Zogby Impeachment Poll

LATEST UPDATE: - go here
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Update: AfterDowningStreet.org has decided to pick up this project and manage it. It's great to have them on board - they will make an announcement on Friday morning..

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The "Zogby Impeachment Poll" PayPal account is now open and accepting donations.
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OK - as you know, I've been hounding Zogby for months about asking the Impeachment question again, and they eventually told me that he wouldn't (for the full story, see here).

RawStory wrote an article about the issue which ended with Zogby saying: “If somebody wants to hire us to ask it, I’d consider that.” After the RawStory article, the issue was also picked up by the Washington Post (Dan Froomkin) and the Stephanie Miller radio show - as well as a bunch of other bloggers.

I tried to get back in contact with Zogby to ask about how to proceed, but I didnt hear anything back from them. I have since heard from a group called Aggressive Progressives (the link goes to a Yahoo Group) - and apparently Zogby has agreed to be hired by them to poll the impeachment questions.

The next steps are:

1. Set up a website
2. Raise money
3. Agree on questions to be asked
   
4. Implement poll
5. Maximise media coverage
6. impeach
   

1. We are in the process of setting up a website - I'll post the details when the website goes up.

2. In terms of raising money to pay for the poll, we have established a PayPal account called "Zogby Impeachment Poll." The link to that account is here. You can donate to the cause NOW. Donations will be returned (less paypal costs) if the poll doesnt go ahead for one reason or other. Zogby's costs appear to be $1000 fee, plus $1000 per question. The fund is open-ended, and the amount raised will determine how many questions we can afford to ask. My guess is that if we raise up to, say $4,000 we would spend all of that asking questions in the one survey - if we raise more than that, my guess is that we will be able to ask the same questions a month later, and then a month after that etc etc. By continually asking the questions, we will be able to create new media stories each month, as well as provide some trend information.

3. We need to agree on which impeachment-related questions we ask the public. The press release from Zogby's June30 poll states that "more than two-in-five voters (42%) say they would favor impeachment proceedings if it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq." I thought that was a strange question to ask, however I recommend that we ask that same question again so that we have a direct comparison point - and the trend line will give the media a 'hook' for the story.

My personal suggestion is that we ask the following questions:
1. Do you think that the President should be impeached if he misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq?

2. "Do you think that the President should be impeached?"

3.. "Which other High Officials do you think should be removed from office?" (select all that apply) Cheney, DeLay, Frist, Rumsfeld, Rice, Gonzales, Rove (have i forgotten anyone?). (i have deliberately used the word 'removed' rather than impeached)

4a) "If you think the President (and others) should be impeached, why?" (select all that apply) iraq, katrina, outing of a CIA agent, incompetence, corrupt government (others?)
4b) "If you don't think the President (and others) should be impeached, how strongly do you hold this position?" strongly/moderately/borderline

5. Would you favor a California-style recall at the federal level which would result in a new election, rather than simply replacing the President with another Republican leader? (There isn't a federal provision for recall, but the question is still important)

Does that sound like a good set of questions? Let me know of any additions or deletions or tweaks.

(UPDATE: an astute reader (Shanna) has suggested that we keep it all about the president - and drop questions 3 and 5. and possibly add a buyers' remorse question - "if you voted for Bush in 04, would you do so again if there was a new election today?" (perhaps as 4b) )

I'm not exactly sure how Zogby's pricing works, but I assume that 4a) and 4b) count as just one question - i.e. depending on the answer to question 2, the interviewee will be asked either 4a) or4b)

Some people have suggested that we ask other questions that aren't directly related to impeachment and/or removal from office. It is my strong recommendation that we stick to impeachment-related questions - if only for the purpose of being able to promise that people who are helping finance the Zogby Impeachment Poll are getting what they paid for.

My personal goal is to raise $20,000 - that amount will enable us to ask five questions in three separate surveys - the first perhaps in mid-October, and the second perhaps in mid-November (Fitzgerald's Grand Jury into the outing of Valerie Plame is expected to finish October 28), and then another maybe in December or January. It may also make sense to hire some PR expertise - if you would like to donate some PR expertise, please let me know.

One final thing, you may have heard that early in September the Bush administration made an "extraordinary appeal" to raise money from Americans to help pay for their misadventures in Iraq. It has raised only $600. The "Zogby Impeachment Poll" paypal account was only opened today, and we have already raised $500! So if you can, please contribute (and let your friends know that they can join in too) and we'll put those pro-war types to shame. (if you don't mind, if you could write Lukery at paypal when you donate, they will help us track the funds a little better)

I'll be posting updates regularly, including funding, and timing and all that jazz.

Impeach be with you.

(ftr -in this post, i dont explicitly speak for the Aggressive Progressives, although I am on the working group.This post reflects my own personal thoughts, and has been posted for discussion only.)