Polls give Obama single-digit leads
Two new national polls out today show Barack Obama leading John McCain, but not by an insurmountable amount.
An Associated Press/Ipsos survey gives Obama a 47 percent to 41 percent lead.
The AP reports: "McCain, the senator from Arizona, is leading by 10 points among whites and is even with Obama among men, groups with whom Republicans traditionally do well in national elections. Obama leads by 13 points among women, by 30 points among voters up to age 34, and by 55 points among blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities, the poll shows. Independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr both won support from less than 5 percent of the registered voters surveyed. When people were asked who they would support if Nader and Barr were not on the ballot, Obama's lead over McCain was virtually unchanged."
The poll, done July 31-Aug. 4, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, and 3.4 percentage points among registered voters.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted for Lifetime Networks shows Obama ahead among women 49 percent to 38 percent. Again, there is a racial divide: while 90 percent of black women and more than 60 percent of Hispanic women preferred Obama, nearly half of white women supported McCain.
Also, McCain has backing from about 20 percent of those who said they supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries.
And a national Associated TV/Zogby International poll of likely voters shows Obama and McCain in a statistical tie, with McCain actually leading 42 percent to 41 percent.
A Zogby poll a month ago showed Obama ahead, 46 percent to 36 percent in a race that included Libertarian Bob Barr and independent Ralph Nader. McCain made significant gains among some of what had been Obama’s strongest demographic groups, including young people, women, and independents, Zogby said.
Conducted July 31-Aug. 1 and released Monday, the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
But political analyst Michael Barone says that Obama's dwindling lead isn't as worrisome as it might appear.
Wait till after the last debate and then this will be news. Right now it is just so much useless data that McCain and the republicks can use and say "See, See, we are not such suck arse losers, see no we matter, no really, um any one...any one hello any one?"
"The One" has a publicity-filled rock-star tour of Europe and he can't break the 50% barrier? Now THAT is worrisome.
"The One" gets a free ride from the worshipping biased liberal press and he can't break the 50% barrier? Now THAT is worrisome.
"The One" changes his views on economic policies, energy policies and foreign policies in order to sway with the political winds and to appease the polls and he STILL can't break the 50% barrier? Now THAT is worrisome.
Maybe "The One" is not "The One".
Maybe "The One" is heading down the tubes ala his liberal loser predecessors Kerry, Dukakis and McGovern.
Maybe the voters in these polls aren't being honest about their voting preferences and it's even less than 47%.
Obama's dwindling lead is worrisome. At this point in recent previous elections the Democrat nominee was well above the GOP. So, yes it is worrisome if you are a Democrat.
Also interesting is the Globe fails to mention other polls that have McCain ahead or even. Why? Rasmussen shows McCain 1 point ahead. Momentum is with McCain and the more Obama speaks and people hear his agenda the more people will be voting for McCain.
If I were Obama, I would stop eating, sleeping, smiling.
20% of Hillary supporters are voting for Mc Cain according to the latest polls. Nader is gaining with disenfranchised Obama supporters. Nader is now polling between 5 and 6%.
How do we know if all the people who claimed they would vote for Obama, truly will ? With all those accusations of racism by the Obama camp toward any democrat who is not embracing their man, I would not be surprised if some said they would vote for him just for the sake of peace.
Kerry and Gore were polling better at this stage of the game ( with less money than Obama, less publicity than Obama and less support from the press than Obama)
Annie K.
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