(H/T to Capt. Ed.)
It seems that the glow of Obama, amongst the Independents, has grown quite dim.
Via NewsWeek:
A month after emerging victorious from the bruising Democratic nominating contest, some of Barack Obama’s glow may be fading. In the latest NEWSWEEK Poll, the Illinois senator leads Republican nominee John McCain by just 3 percentage points, 44 percent to 41 percent. The statistical dead heat is a marked change from last month’s NEWSWEEK Poll, where Obama led McCain by 15 points, 51 percent to 36 percent.
Obama’s rapid drop comes at a strategically challenging moment for the Democratic candidate. Having vanquished Hillary Clinton in early June, Obama quickly went about repositioning himself for a general-election audience–an unpleasant task for any nominee emerging from the pander-heavy primary contests and particularly for a candidate who’d slogged through a vigorous primary challenge in most every contest from January until June. Obama’s reversal on FISA legislation, his support of faith-based initiatives and his decision to opt out of the campaign public-financing system left him open to charges he was a flip-flopper. In the new poll, 53 percent of voters (and 50 percent of former Hillary Clinton supporters) believe that Obama has changed his position on key issues in order to gain political advantage.
More seriously, some Obama supporters worry that the spectacle of their candidate eagerly embracing his old rival, Hillary Clinton, and traveling the country courting big donors at lavish fund-raisers, may have done lasting damage to his image as an arbiter of a new kind of politics. This is a major concern since Obama’s outsider credentials, have, in the past, played a large part in his appeal to moderate, swing voters. In the new poll, McCain leads Obama among independents 41 percent to 34 percent, with 25 percent favoring neither candidate. In June’s NEWSWEEK Poll, Obama bested McCain among independent voters, 48 percent to 36 percent.
I know what caused all of this. Some say it was his “Lurch” to the center. I disagree. I believe it was caused by his enormous pander to the far left during the primary. He went to the front of the pack, because he told his base, that he intended to end the war in Iraq, “I don’t care what those generals say!”, is essentially what he told people. Barry essentially did in the primary, what the members of congress did in 2006. Lied like dogs, then got elected and proceeded to do absolutely NONE of the things that they promised their base that they would do. Which is, I think, Politics 101 anymore. 😀
But seeing that conditions in Iraq have improved and he also wanted to attract people, like me; who tend to hang around the center, on some issues, (Not all!) like getting out of Iraq in a responsible manner. What happened was, Obama tried, but failed miserably to subtly change his message.
Why did Obama fail? Well, because you have people like Ariana Huffington who can sniff out a right winger a mile away, that’s why! 😆 After all, she was married to one. 😀 Also, you have Conservative, Libertarian and Constitutionalist Bloggers, like myself, who take some sort of a perverse joy out of pointing out every little screw up, flip flop and outright lie which Obama tells, that happens to cross the media and a few, that the media either give him a pass on or they completely miss.
Between the two, ol’ Barry just can’t catch a break. 😛
Interestingly enough, I really do believe that majority of the Nation, except for the part of the country that reads, and own Blogs, like myself, and maybe the Political junkies, will hardly notice any of this stuff come November, they will think, “Republican = Bush” and pull the lever for a Democrat, and as much as I hate to say it. Obama will win, because what can John McCain say, to counter Obama’s message of hope and change? Not a damn thing.
Best thing that ol’ Juan McSame can come up with is that idiot phrase of “That’s not change we can believe in” and a silly laugh that made him sound like a mental patient, and making Political Ads that basically give the finger to the Anti-Illegal Immigration crowd. Which, by the way, is about 75% of his base.
The bottom line is: Obama took a dip, but I don’t expect it to affect him much in the long run.
Others: :
American Power, Newsweek, Real Clear Politics, Newsweek Blogs, NO QUARTER, Bucks Right, The Other McCain and Patterico’s Pontifications and the rest via Memeorandum
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Obama, Democrats, Polls, Politics, Opinion, Liberals,