Well, I was just about to ask Vorlon what he thought of the TIPP poll. I followed the 2000 election closely, but not like this year. I find all of these tracking polls interesting, but painful to follow. The ups and downs are too much.
Vorlon, what's your impression of Battleground? They seem to have done well in 1992 and 1996, but missed the DUI story in the last days of 2000. What do you know about the techniques and tendencies?
Battleground is a very well respected poll.
Both principles Ed Goaes (R) and Celinda Lake (D) are very well respected individually as well.
My "opinion" on Goaes is that he is a bit too aggresive at building assumptions into his polls, as per Zogby, but that being said, he is a very very deeply respected pollster, and is regarded as being very good.
NAPOR, the professional Association of pollsters (sorry -
public opinion researchers) has awarded Goaes their "Pollster of the Year" award three times - the most of any pollster in history
Celinda Lake, despite the big (D) by here name is a very "by the book" pollsters (when on her own - her firm will OTOH, cooks the books now and then).
Her methodology is solid, dull, boring, and bland - all good things when polling IMHO.
Despite getting a bit of a bad sample the last weekend in 2000, this poll and this duo have a very solid record and reputation.
This is one of the polls I will be watching myself very closely.
Their likely voter screening is very good, and I think Goaes and Lake are actually a good pair in the sense that they have rather different approaches to things and the forced merging of the two should bring some new ideas to the table.
