Rasmussen, 8/2: Obama 44%, McCain 43% -- plus perceptions of McCain ad & Obama's dollar-bill remark

[highplainsdem]

First, the tracking poll:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Two months ago today, Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Presidential Nomination. Since then, he has consistently maintained a modest lead over John McCain. With the exception of a very brief bounce for Obama following his Berlin speech, that lead has gotten a bit smaller over the past few weeks. But, while the race has gotten closer, McCain has never taken the lead. The Republican hopeful has not even held even a statistically insignificant lead once in the past two months. The best he managed was a tie.

This Sunday, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows the race still very close with Obama attracting 44% of the vote while McCain earns 43%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 46%.

-snip-

McCain is currently viewed favorably by 56% of voters, Obama by 54%. McCain earns positive reviews from 85% of Republicans while Obama does the same from 83% of Democrats. Among unaffiliated voters, 61% have a favorable opinion of McCain. For Obama, that number is 47% (see other recent demographic highlights).

So it looks as though McCain's high favorability rating, the edge over Obama, is coming from independents. Not good (also hard to understand).




Now, for their poll on the Britney ad, and on the dollar bill comment:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/only_22_say_mccain_ad_racist_but_over_half_53_see_obama_dollar_bill_comment_that_way

Only 22% Say McCain Ad Racist, But Over Half (53%) See Obama Dollar-bill Comment That Way

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of the nation’s voters say they’ve seen news coverage of the McCain campaign commercial that includes images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and suggests that Barack Obama is a celebrity just like them. Of those, just 22% say the ad was racist while 63% say it was not.

However, Obama’s comment that his Republican opponent will try to scare people because Obama does not look like all the other presidents on dollar bills was seen as racist by 53%. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree.

Both campaigns expressed a desire to move beyond the recent flap. On Saturday Obama backed off the racism charge and accused McCain's campaign of cynicism instead. He also rejected McCain's charge that the Democrat himself had brought race into the campaign with his dollar bill comment.

-snip-

Not surprisingly, the McCain ad generates significantly different perceptions along racial and ethnic lines. Most African-American voters—58%--saw the McCain ad as racist. Just 18% of white voters and 14% of all other voters shared that view. To watch the ad, click HERE.

As for Obama’s comment, 53% of white voters saw it as racist, as did 44% of African-Americans and 61% of all other voters.

There were also significant partisan divides. Democrats were evenly divided as to whether the McCain commercial was racist, and they were also evenly divided on the Obama comment. Republicans, by an 87% to 4% margin, rejected the notion that the McCain campaign ad was racist. But, by a 67% to 26% margin, GOP voters believe that Obama’s comment was racist.

Unaffiliated voters, by a five-to-one margin, said the McCain ad was not racist. By a much narrower 50% to 38% margin, unaffiliateds viewed Obama’s comment as racist.

Overall, just 22% of voters believe that most Americans are racist. That view is shared by 32% of Democrats, 20% of unaffiliated voters and 12% of Republicans. African-American voters are evenly divided on the question.

-snip-

[drdtroit]

1. Simply setting up another theft! n/t

[Hoof Hearted]

10. Crying "theft" about every single election that doesn't go our way does a disservice to

our cause of fighting for fairness and accountability in elections.

Call propaganda what it is, but show restraint and discernment before crying "theft," especially in the case of an election still months away.

[joeybee12]

2. The way Obama's going, he's not even going to get a bounce after

the Convention. Not a good sign, but many predicted this, and many wouldn't listen.

BTW, I saw the Britney/Paris ad for the first time. It's really stupid, although the photo of Obama at the end makes him look like pretty vapid. But the point of this is that it got a lot of attention, so it was a good investment for the repukes...it became news, and wasn't just an ad anymore that was simply seen once. Wish the Dems would smarten up about stuff like this.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. So, what's your answer, OP? Another pro-Hillary for VP? WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS?!??!

Here's my generic letter and thread from the other day.

Take action!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph ...

WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS???!?!??!

I don't care what anyone says: the standards are different for black men. Suppose that Obama gets down and dirty; suppose, even, that he went negative, focusing only on McSame's flip-flops or the issues in general? Can't we realize how the media would spin as something negative, something nefarious??

Can't we understand that the recent charge that Obama is "arrogant" and "presumptuous" are code for "he's the quintessential angry black man?"

He can't do this. He needs effective surrogates--preferably the Democratic leadership--to help him fight against these lies and smears!!

WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS?!?!??!??!

[TwilightGardener]

4. There was no "racism charge" by Obama. He simply pointed out

what was true--they mocked him with his face on his on a $100.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. That story is getting absolutely NO coverage. And yet we still have whiners

here in DU bashing Obama and blaming *HIM* for losing! Obama is not a weak candidate. McSame is. The problem is that the M$M is helping the Repuke define the narrative. Obama is hitting back hard and swiftly but do we see these hard-hitting responses from the M$M? No.

If Obama loses it will not be because he was the weaker candidate, and it certainly would not be because he didn't select Hillary (which would amount to a losing ticket). If he loses it will be because the M$M has not been fair in its reporting, coverage, and vetting. And I truly believe that Obama's skin color will be a major factor.

[ErinBerin84]

5. but

the Obama campaign was not even saying that the Paris ad was racist, that was an analysis done by some others. Obama was making a general comment about fear tactics. The way the pollsters present it, you would think that the Obama camp was saying the Paris ad was racist, when that was not the case. And no polls about whether Rick Davis saying this was the "race card" was them inserting race into the picture. What a dishonest poll. But I guess, what else is new.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Which is why Rassmusen is dragged over here and posted at DU

like it is some kind of Bible.

Of course if we buy into this propaganda bullshit, the uninformed masses surely will.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. He can't win for losing! If he calls it racist, the M$M and the Repukes would accuse

him to playing the race card, which is what they did. If he doesn't call it racist, he looks weak on the issue, allowing the Repukes to define his character. This *is* about race, but Obama cannot admit that it is. This same tactic was used against him by the Clinton campaign and he was forced to denounce charges of racism. We all know why. The M$M is helping the Repukes drive the debate. If Obama is losing, it is NOT because he is weak; it is because he is being treated unfairly.

And again, I ask: WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE DEMOCRATS?!?!?!??!

[otohara]

6. Wow, Republican People Are Stupid

and party line thinkers only.

[qazplm]

11. makes sense

because most whites dont want to believe racism even exists anymore. So ANY discussion of race at all will be seen as racist.

That's the "beauty" of McCain's attack, he knows that most whites dont want to even hear the word race at all, so the mere mention of it is enough to allow him to be "outraged."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. Hence the reason they came out FIRST with the charge that Obama is racist the race card!

It's a brilliant strategy. One that Hillary, Bill, Geraldine, Ed Rendell and others pulled against Obama during the primary. Play the race card; then, before your opponent has an opportunity to protest, accuse HIM of playing the race card first! Obama cannot accuse racism; that would not be tolerated in White America. And yet, the Repukes have succeeded for decades based on their age-old tactic of exploiting racist sentiments...