The latest USA Today/Gallup poll shows a very significant swing of voters away from Obama and to McCain. Does it mean more than just a post convention bounce? Not yet. This is much too soon. But this has got to be causing fits in the Obama campaign.
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Convention has given John McCain and his party a significant boost, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows, as running mate Sarah Palin helps close an “enthusiasm gap” that has dogged the GOP all year.
McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican’s biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.
Actually, the news is worse than that opening bit:
In the new poll, taken Friday through Sunday, McCain leads Obama by 54%-44% among those seen as most likely to vote. The survey of 1,022 adults, including 959 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/— 3 points for both samples.
Obviously, that is well outside the margin of error and is the really bad news for Obama. Again, I’m not a fan of snapshot polls, we’ll have to see if the trend holds. I’m guessing that there are going to be some interesting Obama campaign staff meetings today.
I think the experience issue is finally beginning to sink in. We’ll have to see what happens after this Friday’s debate.
I’m not yet sure the sharp spike in the polls is based on any rational calculation. It’s too soon to tell, but for now, I see it as an emotional response largely by women, but including men too, reacting against the Democrat and MSM jihad against Sarah Palin. Her destruction is their only hope for salvation. To them, Palin is “SHE who must be destroyed.”
Now, I’ll wait to see the next card.