Gallup: Obama’s 4% lead stable
According to pollsters Gallup, Barack Obama’s 4-point lead* remained stable over the weekend, ahead of the first presidential debate in Mississippi this week. Real Clear Politics, which tracks numerous national polls, has Obama averaging a 3-point lead over the GOP hopeful John McCain.
At the height of the “Palin Bounce” McCain enjoyed a 5-point lead [Gallup]. McCain’s success has now been obliterated following the electorate’s apparent tiring of McCain’s constant attacks on Obama – the Arizona Senator has not missed an opportunity to heap criticism on the Democrat nominee, including blaming him directly for the current Wall St. meltdown.
In a recent issue of Time, Joe Klein called McCain on his tactics in a withering criticism of the Republican campaign:
McCain’s campaign has been a series of snide and demeaning ads accompanied by the daily gush of untruths that have now been widely documented and exposed. The strategy is an obvious attempt to camouflage the current unpopularity of his Republican brand, the insubstantiality of his vice-presidential choice, and his agreement on most issues — especially economic matters — with an exceedingly unpopular President.
Furthermore, in today’s Washington Post, George F. Will called McCain “childish”, following his increasingly reactionary (and somewhat desperate) call for heads to roll over the financial crisis. Will suggests that McCain’s righteous venting is cause for concern:
It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency.
Evidence also suggests that McCain’s Veep pick, Sarah Palin, is switching from asset to liability, as emerging truths contradict her claims to be a small-government reformer.
One thing’s for sure though… expect fireworks at Friday’s presidential debate.
*Please note these are national polls. The US operate an electoral college system, where individual states elect the president. With 270 electoral votes needed for victory, Obama currently leads McCain by 273 to 265 (RCP).
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Aaron Murin-Heath is an occasional contributor. He is a writer based in Newark-on-Trent and Tallinn, Estonia. He is both socially and economically liberal. Aaron blogs at tygerland.net.
· Other posts by Aaron Murin-Heath
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Reader comments
Just read the link to the George F Will article. His conclusion reminds me of the famous conservative journalist T E Uttley’s summation of the 1969 Mid-Ulster by-election: “Bernadette Devlin is not yet ready to be an MP – and the Unionist candidate never will be”. And Ian Hislop’s comment that, alone amongst politicians, Sarah Palin has celebrity quality, merits reflection, too.
Palin is a powerful mix.
Attractive, forthright, religious, and gun-totting.
She’s like catnip to conservatives, but I think the rump of the undecided will see through her. Or at least I hope they will.
She seems to have a serious problem with the truth – constantly spinning lies around her past record. And she is woefully ill-equipped to stand up if McCain was incapacitated.
I think the erosion of John McCain’s reputation is one of the saddest stories of this year. While he’s never been whiter-than-white, he was someone who broke with Beltway bullshit, at least occasionally.
This is one of the filthiest election fights since LBJ poured manure on Barry Goldwater’s chances in 1964.
As you point out, Will is hardly a Obama-nut either. He is a conservative, after all.
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