In the battle of winning over the hearts and minds of regular joes regarding the DM&E expansion, both DM&E and Mayo produced poll results that show that most Minnesotans support the DM&E project (according to the DM&E commissioned poll) AND oppose the DM&E project (according to the Mayo commissioned poll).
Okay, nothing suprising there in these days of inherently discredited polls (read: push polls).
But what does suprise me is the way the railroad press is treating the duel, at least from the TRAINS and ProgressiveRailroading perspectives.
…the Mayo poll is misleading because it states DM&E doesn’t have collateral to support the RRIF loan, which DM&E refutes - “In fact, the DM&E will provide collateral [and] this loan will be fully secured,” according to DM&E spokeman Jafar Karim.
…it is the DM&E poll that appears misleading, in that “DM&E refused to release the complete survey results or provide media with a complete list of questions asked.” (For those of you without a TRAINS subscription, you will not be able to access the TRAINS side of the story. Sorry.)
Question: Did TRAINS staff bother to get DM&E’s version of this latest poll duel? Wouldn’t you think a rail industry mag would first get the railroad side of a story before they extoll the views of the anti-railroad types?
It certainly would appear that Trains magazine’s anylisis of the poll is less than optimistic. I am curious, though, as to the source of the trains article. It reads an awful lot like a newspaper article-in that it was copied perhaps? Just a stab in the dark. Anyhoo - it seems that if the Mayo clinic wants to argue about how the technical aspects of their poll are superior than that of the DME poll they are going to lose the interest of a whole lot of people. In other words, the DME won this round in that they got their poll out first and nobody gives a crap about the ‘specifics’ behind the poll, save maybe a few poll geeks. In the PR battle DME -1, Mayo - 0. Besides - a good pollster can get the public to support anything if they ask the questions the right way. How do you explain Hillary Clinton?
I applaud kalmbach’s williingness to err on the side of objectivity, and not sully themselves with the kind of cherrypicked data slashing that has been displayed by many of DM&E proponents. Just because they are an industry organ does not dictate that they have to suck it up and play cheerleader, too.
What’s so bloody objective about only telling one side of the story? If TRAINS had truly been objective, they’d have reported the alleged errors in both polls. Personally, I detest kalmbach’s bent to err on the side of an extremely disingenuous minority.
The PR.com story is more akin to an objective analysis, in that at least they err on the side of common sense.
There is no virtue in propping up the views of a bunch of wackos, just to appear ostensibly objective to certain addlephiles.
One would hope that neither publication was on either “side” at all, but would concern them selves only with reporting the facts as they can find them.
If DM&E refused to answer questions, or provide a complete list of the questions asked in their poll, then Trains magazine has every right to question their reasons.
Now, if this appeared in the editorial section, under an editor’s byline, and was promoted as that editors opinion, then all assumptions of neutral “reporting of facts” is removed.
I remember taking a Geography STATS class back when I was getting my B.S. at NIU. One of the first days the instructor said that you can prove anything with statistics and polling. After the class I would agree with her.
No matter what method you useto poll you will insert a bias and during the processing of the data you can skew the result one way or another very easily. I haven’t trusted polls since taking that class.
Mark Twain once said “Figures don’t lie, but all liars figure.” That quote comes to mind every time a poll paid for by a particular entity miraculously supports that entity’s position.
It has grown clear to me that BOTH principals in this ordeal qualify to wear the black hat .
Perhaps Kalmbach simply decided to pursue the lesser of two weasels? [oX)]
I see that on the train newswire today the supporters of the DME line had a little bit of a good 'ole fashion demonstration. I always wonder what people think they are going to accomplish with these things, but it does seem that the DME is trying to win this in the public arena. I hope they get it. The Mayo clinic continues to lose the court battles and the STB descisions. Maybe they will get the hint some day?
I see. We have yet another case of engendering moral equivilence in order to appear “fair”. Memo to AG - Mayo has no credible standing in this tiff. The railroad preceded Mayo as a matter of apriori standing, but regardless of that, DM&E has every right to pursue expansion to garner more business, same as Mayo. Mayo is trying an end around, using legal obfuscation to make a case for the feds to deny DM&E’s loan, a case they know perfectly well they will not win in court, but one in which they hope to drag things out until DM&E’s private capital dries up.
I don’t see DM&E using any similar tactics to try and deny Mayo it’s right to free enterprise.
I also don’t see any medical trade mags giving the benefit of doubt to the outsider same as Kalmbach. It begs the question - did the Kalmbach reporter even try to get a response from DM&E? Personally, I’d think a railroad magazine would have a railroad like DM&E on speed dial. Why did PR.com get DM&E’s response to the Mayo push poll while TRAINS didn’t?
Hey, Ive heard about this latest so called “poll” supposedly indicating that “a majority of minnesotans” prefer the route through Rochester.
Duh!! Is it any surprise that folks from Duluth to Fergus Falls see no problem with a route thru Rochester?
I’d imagine that a majority of folks from Minneapolis/ St Paul see no problem with a route thru Rochester either? Wouldn’t you? ANYWHERE so long as it’s not in their own back yard.
How do a majority of Rochester (and immediate surroundings) residents feel about it?
Maybe if Fergus Falls is so wild about DM&E, then schiffer ought to consider routing that way? (heh heh, that’d be poetic justice for those “majority of minnesotans”) [xx(]
Since I do have access to the Trains Newswire, the WHOLE statement (where the dots are at the beginning):
“On Aug. 14, DM&E released results from a statewide survey claiming significant support in Minnesota for its rail expansion project and for the federal loan. According to the Mayo Clinic, DM&E refused to release the complete survey results or provide media with a complete list of questions asked. “The fact that DM&E uses a poll to claim public support but refuses to release the details of how they got their results is a clear violation of polling industry ethical standards,” said Aase. “We are willing to share our poll results and a complete list of questions asked with journalists who want to validate the methodology. We challenge DM&E to do the same.” The telephone survey of registered voters 18 years and older in Minnesota and South Dakota was conducted Aug. 10-14.”
Funny he left off the part “According to the Mayo Clinic.” (second sentence above) Changes the whole meaning of the statement. With the whole story, it sounds more like responsible, unbiased reporting.
The point is, the med trade mags will stick up for their own despite the incredulousness of the Mayo moanings, but for some backhanded reason Kalmbach won’t stick up for DM&E.
How a majority of Rochies do feel vs how they should feel is the diametric twist. If not for the preposterous scare tactics of the Mayo malcontents, most Rochies probably would give benign approval of the DM&E project. It predictably takes some low brow bottom of the barrel scare tactics devoid of logic and reason to get usually normal folks stirred into a frenzy.
Mayo has shot whatever credibility it might have had to he-doubletoothpicks. Hopefully, after all this is over, DM&E and the associated shippers of that line will turn the tide on Mayo and put pressure on them to stick it where the sun don’t shine.
I’m sure the folks in Fergus Falls or anywhere else in Minnesota would welcome the DM&E in with open arms, just as long as Mayo/
So, what you are saying is that you are distraught because Kalmbach will not lower itself to yellow journalism? Seems more like a virtue than a fault to me
And let me guess? YOU feel qualified to dictate how the Rochies are supposed to want to feel? Or at least you feel you know how they SHOULD feel, if not for the evil brainwashing campaign they’ve been subjected to?
U’mmm, you mean such as yellow journalism? [:D]
I’ve still a deep down suspicion that UP and/or BNSF is somehow behind, or at least supporting the Mayo crusade. [}:)]
No, what I’m saying is that it appears Kalmbach did lower itself to a variation of the infamous art, aka a politically correct version of yellow journalism with the aim of blurring the distinction between right and wrong, in this case one where there is a clear right side (DM&E) and a clear wrong side (Mayo).
Keep reading…
AKA, if not for the Mayo smear campaign, it is a safe bet that most Rochies wouldn’t be so ostensibly objectional to the evil DM&E
I would not put Kalmbach’s PCYJ in the same category as Mayo’s orchestrated smear campaign.
Something that I do not understand is why does Mayo care about DM&E funding? How is that relevant to Mayo and its polsters? Why should such a clarification matter in the first place?
The possibility of more noise pollution and increased threat of derailment are certainly relevant to Mayo but the dynamics of funding?
Now when DM&E defaults and this whole project becomes the Tepot Dome scandal of our time and the tax payers take a bath via the power industry . . . .
