Much Hype, Little Impact

ABC News has released a poll which suggests that, while 75% of respondents have heard of Cindy Sheehan, and about half “support” what she is doing, her media spectacle has changed few, if any, minds. Nine percent say her protest has made them more likely to oppose the war, but a slightly greater number, ten percent, say it has had the opposite effect: they are more likely to support the war. The vast majority–79 percent–say she has had no impact on their views.
DEACON adds: It can’t be the case that Cindy Sheehan is affecting the views of 19 percent of the people, can it? Many of the folks who claim to have been influenced must be saying so as a way of expressing pre-existing support of, or opposition to, the war.