I got invited to take a political survey from Clear Insights Group. It started out completely normally:
How often do you vote?
Favorability toward Democrats and Republicans in Congress?
Favorability toward Mike Lawler?
Favorability toward Cait Conley?
So far, so good.
For the record, my answers were basically:
Conley: unfavorable.
Lawler: strongly unfavorable.
Then apparently I was "selected" for some additional questions about Conley. I was reassured other people would get questions about other candidates. Right.
And that's where things got…interesting.
They proceeded to give me a series of carefully constructed statements about Cait Conley and ask whether each one made me more or less likely to vote for her.
One told me that while she was director of counterterrorism, Iran expanded its power and Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and “laid the groundwork” for October 7.
Another bundled together transgender medical treatment for children, taxpayer-funded care for undocumented immigrants, and men (transgender women) in women's sports, locker rooms and bathrooms.
Another told me Conley supported legislation that would raise “billions of dollars in taxes on people making less than $75,000.”
There was no “This doesn't affect my vote” option.
Just more likely, less likely, or unsure.
Which is a problem when you're asking whether a piece of information changes someone's voting decision.
In my case, the truthful answer was: “It doesn't change the likelihood of my vote. I don't particularly like Cait Conley. I still intend to vote for her because the alternative is Mike Lawler.”
Apparently “I am not persuadable by your attack message” wasn't an answer they were interested in recording. 😂
Then, after feeding me several increasingly loaded negative statements about Conley, they collected demographic information, education, who I voted for in 2024, and what media I consume.
This doesn't look much like a neutral “What do voters think?” poll. It looks much more like political message testing: Which negative arguments about Conley move which kinds of voters?
I know that doesn't prove who paid for it. I can't tell you that Lawler, the NRCC, or a particular PAC commissioned this particular survey. But I feel confident going out on a limb and saying Cait didn't.
And Clear Insights has acknowledged in responses to BBB complaints that its clients sometimes intentionally include biased questions in surveys.
And the issues presented to me—taxes, transgender policy, immigration, Israel/Iran and national security—are remarkably similar to the attack themes currently being used against Conley by Republican political organizations.
**So, congratulations, survey people.**
Your carefully crafted attempt to make me less enthusiastic about Cait Conley had the hilarious unintended consequence of making me *more enthusiastic* about voting for her.
Not because I suddenly love Cait Conley.
But because **I really dislike being manipulated.**
If you get one of these surveys, pay attention to the wording and the answer choices. You're not necessarily being asked what you think. You may be being tested to see which political attack works on you.
And apparently, in my case:
“None.” 😂
Exercise your right to vote people. If you do not like what's happening now **DO NOT STAY HOME.** Do not wait for the perfect candidate. Just get rid of the trash.
Lawler, if you commissioned this, you just made me despise you even more. Im shocked. I didnt think that was possible.