fayfreethinkers.com

DAR
Some very interesting stuff here. Underline mine.

A Closer Look at the NY Times/CBS News Poll

Considering many of the staggering results of Thursday's New York Times/CBS News poll, overall media coverage and examination of the findings have been less than thorough. With the seeming sea change that has occurred, when comparing public opinion before both conventions to public opinion now (the period measured in the poll), you might think it would garner at least as much attention as, say, lipstick-on-a-pig palooza.

Taken as a whole, findings of this poll -- some noted in Thursday's national media discourse, some not -- paint the bleakest picture yet for the McCain/Palin ticket. The following compares opinions before the convention to current opinions:

* Independents: 43%-42% for McCain; 48%-41% for Obama. While the Independent vote is constantly touted as the determining factor in this election, this specific figure was one of the least discussed in the media, including The New York Times article that broke down its very own jointly published poll. The closest Times reporters Robin Toner and Adam Nagourney get to noting this switch? "And the New York Times/CBS News poll found no evidence, at least to date, that Ms. Palin has allowed Mr. McCain to expand his appeal to women voters or independent voters." While this figure is in an online graphic snapshot of some of the poll's findings, it's perplexing how Toner and Nagourney managed to omit the fact that Obama is now up by 7 points among Independents.

* Moderates: 48%-36% for [McCain]; 56%-33% for Obama. ... a later question in the poll asks respondents whether they consider themselves liberals, moderates or conservatives. 39% of Americans, the majority, consider themselves moderates; 24% liberal and 33% conservative.

* White women: Snip...

* 78% of Americans rate the economy "fairly bad" or "very bad" (it's an even split: 39% fairly bad; 39% very bad. 61% think the economy is "getting worse"; 32% think it's "staying the same; a whopping 6% think it's "getting better."

* 53% think the war in Iraq is "not part" of the war on terrorism.

* Sarah Palin's favorable rating, at 40%, has plummeted to only two points higher than that of Joe Biden's, at 38%. (Factor in that Biden has been around forever and people are still just beginning to get to know Palin.) Even more telling, Palin's 30% unfavorable rating is nearly double that of Biden's, with an unfavorable rating of 17%.

* Percentage who think "Obama shares the values most Americans try to live by"? 66%. (You might be surprised to know this hasn't changed much since before the conventions; back then, 63% thought that, which goes to show how widespread the false -- and yes, overtly racist and xenophobic -- "Obama-is-not-one-of-us" meme has been carried in the media. Wouldn't this be an impressive and reassuring figure to call out? 66% of Americans think a black man named Barack Hussein Obama shares their values. Oh, by the way, more Americans think Obama shares their values than does John "Country First" McCain (61% see him sharing their values). Talk about quashing another received media notion. Of course, nary a peep about this figure.

* Is the candidate "someone you can relate to"? Obama: 57% yes; McCain: 47% yes; Obama: 40% no; McCain 51% no. This one continues to dismantle the myth of Obama as "other." Could that be why it got no play?

* If either became President, "will it make the United States' image in the world better, make it worse, or will it have no effect..."? Obama: better 55%; worse 15%; no effect 26%. McCain: better 26%; worse 25%; no effect (aka McSame) 46%. Truly brutal.

* Did McCain and Obama pick their respective Vice Presidential running mates on the basis of them being "well-qualified for the job" or because they would "help win the election"? Biden: 57% well-qualified; 31% help win the election. Palin: 17% well-qualified (yes, more than 10 points lower than President Bush's favorable rating); 75% help win the election.

* "If Barack Obama is elected President and cannot finish his term in office, do you think Joe Biden would be qualified to serve as President, or would you be concerned about him?" 65% qualified; 24% concerned. "If John McCain is elected President and cannot finish his term in office, do you think Sarah Palin would be qualified to serve as President, or would you be concerned about her?" 33% qualified; 62% concerned.

* President Bush's disapproval rating stands at 68%, which, as Toner and Nagourney point out, "was as high as it has been for any sitting president in the history of New York Times polling." Ouch.

...

Note to media: Why don't you ask the 66% of Americans who think Barack Obama shares their values if he's an elitist? And why don't you let Americans know that fewer of them think John McCain shares their values? From now until the election, whenever desperate McCain surrogates and GOP water-carrying members of the media trot out this demonstrably false and racially coded talking point against Obama -- and they will -- responsible members of the media no longer have any excuse to entertain this wholly fabricated smear.

Mediabloodhound

DAR
It gets much worse for McCain:

***
Obama opens lead over McCain, gains in key states

Excerpts:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama has vaulted ahead of his Republican rival John McCain, gaining ground in pivotal states and among women voters, according to new polls.

Gaining momentum after the first presidential debate and amid a grave financial crisis, Obama now enjoys a nine-point national lead over McCain in a CBS poll.

He has also widened his lead in crucial states -- including Florida, Virginia and Nevada -- needed for victory on November 4, according to Time/CNN survey.

Another poll by Quinnipiac University had Obama pulling ahead in the battlegrounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Florida -- a state that only weeks ago appeared out of reach for the Democrat...

The CBS poll released late Wednesday had Obama ahead of McCain 49 to 40 percent, the first significant lead this year in surveys by CBS.

Obama also had a 48 percent favorability rating, the highest yet for the Illinois senator.

But in a worrisome result for the Republican nominee, the number of voters who have an unfavorable view of McCain rose to 42 percent -- the highest level since CBS and The New York Times began asking the question about McCain in 1999.

The Time/CNN survey showed Obama hitting the threshold of 50 percent, the first time a Democratic White House candidate has done for decades, while McCain was hemorrhaging support among women voters.

Obama, vying to become the first African-American president, was leading 50 to 43 percent overall, up from 46 percent to 41 percent before the two parties held conventions a month ago, the survey said.

He was also leading among women overall, 55 percent to McCain's 38 percent, and among white women, 48 to 45 percent.

Obama had a formidable nine-point lead in Virginia, an 11-point edge in Minnesota and was ahead by four points in Nevada and Florida, the Time poll showed. McCain had lost his advantage in Missouri, where the race was now a virtual tie with Obama ahead by one percent.

One McCain aide acknowledged the Arizona senator had an uphill battle.

The polls also suggest Obama won Friday's presidential debate and that McCain's running mate Sarah Palin is suffering from sliding popularity, after a stunning initial impact on the race.

The surveys show that in Pennsylvania, Obama leads McCain by a gaping 54 percent to 39 percent after the debate, compared to 49 percent to 43 percent before the debate.

He is up 51 percent to 43 percent in the swing state Florida, compared to a 49 to 43 percent lead before Friday's first of three debates.

And in Ohio, Obama is up eight points.

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