Thursday, September 11, 2008

More "bad news" for Obama`

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

One theme over the summer is that whatever happens in the election, it's always "bad news" for Obama. Here's some more. From The Page and Quinnipac University:

Palin Boosts McCain In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds; But Obama Leads In Two Of Three Battlegrounds --- FLORIDA: McCain 50 - Obama 43; OHIO: Obama 49 - McCain 44; PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 48 - McCain 45
Here are the August numbers:
FLORIDA: McCain 47 - Obama 43; OHIO: Obama 44 - McCain 43; PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 49 - McCain 42
So, sure, McCain did improve his numbers in FL and PA. But lets look at Ohio:

August: Obama 44 - McCain 43;
Today: Obama 49 - McCain 44;

That is the largest lead Obama has had in Ohio since mid-July. And he's still ahead in PA. All in the face of the McCain/Palin national convention bounce. But "Palin boosted McCain's numbers". That's the headline. We'll take that "bad news" any day of the week.

Comments (12)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
Login or signup now to comment.
I noticed something similar yesterday, I think it was in the WSJ: "Good news for Obama, Great News for McCain". turns out that McCain boosted his approval rating from 20-something to 30-something percent, a whopping 50% increase (or so)! Whereas poor ole Obama only boosted his approval rating from 50 percent to 60 percent.

WTF???
Reply
2 replies · active 861 weeks ago
Funny because I just saw where McCain had 56% approval and Obama had 55%. On a side note I'm not voting for McCain but I do like facts.
Reply
Since the approval ratings Vicki talks about haven't been attached to any demographic group it's entirely possible for them to be facts. They look like the numbers I remember seeing for the "youth" vote.

The numbers you cite look more like the percent of people that like each candidate or think the candidate will do the right thing, since 111% makes no sense for the "who would you vote for" sort of poll.
Reply
I just looked and apparently it wasn't in my print edition of the WSJ. I can't remember the exact numbers, but the concept was exactly what I read. It made no sense to me. And yes, this is a recurring theme in this election.
Reply
Karen Anne's avatar

Karen Anne · 861 weeks ago

I think the MSM is generating a commotion, just like they fed on the Hillary-Obama thing. Anything to "sell papers."

Meanwhile, in that video of Linc Chafee that someone posted on the Open Thread, he said people were coming into his office in droves after Palin’s speech, asking how they could help Obama. Fold in the big increase in donations to Obama then, and I think McCain may have made a grave error.
Reply
The first job of the MSM is not to inform people, but to get the biggest audience (viewers, listeners, or readers). They have learned over time that conflict is a good way to increase interest. For elections, a closer election generates more interest than a landslide. It is also more interesting to give both sides a chance to argue than to present the actual facts. Finally, they have also learned that people notice the headlines or lead more than they do the guts of the story.

So the bottom line is that, in covering an election, any new development indicates a problem for the leader (even if the development actually is a that a previous problem has all but disappeared).
Reply
Karen Anne's avatar

Karen Anne · 861 weeks ago

Linc Chafee stands by the whacko remark -
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/newsblog/2008...

Finally someone who tells it like it is, and doesn't apologize afterwards.
Reply
Lets just completely forget the other polls that had McCain up in Ohio, and Michigan. Strategic Vision and InsiderAdvantage/PollPosition both have McCain up in Ohio.
Reply
MATT - Breaking News!
McCain campaign admits mailing 1 Million bad ballots to voters in Ohio
<a href="http://motleymoose.com/showDiary.do;jses... " target="_blank">http://motleymoose.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=E6...
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...

.
Reply

Comments by