The financial meltdown has given Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama quite the boost, while John McCain seems to be languishing after a brief surge in the polls. And Obama’s numbers are now higher than the last two Democratic nominees.
A survey conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News shows just how much the crisis has shaped voters’ opinions:
More voters trust Obama to deal with the economy, and he currently has a big edge as the candidate who is more in tune with the economic problems Americans now face. He also has a double-digit advantage on handling the current problems on Wall Street, and as a result, there has been a rise in his overall support.
The poll found that, among likely voters, Obama now leads McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent. Two weeks ago, in the days immediately following the Republican National Convention, the race was essentially even, with McCain at 49 percent and Obama at 47 percent.
As a point of comparison, neither of the last two Democratic nominees — John F. Kerry in 2004 or Al Gore in 2000 — recorded support above 50 percent in a pre-election poll by the Post and ABC News.
McCain’s slouching numbers no doubt have something to do with his campaign’s deeply ingrained ties to the nation’s troubled financial groups.
For example, McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis’ company previously profited off of failed mortgage company Freddie Mac, but the Republican candidate attempted to distance Davis – and himself – from the turmoil by claiming his pal hadn’t been paid by Freddie Mac since 2005. The New York Times and Newsweek both report today, however, that Mac paid Davis’ firm through last year.
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Jeff
Obama has no economic experience.
Obama never ran a state. Obama never ran a business. Obama never been on an economic committee even though he claimed the banking committee was my committee.
Obama is terrible with numbers. 57 states, 10,000 dead in tornado in kansas. Obama has admitted he is terrible with numbers.
Hillary was the policy wonk on the economy.
The media has made Obama out to be an economic expert.
This just shows the power of the media. They can make an economic dunce out to be an expert.
art
Jeff,
Obama has never said that he is an economic guru. He has surrounded himself with past leaders of the U.S. Treasury, Labor Department, and other economic thought-leaders.
And, Obama has run his campaign, an enterprise that is considered one of the most successful in contemporary history.
Your numbers smear is pretty pathetic. Making him into a “dunce” show your real motivations. Anyone who knows Obama understands that unlike McCain who graduated 5th from the BOTTOM of his class or Sarah Palin who went through 5 colleges, Obama is intellectually brilliant.
As for your saying that Hillary Clinton has great economic knowledge, please provide proof of Clinton’s background other than serving on the board of Wal-Mart.
todd
The Bush Crime Family is trying to tank the economy to ensure an Obama win – so they can run Jeb in 2012 as the savior of the GOP.
JJ
Lol…boy this is a down day for Queerty comments.
Obama is only an expert as compared to McCain, just like anyone is an expert compared to Palin.
Smartypants
Actually, the NYT is reporting that McCain’s campaign manager’s company was begin paid a retainer of $15,000 a month through June of 2008. They weren’t actually doing any work — just getting a nice chunk of change for being friends with John McCain.
**cue Karen Carpenter, “Close To You”**