GOP group behind negative Obama poll

I guess this isn't technically push-polling, but it seems awfully close. For those of you who are not familiar, push-polling is a nasty technique used to shape public opinion rather than measure it. A famous example is the push poll in South Carolina in 2000 that said McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child (he has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh). It is generally accepted that a group closely aligned with Bush was behind this push-poll. McCain had momentum after his NH primary win; this momentum was stopped in SC.

"A Republican group is taking responsibility for a poll that has roiled the Jewish community by asking sharply negative questions about Senator Barack Obama. The poll asked voters their response to negative statements about Obama, including reported praise for him from a leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas and a friendship early in his career with a pro-Palestinian university professor. // Brooks said the RJC, whose board includes advisors and fundraisers for Senator John McCain, had placed 750 calls to Jewish voters in five states: Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. // Cohn wrote that he was asked how six different statements would affect his vote:

• Obama has had a decade long relationship with pro-Palestinian leaders in Chicago

• the leader of Hamas, Ahmed Yousef, expressed support for Obama and his hope for Obama's victory

• the church Barack Obama has attended is known for its anti-Israel and anti-American remarks

• Jimmy Carter's anti-Israel national security advisor is one of Barack Obama's foreign policy advisors

• Barack Obama was the member of a board (sic) that funded a pro-Palestinian charitable organization

• Barack Obama called for holding a summit of Muslim nations, excluding Israel, if elected president"

GOP group behind negative Obama poll - Ben Smith - Politico.com