the *ebsite! there is no analysis by racial demo&raphics' 4o*e0er some additional in9ormation is pro0ided as an appendi: in a 9ile named Additional "rosstabs! *hich includes data 9or the 9ollo*in& Duestion( -o you appro0e or disappro0e o9 the *ay Barack Obama is handlin& his job as PresidentE ,he response 9or this Duestion F*hich does not 9eature prominently on the *ebsiteG is Duite re0ealin& and demonstrates the 9la* and racial bias in the study' 8= per cent o9 the black respondents 9elt President Obama *as doin& a &ood job *hile 75 percent o9 blacks 9elt other*ise' #or the 4ispanics! ;2> 9elt he *as doin& a &ood job *ith =H> disa&reein& and 7;> not ans*erin& the Duestion' In contrast! only == > o9 the *hite respondents 9elt Obama *as doin& a &ood job *hile 62> o9 the *hites sampled 9elt he *as not handlin& his job properly' Cike*ise President Obama ranks as one o9 the best Presidents as 9ar as blacks and 4ispanics are concerned *hile Presidents Bush! Ni:on Rea&an rank as *orst amon& the black respondents' In short! the *hite respondents 9elt Obama *as incompetent *hile the non-*hite respondents 9elt he *as competent' ,he abo0e clearly demonstrates that the conclusions o9 the study are color biased and color-coded' ince no adjustment has been made 9or racial bias in the conclusion! it *ould be more bene9icial i9 your or&ani.ation and the &lobal media chan&ed the narrati0e as 9ollo*s Femphasis addedG( 7G Obama is the Worst American President since WWII as far as White Americans are concerned' 1G White America feels that America *ould ha0e been better o99 i9 +itt Romney had *on the election in 1571' =G White America feels that the Obama Administration is not competent in runnin& the &o0ernment' ;G Obama &ets negative votes from white Americans 9or his handlin& o9 the economy! 9orei&n policy! health care! the en0ironment and terrorism' 3) Non-white Americans feel that President Obama is handlin& his job as President *ell' ,his study has had the unintended conseDuence o9 hi&hli&htin& that America is polari.ed alon& racial lines' W A -u Bois! the Black historian and sociolo&ist once said that the problem o9 the ,*entieth "entury is the problem o9 the color line' It seems that this problem is still in e:istence in the 17st century and this should be the messa&e that needs to be relayed as headline ne*s around the *orld' elah' Iours 9aith9ully! Ahmed Olayinka ule! "#A suleaos%&mail'com -isclosure o9 interest( Ahmed ule is an A9rican and is proud to be Black' "c President Barack Obama "NN Operation Black Jote "olor O9 "han&e Politico Ku Klu: Klan Ale: <ones Rush Cimbau&h Llenn Beck "ornel West Al harpton <esse <ackson