So Rasmussen Reports is out with its latest biased poll, this time probing whether Americans support or oppose Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his attempt to bust his state's public employee unions. All recent Rasmussen polls have had a baked-in conservative bias, but the wording of this particular poll added another layer of bias.

As Nate Silver explains, before asking poll respondents whether they supported Walker's actions, Rasmussen asked three questions, two of which seem designed to generate sympathy for Walker's position. The more egregious of the two questions was designed to make it seem like the issue at stake was whether police officers and firemen have the right to strike. That's not at all the issue (such strikes are already illegal in many parts of the country), but you can imagine how someone who thought it was the issue would be inclined to support Walker. The other question was designed to remind people of their incorrect belief that public sector employees earn more than their private sector counterparts.

Although these questions were 'factual,' their clear intent was to bias the results. As Nate writes:

It is widely recognized in the scholarship on the subject, and I have noted before, that earlier questions in a survey can bias the response to later ones by framing an issue in a particular way and by casting one side of the argument in a less favorable light. ... As an analogy, imagine a survey that asked respondents whether they believed the Democrats’ health care overhaul included “death panels” before asking them whether they approved or disapproved of the bill over all.

All that being said, it's not at all surprising that Rasmussen produced a biased poll. That's what they do. No, the real shock is that despite the heavy bias of the poll, less than half the poll's respondent's backed Walker's position. If Walker were actually on solid ground, a biased instrument like the one employed by Rasmussen should have yielded support in the 70 percent range. Instead, it was just 48 percent. And when you're only getting 48 percent in a poll as heavily biased in your favor was was this one, you're in some serious trouble.