Yesterday, CNN and Time released their final joint polls from five states in the midterm cycle, mostly with good news for Republicans.  However, in Nevada, veteran political journalist Jon Ralston pronounced the poll “crap” — and he has a point.  In an e-mail newsletter quoted in Politico’s own daily e-mail blast, Raslton blasted the methodology and the media for buying it:

“But, once again, the methodology is so screwy (Angle losing both urban counties but rurals carry her to victory?!) and almost unfathomable that it is impossible to divine anything from it. … I have never seen such bad public data – too much of it swallowed by the media’s undiscerning palate.”

Ralston took a look at the raw numbers from the poll and found something else interesting: the CNN/Time pollster apparently didn’t interview anyone under the age of 50.   In the age demographic breakdowns, all questions have “N/A” for 18-34 and 35-49 categories.  Maybe Nevada turned into a reverse case of Children of the Corn?

Nor was this problem restricted to Nevada.  In Kentucky, the poll shows no data for 18-29YOs and non-white voters, and all the self-described liberals must have been in hiding.  They also have no new suburbs; darn that recession anyway!  California also has a lost generation of 18-29YOs.  Not only that, but in California, the pollster apparently didn’t bother to look for rural voters, either.  In Colorado, everyone under 50 and everyone who’s not white has suddenly disappeared.

Pennsylvania’s 18-29YOs are no-shows, as are its non-white voters.  Oddly, when looking at the breakouts for Philadelphia, we get nothing but N/As, even though it’s the largest city in the state and a Democratic powerhouse — but the poll does have data for Philly suburbs, which break for Sestak.  It balances out by having no data for northeastern Pennsylvania.

Most amusing omission: The poll shows no data for “high-growth suburbs” in Nevada … perhaps because, thanks to Harry Reid and the Democratic agenda, there is no growth in Nevada these days.  There are also no non-white voters there, either, at least according to this poll, even though the Republican running for Governor is Brian Sandoval.

Ralston called the poll “crap” on his Twitter feed, and frankly, he was being generous.  The only conclusion this poll supports is that CNN and Time need a new pollster.