Hero Hokum
EmailYou can read it online at some brand-name news websites: “Obama beats out Jesus as America’s hero,” per the Chicago Sun-Times. “Bigger than Jesus?” ponders a blog item on the WashingtonPost.com. It’s even gone as far as the Times of India.
Hate to harsh the buzz, but this one is hero hokum.
The alleged story comes from a Harris Poll news release: When its respondents were asked “whom they admire enough to call their heroes, President Barack Obama was mentioned most often, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King.” The release goes on to list the top finishers in rank order, 23 in all, from Abraham Lincoln to Oprah Winfrey, by way of God.
What’s oddly missing are the actual percentages of participants who named any of these people (or deities) as their heroes. Upon inquiry, it turns out that all of 6 percent picked Obama (meaning 94 percent did not); 5 percent Jesus; 4 percent Martin Luther King; 3 percent or fewer, anyone else. And that’s with up to three choices per person allowed.
Those would not be significant differences, even if this were a representative, random-sample survey of respondents. It’s not. It’s a ballot done among people who signed up to click through online surveys in exchange for points redeemable for cash and gifts. (See here for a previous discussion of a different opt-in panel.)
The non-significant differences among these minuscule percentages is not the only question to ponder. In most polls of this sort a lot of people pick their mother, father or some other relative as their hero. And voila, in a table back on the fourth page of its press release (and nowhere in the text), Harris notes that in fact only 49 percent of its participants named any public figure at all. The rest cited a relative, another non-public person or had no opinion.
By the way, recency's a factor in these things; people in the news have a leg up. That’s likely why folks such as Capt. Sully and Sarah Palin are up there on the list alongside Gandhi and Mother Teresa.
A last beef is that Harris compares its results to a 2001 telephone survey in which it asked the same question. Comparing a random-sample telephone survey with an opt-in online panel is a highly fraught undertaking. Just for example, in Harris’ 2001 telephone survey, 4 percent of respondents expressed no opinion; in this online version, we’re told, that swelled to 32 percent.
“Heroes Vanish” – now that would be a headline. Were there reason to believe it.
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Jesus Christ died for every single person that has ever, or will ever live on this Earth. I am living proof of His amazing love, power, ability to sustain a man who suffers every day with chronic pain for degeneerated discs. God is love. Please do not ever compare any “mortal” man, ie; Obama, with our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus!! It’s time for the 10 Million Man March!!!
Posted by: J, White | February 20, 2009, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
so what
Posted by: donald south | February 20, 2009, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
Idolatry has a severe price tag!
Obama is a phoney, narcissistic, arrogant, obfuscating, over-reaching applause-addicted guy with no moral center, ethics or wisdom.
Obama continues to accelerate his dishonest rhetoric driven campaign!
Obama needs to learn to tell the truth and stop spending mega bucks travelling to the country to spew his dishonest fear-mongering sales pitch!
The DOW closed at its lowest point in six years. Obama’s tactics and programs are not encouraging anyone!
America needs a president not an American idol!
Posted by: aware2u | February 20, 2009, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
I agree with J White, no man can even come close to compare themselves with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.I like President Obama and I did vote for him. But to compare him with Jesus is stupid and unheard of.
Posted by: B Davis | February 20, 2009, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
May our Lord God bless us who did NOT vote for Obama BIN LADEN!!!!!
Donald South, THANK YOU! I totally agree with every word you wrote.
Our freedom and most all of our rights that we know and did know are so much at RISK! Our freedom of speech! Our right to bear arms! The the system he wants to impose on us! Everything that Obama & congress has been doing and wanting us to believe are so much doo doo! I have been saying this and someone from the 60′s said, communism will not need to use one shot on we the Americans! It will be Obama & his congress that is doing all this “dirty work” and those of you who did vote for him are BLIND!!!
Posted by: bunnylou | February 20, 2009, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
It was written in a book over 2,000 years ago, that mankind would worship false gods. And that the worlds economy would destroy itself and that man would think of himself to be gods. So what else is new?
If we place our hands in mans foolish attempts at righting itself, and not have God in it, then we are all doomed to fail. And failing now we are.President Obama is doing what he knows such as others thousand of years ago did and failed. And if he does not let God lead his decision making, then we will all, like sheep follow him to worlds end as we now know it.
Nothing will get better until mankind comes together and takes control over evil. Now like that’s gonna happen soon? LOL
But, that’s just my opinion for what it’s worth.
“God Bless America!”
Posted by: Linda Winchell | February 20, 2009, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
Most polls that take small samples are worthless. I like AOL’s polls of users as there are usually 250,000 or more responses. ABC News should do a weekly poll via their web site, on important issues. As some people have already stated; Obama is a hollow suit, and lives for the adoration of his followers. When the economy continues to fail and the 3 1/2 million jobs don’t appear, let’s take a poll on his honesty and intelligence.
Posted by: Dale Holly | February 20, 2009, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
“It was written in a book over 2,000 years ago, that mankind would worship false gods.”
The same book also said that women should be subservient to men, it’s ok to kill your son if God asks you to, adulterers should be stoned and featured immolated talking shrubbery.
And the New Testament part of it portrayed Jesus as a bleeding heart liberal who believed in lifting up the poor, paying your taxes (“render unto Caesar…”), keeping the money changers out of the temple and turning the other cheek.
How exactly does anything Jesus ever said or did correlate with the Repub orthodoxy of blind hatred, bigotry and xenophobia? Answer: It doesn’t.
Posted by: John in Chicago | February 20, 2009, 2:58 pm 2:58 pm
Although only a hanful of people were polled, it truly is sad that this man is above Jesus. Just recall that verse out of Ecclesiastes 10:2. But if you look at the qualities people said make a good hero, many of those qualitites were displayed by GWB.
Posted by: AB | February 20, 2009, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
Guys, calm down, and think. Please.
Not everyone is Christian. Get over it. Please. You do not rule the world.
Posted by: Lauren | February 20, 2009, 7:42 pm 7:42 pm
Thank you, Lauren!
Posted by: Lynn | February 20, 2009, 9:07 pm 9:07 pm
My favorite comment is from Lauren, ABC News Keeps it coming. I like these crazy news.
Posted by: Rashid | February 21, 2009, 10:10 am 10:10 am
It never ceases to amaze me, how the Christians deify the prophet Jesus. The idea of the Trinity is hokum. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one!” Not 2, not 3, but one. The man may have been a chosen manifestation of God, but the man was not God! What silliness & heresy!
Futhermore, this was a ######-up poll that was not representative of a wide cross section of the public. And any fool that thinks G.W.Bush has any qualities of a hero needs a shot of strong medication & a straitjacket. Puh-leeeeez!
Posted by: Catman2806 | February 22, 2009, 1:47 pm 1:47 pm
“Catman” George W.Bush wouldn’t have been considered a bad president If the congress and other houses would have let him pass bills to help our economy, by the way every economy experiences bad times or it wouldn’t be healthy.
I agree with bunnylou and Dale Holly.
Posted by: Wally | February 22, 2009, 9:57 pm 9:57 pm
Oh and one other thing…God Bless all the other countries too!!
Posted by: Wally | February 22, 2009, 10:06 pm 10:06 pm
Such a comparison is utterly ridiculous. If one identifies with atheism, they may consider obama a hero. If one respects honesty and values human life and respects the creator of all living things, he will unhesitatingly witness his love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Incidentally, Jesus Christ came to save the world in love, not threats nor condemntation. According to God’s word, we are commanded, Thou shalt not kill; and this includes the murder of innocent unborn infants. obama has stated his approval of even late-term abortion wherein a full-term infant must suffer the painful brutality of sadistic murder. obama in his campaign publicly blasphemed the scriptures, mocking and jeering that the message was evil. He insultingly taunted, “clinging to their guns and bibles.” An individual who sees nothing immoral about lying, deceiving and betraying the trust of those who believed him, not the insignia of a Christian. And, No, I am a conservative and I did not and do not support him.
Posted by: No Compromise | February 22, 2009, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
Where’s the love? Why so much jealousy, bitterness and hate. Do we have to be brought to our knees before we learn the lesson? Please don’t have to lift your eyes in hell because of your evil heart.Lord help you.
Posted by: Wootsie | February 23, 2009, 9:22 pm 9:22 pm
Jesus is Lord
Trust God
Pray for President Obama
Posted by: Wootsie | February 23, 2009, 9:27 pm 9:27 pm
Did any of you read this story? 5%,5%,5% this was a survey on a computer that leads you to buy into “special” offers.this was not a survey of the world or country.Most people picked family members!Do you people put your hand over your face and peek through your fingers, just to read what you want? there are none so blind…read that part. this same game was played on the beatles when rock & roll was evil!Americans fell for it then! GOD gave you a brain use it please.
Posted by: debby | March 24, 2009, 12:30 pm 12:30 pm