Look out — it’s a Christian! Left-wing group attacks pollster’s credibility

Once again, left-wing activists are trying to demonize people whom they describe as “evangelical Christians.”

This time the target is George Gallup Jr., son of the founder of the Gallup Organization, a pioneer in opinion research. The accuser is MoveOn.org, an Internet-based group that is promoting the presidential candidacy of Sen. John Kerry.

Investor George Soros has given millions to the site, and the MoveOn organization used part of its treasury to buy an ad in the New York Times attacking George Gallup Jr. and the Gallup poll.

MoveOn’s problem is that the Gallup’s research has sometimes determined that the outlook for Kerry’s election has not been as bright as some of the other polling organizations had reported.

The ad charged that the Gallup Organization is getting the results wrong because it assumes too high a voter turnout among Republicans.

And why doesn’t the company fix this so-called problem?

MoveOn’s ad says it’s because George Gallup Jr. is a devout Christian.

What it doesn’t say is that Gallup Jr. is no longer involved in the company’s polling. Others do that, while Gallup runs the company’s nonprofit research center.

To prove its point, the ad states that Gallup “has been quoted as calling his polling ‘a kind of ministry.’ And a few months ago, he said ‘the most profound purpose of polls is to see how people are responding to God.’”

What the ad doesn’t tell you is that Gallup made those comments in reference to polling people on their religious beliefs — not on the popularity of political candidates.

Some so-called liberals are automatically suspicious of anyone who professes Christianity.

Published in Editorials on October 11, 2004 11:20 AM