"There's a gap tonight between Congress's view [on impeachment] and what the public wants next."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, September 15, 1998.

"[B]y 60 to 28 percent Americans think the Senate trial is politically-motivated by Republicans to hurt Bill Clinton,"
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, February 2, 1999.

"In a CBS News poll out tonight just 29 percent believe Starr is conducting an impartial investigation of President Clinton. And 57 percent want Starr to drop his investigation of the President's personal life."
--Dan Rather CBS Evening News, May 8, 1998.

"As for how to fix it [the economy], only 14 percent say cutting taxes should be Congress's top priority." However, the poll was weighted against tax cuts because it made it sound as though cutting taxes cannot not help create jobs. The actual poll question asked:

"Which of the following do you think is the most important thing for the Republicans in Congress to concentrate on when the new Congress meets next week: passing a tax cut, reforming health care, or creating jobs and helping the unemployed?"

"Creating jobs and helping the unemployed" received the largest response with 54 percent. Cutting taxes got 14 percent. According to Rather, this was a repudiation of President Bush's agenda. But the reason Republicans want to cut taxes is because they believe doing so will "create jobs," the same as what 54 percent desire. The wording of the question, however, likely made the respondents less-inclined to choose tax cuts since it implies that reducing taxes and creating jobs are mutually exclusive--which also happens to be the view of Democrats. It seems to be the view of CBS News as well.

"Results are in tonight from a CBS News poll taken since Monica Lewinsky's testimony to the Ken Starr grand jury: 63 percent of those polled said even if there was wrongdoing by the President, it would have been better for the country if the Starr investigation into Mr. Clinton's personal life and whether he lied about it had never started."
--Dan Rather's on the CBS Evening News, August 7, 1998.

"New indications in a CBS News poll out tonight of how the public perceives Republican special prosecutor Ken Starr's investigation. Our poll suggests only 27 percent believe Starr is conducting an impartial probe. And 55 percent think it's time for Starr to drop his investigation."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, March 2, 1998.

"In a CBS News poll out tonight just 29 percent believe Starr is conducting an impartial investigation of President Clinton. And 57 percent want Starr to drop his investigation of the President's personal life."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, May 8, 1998.

"By more than two to one, the public says special prosecutor Ken Starr is politically motivated to damage the Clintons."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, February 1998.

"The 1988 campaign saw the most extensive use of horse-race polling ever. The candidates polled constantly, and the major newspapers and networks did as well. With the electorate as the object of scrutiny, the leaders would become followers."

"Rather was against reporting the polls and had been making his views clear at CBS for months. I got caught in the middle when I was assigned to report on our September poll, which showed Bush up by eight points. I was in New York that day so I could 'chat' with Dan about the numbers, live on the set.

"The poll was not particularly complicated, so I was finished early and decided to visit Joan Richman, a no-nonsense producer who had for years run our Special Events Unit. Now, as number two to David Burke, she was the highest-ranking woman in news at any of the networks....We were talking about Dukakis when Rather poked his head in.

"'Look, I was just leaving,' I said getting up.

"'No, please, stay, Lesley,' Dan said. 'What I have to say involves you too.' He sat down. 'I've decided we're not going to report the poll tonight.'

"Joan took a long puff. 'I think we have to discuss this with David,' she said, explaining that Burke was over at Black Rock. 'Dan,' she implored, 'let me try to reach him so we can talk this through.'

"Rather was pleasant but firm, reminding her that he was the managing editor.

"Joan explained that this was a major decision, since 'as you know, Dan,' we spent a fortune on these polls with The New York Times. 'I'm sure they'll have a big front-page story tomorrow.'

"Dan told Joan he was merely notifying her of his decision, not looking for an okay. Again agreeably, he said he had to get back to the fishbowl, and off he went.

"The published lineup still listed 'Stahl/Poll' as the lead, but I asked [Executive Producer] Tom Bettag, 'Since you're dropping my piece, can I go home?' It was about an hour to air.

"'Please don't,' he said. 'Just hang around. Be available.' I found an empty office and waited till 6:25, when Bettag boomed out: 'Lesley, hurry. We need you on the set. You're the lead.'

"I slid into the chair next to Dan with one minute to go. As I collected myself, he stared at me. 'I know exactly what you did.'

"'Five seconds to air!' boomed Jimmy Wall, the stage manager.

"Dan melted into his warm 'Good evening. Eight weeks before American voters choose a new president... [ellipses Stahl's] He read his lines about the poll, then turned to me: 'Lesley?'

"'Dan,' I said, 'in that poll Bush is maintaining the significant lead he captured over Dukakis after the Republican convention.' The director rolled the tape with the rest of my piece about the poll, which showed that Bush's message about Dukakis being soft on defense and unpatriotic was registering. While it ran, Dan turned to me and said again, 'I know what you did, and I don't appreciate it one bit.'

"'What did I do?'

"'You know what you did.' Our 'chat' on camera was pretty short. 'Almost a quarter in the poll say their preference could change, Dan.'

"'Lesley. We shall see.' And he moved on.

"I unhooked my mike and left for the airport, baffled. What had I done?

"Dan would not return my calls, I couldn't get my story ideas approved, couldn't get an assignment. When I called Tom Bettag to find out what was wrong, he advised me to be patient: 'this will pass.' But what was 'it?' [sic] He said he wasn't sure."
--Lesley Stahl in her 1999 book, Reporting Live.

"There is a new CBS News poll out tonight--this is not a tracking poll, it's a full poll. It indicates that Governor Clinton may be hanging onto his lead over President Bush."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, October 30, 1992.

Dan Rather asked his own push poll:
"A CBS News poll out tonight suggests growing public awareness, and some growing concern, about fast and loose campaign fund-raising by both parties. Three-quarters of the people we surveyed said the Democrats' 1996 fund-raising practices were common to Republicans as well."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, March 10, 1997
Note: There is no way for the American people, who are not in the FBI, to know if each party shares the same amount of blame.

"The Republican-led House schedules key votes on an impeachment inquiry as the latest CBS poll indicates more than half of the public would be satisfied with no punishment for the President at all." "All tolled, more than half [53 percent] now say they'd be satisfied with no punishment and just drop the whole matter. But as CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer reports tonight, Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republican-led House made it clear today it won't do anything of the sort."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, September 24, 1998.
Note: Usually, a number so close to 50 percent as 53 percent is rounded to "half," not "more than half," unless there is a reason to do so. In fact, Dan Rather usually does round when necessary. George W. Bush barely led Al Gore in a poll asking who could be trusted more on guns. 37% for Bush, 35% for Gore. Rather said they were "tied."

"A new CBS News poll out tonight finds President Clinton's job approval rating still riding high at 61 percent, little changed from the week before [when it was 64 percent]."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, July 30, 1998.

A CBS News poll "about public reaction to the alleged Clinton-Monica Lewinsky connection." "74 percent say they personally don't want to know more."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, February 18, 1998.
Note: Rather also would not like to know more. "I have hated it [the Lewinsky scandal] from the very beginning and I have hated right the way through..."

Two polls were taken in May, almost six months before the election:
"According to a new CBS poll, 60 percent of those interviewed agreed with Dole's decision to resign from the Senate and spend full time campaigning for President. It's going to take full time. Among registered voters in the polls, Dole trails President Clinton by 15 points."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, May 16, 1996.

While Dan Rather usually takes exception to polls predicting bad news for Democrats, when a poll came out saying that female voters did not support actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the recall election of California governor Gray Davis, CBS immediately jumped on the story, dredging up a liberal activist as representative of all California women, and even quoting Schwarzenegger out of context to support the predetermined conclusion.

DAN RATHER: The political landscape is shifting again in the California gubernatorial recall race. Peter Ueberroth, the former baseball commissioner, today called himself out, but that doesn't necessarily mean fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger is closer to victory. CBS's Jerry Bowen reports on what appears to be the candidate's latest problem: trouble with women.
JERRY BOWEN: Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante tops the Field Poll replacement list, 5 points ahead of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger; state Senator Tom McClintock in third.
BOWEN: No telling who's helped by today's sudden dropout of moderate Republican Peter Ueberroth, but no question Schwarzenegger can use help.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (Republican gubernatorial candidate): And I have the utmost respect for women. I have the utmost respect for women.
BOWEN: The poll shows he trails Democrat Bustamante among women voters by 13 points--a gender gap aggravated perhaps by his past comments on sex and women that have drawn protesters to his campaign headquarters.
KATHERINE SPILLAR (Feminist Majority Foundation): They want a governor who has respect for women and for women's role in society, a--a--and his comments certainly don't show that.
BOWEN: And now in an Esquire magazine interview Schwarzenegger gave last spring, in which he expressed interest in the governorship, he remarked how bodybuilders are often thought to be dumb because of their appearance, same for women, he suggested; quote, "As much as when you see a blonde with great T and a great A, you say to yourself, 'Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer,' which maybe is the case many times."
Hollywood film analysts say Schwarzenegger also isn't helped by his tough-guy movie image.
MARTIN GROVE (Movie Critic): Women are basically disposable characters in his movies. And from a woman's point of view, I think, it's not someone that you particularly feel, you know, great about.
BOWEN: Scharzenegger's working to close the gender gap, but a rare campaign outing by his wife Maria Shriver backfired last night.
Unidentified Man: I need to know how I'm getting out of here.
BOWEN: A voter registration drive outside a Sacramento Wal-Mart, where women are the majority work force and labor is trying to organize, was cut short by union protesters.
There is good news in the poll for Schwarzenegger. Voters say he and the other top replacement candidates would all do a better job as governor than Gray Davis. The poll that counts is now just four weeks away. Jerry Bowen, CBS News, Los Angeles.
--Dan Rather and Jerry Bowen on the CBS Evening News, September 9, 2003.