Drop Biden and pick Hillary.

During the George interview, Obama made his disdain for the "liberal" blogosphere very clear.

So I'm sure he wouldn't care about the Eagleton name-calling, if he wants to win the election.

Seems like Obama needs to go out there and point out FORCEFULLY that all McCain has done on Iraq, change and environment is toe Obama's line. McCain has been far from a Maverick, he's been a follower who denies having NO IDEAS OF HIS OWN.
I cannot believe the nationwide perceptions that McCain has a better plan on HEALTHCARE??! How in God's name do people think that?

Something is VERY, VERY wrong with this country if these numbers are not outliers.

To tell the truth, I'm skeptical that issue polls reveal much. I'm afraid most people don't know a whole hell of a lot about candidates' positions. They make up their mind about a gestalt, and assume that the candidate they like must have the positions they would prefer.

Oooooh,but look at the internals: heavily Republican. 40% Republican? 76% white? Whatever!

It is more than a bounce; McCain is leading the news cycle week after week. Even during the Democratic convention McCain was still directing the news cycle.

Obama needs to re-organize his team and start hitting heavily. If the public think McCain is better on economy and health care. You know there is a problem somewhere. This hand off approach towards the media is not going to cut it. Obama need to hire the Clinton media folks if he wants to win this election. Voters’ registration alone cannot cut it.

I am saying this not as a troll but as someone who has contributed hugely for the campaign. Obama needs to hammer the media for their ridiculous narratives. Up till now, the MSM is still caving in to McCain. For example, watch Bob Schieffer, Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.
The O team has been cut off guard and they don’t seem to have a response. Perhaps, the people in Chicago are buying too much of their own spin. The first statement that came out of button when Palin was announced was ridiculous and lack focus.

Obama can only win this election if he starts showing some spine. Enough of this Professor talk. Talk like soneone that is outrage about the declining economy Leading McCain by 2% point on economy is not good enough.

Add the Bradley/Wilder 5% not shown in pools and B. Hussein Obama and his "Muslim" roots gets his ass kicked by the old white guy and his bimbo unqualified running mate.

Clinton 2012, the end of KOS, ObamaPost, PMSNBC. Barry lovers are HATED by everyone else. A loss can't happen to a better bunch of assholes.

I'm encouraged by the fact that McCain stayed at 48 in the Rasmussen today. Bounce already fading? If he doesn't hit 50 in the Ras or Gallup, that's a good sign (regardless of the USA Today).

these are national numbers. look in upper right hand corner of this link:

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=662cadf9-6890-4da1-a61b-7501c8783a97

the Tampa numbers, which are also accessible from the front page of SUSA, are worse.

I stand corrected on where the polling was conducted, but do the internals really have 40%R and 29% D? In what fantasy world is that an accurate party breakdown? If someone good at numbers could re-adjust these stats with a more realistic party ID distribution, I'd love to see it.

I just talked to a friend, who leans Republican, but hated Bush and was against the war from day one. He's for McCain because he wants to get out of Iraq.

Just to let you know what's filtering out to the masses.

Folks need to calm down. Obama didn't get crazy excited a week ago when his bounce came in and I suspect he's not getting crazy now. Stay focused.

Did you guys even look at this poll before feeding it to our resident concern trolls?

First of all, let's get the Tampa thing out of the way. This is a national poll, the SurveyUSA front page is referring to a different poll than what's reported here (same questions, just in Tampa). But that does not make this poll meaningful by any stretch.

This is a poll about McCain, asked of people who watched his speech, conducted and released the day after the speech (i.e. no evening polling--anybody at work last Friday did not take a call). That probably explains the skewed demographics noted upthread (40% R, 29% D, 26% I). And it makes this poll worth less than nothing--there is no way to derive meaningful information from this without total speculation.

Who in the hell are these people that they are polling saying McSame has better HEALTHCARE?

Did they ask patients in the mental ward?

As much as I hate polls and really don't trust them, it really makes me wonder about people.

This has been proven, through laboratory tests involving thousands of tormented guinea pigs and cute, bleach-white mice: Mooseburgers are a leading contributor of brain fat.

Also, possibly, not many folks out there are aware of this: Not one lab animal give a damn about your welfare.

McCain is better on *health care*?

WTF?

I was thinking today that indeed Biden should resign based on family decisions, not be replaced, and then have Hillary step in to fill the void of the departed Biden who will still be on the trail.

IS that possible? Can Biden just resign and then have Hillary? Wonder what that meeting with Bill Clinton will be about this week.

It's time for Barack to bring it.

But yeah that poll is in Tampa. But once again people are showing their ignorance.

No way McCain is better on health care, energy, and education. It's just seems like common sense to me that Obama is by far the best on those issues, but I guess that's just me.

Just a gut response --- I feel that something is seriously wrong with Obama's approach. While it seemed to work well with the Democratic base, especially relatively educated liberals, there seems a big disconnect between his approach and what Mainstream America finds accessible. I really think that to be able to get his message across, he really needs to start where Mainstream America is. This means, yes, who he is as a potential leader matters a lot because this is what Mainstream America can most easily grasp --- he should therefore unequivocally and promptly communicate displeasure (no more mocking tone) whenever his patriotism is questioned, his judgment questioned, his bipartisan record questioned, etc.; he should replace careful policy analysis with sound bites; he should stop praising McCain (and so do Biden and Clinton and everyone else) and start aggressively exposing his dishonorable policy shifts and campaign moves to voters --- bottomline is to puncture both his and Palin's maverick and reformist and bipartisan images. Obama should not hesitate to go negative insofar as it is based on facts. Americans deserve to know the facts about the candidates.

In short, Obama needs to show his tough side. He is in a fight, for God's sake. Americans probably appreciate a politician who can act smart and punch hard than one who is thoughtful and graceful. I know this is sad but is likely to be true.

If Obama loses, it will be poor comfort to say to ourselves "Well, our guy lost because he was too nice for America."

Well,

- McCain is serious about campaigning - if not necessarily about governing. That was to be expected. They may have won that battle (not clear whether they did, but let's assume the worst and say they did). That's not the end of it.
- Obama campaign has plenty of opportunities to exploit; the McCain speech alone has three months worth of ads in it. Palin's record is pretty scary, too. Obama's campaign has money; presumably they have brains. Let's see what they do for the next few weeks.
- Most of our worries in the past turned out to be unfounded. Let's hope they learned from one or two screwups they had in the primaries.

From Tom Hartmann's radio show:

"What does it mean to say that John McCain is a maverick?

Maverick is one of those eponymous words that is based on a person's name, and which captures something of the essence of what they were or did. Crapper (Thomas P., 1836 - 1910) a plumber and inventor is another such word.

Back in the days before barbed wire, millions of feral cattle roamed the wild-west. They only needed to be rounded up to make a fortune. In order to identify what cattle belonged to which rancher, they were branded with distinctive icons. In a move that some might call brilliant, it is said that Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870) declared that his brand was no brand at all. This allowed him to claim any unbranded cow as his own. Clever in a Rovian sort of way, but (and by definition?) not exactly honest or conducive to living peacefully in a law abiding society.

John McCain is attempting to rustle the mantle of the candidate of change and reform from Barack Obama. This is after a disastrous eight years of Republican control of the executive branch of government (during six of which Republicans also controlled Congress). It can truly be said that John McCain is a maverick."

PEACE

Nate Silver provides the reason. Anna Marie provides the snark. I provide the eyeroll.

McCain leads on healthcare?

Obama has nobody to blame but himself for that one.

Geez, how pathetic.

So here's how team McCain wants the campaign to work. John and Smilin' Sarah go out on the campaign trail. No interviews allowed for Sarah but the networks and papers cover the events, record lots of nasty quips from Palin, delivered with a smile. On the news, Palin and McCain's remarks are dutifully covered. No questions because the media aren't "deferential" enough for Rick Davis.
If the media really wanted to stand firm on Palin, thy would refuse to cover the campaign until she answered the many questions about what turns out to be her falsehoods about earmarks, her govern-by-intimidation style.

Spread the word to your progressive friends:

********************************************
Get out the vote!: Voter registration deadlines starting Oct. 4-6
http://www.rockthevote.com/voting-is-easy/important-dates/
********************************************

I am not going to get excited about a SurveyUSA poll on a Friday night, the night after McCain's speech.

Check out this poll in a couple of weeks and particularly after debates.

So basically the headline is:

The GOP lies, America believes them.

"Idiot voters". Those words from an earlier poster represent our (the Democrats') problem. Condescension, snarky sneers and juvenile jokes coming from Obama supporters at the expense of people in West Virginia, Kentucky, Alaska and just about any other community that doesn't "understand" how great Obama is generate resentment, anger and, ultimately McCain/Palin votes. (As an aside, when George Wallace spoke at Harvard and was called a racist by a rowdy and profane student body, he won lots of points across America when he asked the Harvard president "How many 'Negra' professors do you have on your staff?" The answer of course was none. Sticking it to the arrogant and self satisfied always gets votes.)

Obama's statement about "bitter" people to a cloistered SF fat cat crowd reveals an important Obama problem. He was asked why he didn't do better with rural voters. He blamed the voters rather look at what he might be doing wrong as a candidate. They were bitter, biased and in the throws of uncertainty. Maybe Obama will do better in the polls if he looks at his shortcomings and corrects them.

WRT Nate Silver

I'll attest anecdotally that the Crackpot Christianists have come out of the woodwork or sewers as the case may be

Question is what will be the response from the rest of us.

It seems clear that this race is headed for polarization just as the Republicans wanted

They should have done this! No they should have done that!. No, wait, they should have done this other thing! Yup, that's what I've been saying would happen all along and I am thus wallowing in vindication. No, no, me, listen to meeee for only I, with my vast experience and itimate knowledge of how to do these things, have the one, the true the single formula for winning this thing and they must do it right this very minute!!!! OMGOMGOMGOMG!

Having been born and raised in Kentucky, The Land of Four Million Head Basketball Coaches, the way Democrats react to a bad poll always makes me homesick.

You are right, I think -- lotsa voters do not pay close attention to the political news, and they react to whatever they heard last.

So we need to make sure we attack each of the points in this poll, and make sure our message is the best, and last, one they hear....

WTF?

Calm down folks. Sooner or later, the polls were going to change. Polls are psychological instruments, that can be used to encourage or discourage people from going to the polls.

Polls that show John McCain in the lead could have an opposite reaction amongst the voters. Since 80% of the people in a recent "poll" said that America was on the wrong track, how could it be that so many now think John McCain is the best person to put us back on the right track?

Obviously, there is a disconnect with these polls. However, when some people start to realize that John McCain may be the next President and that we are in store for more of the same and worse, then there will certainly be some second thoughts. Count on it.

Of course, partisanship is a strong indicator in a political race. The Republicans are riding a "partisanship" high after their convention and the nomination of Sarah Palin. But, fortunately, there is still time for voters to contemplate the future and my bet is that they will not gamble with four more years of the same.

But Obama will have to shoot down the "change" theme that McCain has put forth. He must convince the voters that if they want more of the same, they should vote for John McCain. Obama realizes that and is attacking McCain on the absurdity of his "change" theme.

I have said it before and I will say it again: if the stupid so-called left blogosphere did not trumpet the same things that the rest of the corporate/Drudge/Limbaugh bleats about, and actually pushed the issue positions, resume and strengths of "our" candidates, we might actually have some push-back on the air castles that the VRWC has built with the cheerful cooperation of the SCLM. If I wanted to read the same trashing of Dem candidates, I could go to any number of places. You all did the same kind of thing versus Clinton. THIS is where that extended nonsense primary where she ran around trashing Obama and planting seeds that the McPalins and lefty hand-wringers nurtured into a gigantic tree yielding these electoral fruits now. His poll numbers now are a direct reflection of the mirage she recklessly pursued in the spring.

STOP. Do these instead:

1. Contrast the spectacular achievements of Barack Obama (US Senate: ethics reform, nuclear nonproliferation and open government; Illinois Senate: ethics reform (hmm... notice a thread?), child health care expansion, death penalty reform and much more; FIRST black Harvard Law Review editor; author of TWO best selling SELF-WRITTEN biographical books; Law Professor; Civil Rights Lawyer; and yes, community organizer) vs McPalin: pseudo-reformers who are the genial fronts for the same neo/theo-con brigade.

2. The record of the last eight years.

3. The fact that Dems are better for the economy than the Thugs.

4. The fact that Dems are better for foreign policy than the Thugs.

5. The fact that McLame's "green"ness is a sham. When the idiot elderstatesmen of the Dem party (Clinton, Gore for eg) run around praising McLame for his greenness, push back hard.

6. Above all else, do NOT blare right-wing advantages as headlines here -- we can go to Drudge and his cohort sites and to the radio and to the TeeVee and to the papers to see that.

Because Obama's response to the surge full-court press has been horrible. He has not stated the case well enough that McPOW got us into this mess and the surge is just a holding pattern.

Instead we get Obama & Biden with long confusing convoluted answers that make them look like Kerry & Dukakis.

Pathetic

You had me worried there, until I noticed the Tampa thing. I'm not really worried what they think in Tampa. I lived in FL before moving to CA...

If stupidity and ignorance were natural resources, Tampa would be Saudi Arabia. (For anyone living in Tampa, sorry... but you know it's true). Obama could almost under no circumstances win in that county anyway.

You had me worried there, until I noticed the Tampa thing. I'm not really worried what they think in Tampa. I lived in FL before moving to CA...

If stupidity and ignorance were natural resources, Tampa would be Saudi Arabia. (For anyone living in Tampa, sorry... but you know it's true). Obama could almost under no circumstances win in that county anyway.

My husband made a point last night about this election. He does not read any blogs,but if he happens to hear something on the radio or watch something on tv he notice one thing... there are people who are not looking for a reason to vote for Obama,they are looking for reasons NOT to vote for him. Any reason will do. no matter how small or trivial.