Framing Public Opinion

I don't really know what to make of this Associated Press article by Erin McClam. McClam, after scanning a few blogs and talking to a few people declares: "Nation Split on NSA Records Collection"

There was no polling yet on the new NSA revelations, but anecdotal evidence suggested the issue was destined to cause the kind of passionate split the nation has grown familiar with since the 2000 election.

While McClam acknowledges that it is "too early to get a scientific read on the nation's thoughts on the program," he is completely willing to make the assumption, and declare to the nation, that we are split, that it's all fifty-fifty. It looks like McClam's main goal is to quickly diffuse the latest NSA scandal by lumping it in with the opinions and polling from the last NSA scandal. You know, the one where a terrorist overseas was part of the conversation. I contend that the revelations revealed yesterday, that the NSA are compiling the "biggest database ever" of all our phone records, is a completely different animal, and the people, this time, will understand that their privacy is being directly effected in a massive way. Also, into the "thoughts of the people" mix must be thrown the fact that the political climate has changed dramatically since the last NSA scandal broke. There were a lot more hangers-on back in December who were willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt, today -- eh hem 29% -- not so much.

Of course my read on all this is as unscientific as McClam, but I am a blogger who will at best reach a few thousand people with my words, and who is completely transparent about my political leanings. McClam, on the other hand, has the potential to reach millions, and to declare that the nation is "split" frames the debate before there even is one.

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Update: The frame is set. Initial polling of the "new" NSA scandal reveals that the American people couldn't give a shit about their privacy, their civil liberties, or the rule of law. If it's about catching terrorists, go ahead, take my calls. I too would like to catch a few terrorists, but please can we do it within the boundaries of the law. Don't we have laws for a reason? Why is America so freakin' scared? I live in Manhattan. I live in the bulls-eye. I want terror plots foiled more than anyone, but not with shortcuts and an utter disdain for the law.