Rush: Polls want 'voter depression'

Rush Limbaugh said Wednesday that voters should ignore “bogus” swing-state polls that show President Barack Obama pulling away from GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, blaming pollsters for “oversampling” Democrats and accusing them of “trying to get this election finished” before the debates by “suppressing your vote and depressing you.”

Obama was ahead of Romney by 9 points in Florida, 10 points in Ohio and 12 points in Pennsylvania in polling out Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, CBS News and The New York Times.


Don’t believe the hype, Limbaugh said.

“It’s not over! It hasn’t even really begun yet. I don’t want anybody thinking this is over. I don’t want anybody falling for this. I’ll analyze these polls and explain to you why they’re bogus,” the conservative radio host said on his program, according to a transcript.

Limbaugh said the polls were part of a Democratic strategy to lower Republicans’ voter enthusiasm ahead of the debates, which begin Oct. 3, and to suppress GOP turnout ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

“They’re trying to wrap this up before the debates even start because I think they’re worried about the debates,” Limbaugh said. “I think they’re trying to get this election finished and in the can by suppressing your vote and depressing you so that you just don’t think there’s any reason to vote, that it’s hopeless. They want you making other plans.”

He also blamed pollsters for oversampling Democrats and therefore skewing results.

“They oversample Democrats by 7% in Florida, where Obama is up by nine points. They oversample Democrats by 11 points in Pennsylvania, where Obama is up 12. They oversample Democrats,” he said.

He added: “There could be a lot of reasons for this. Voter suppression, voter depression, set up the possibility of allegations of voter fraud.”