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WASHINGTON: The financial turmoil that has rocked global markets
appears to be benefiting US presidential hopeful Barack Obama,
according to a new poll that finds the Democratic candidate pulling
ahead of his Republican opponent John McCain with a 51-percent to
46-percent lead.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll
released Monday (Tuesday in Manila) also finds that by a two-to-one
margin Americans blame Republicans for the current financial crisis.
Forty-seven percent of registered voters said
Republicans are more responsible for the state of the economy,
compared to 24 percent of registered voters who say Democrats are
more responsible.
Obama’s five-point lead over McCain stands in
contrast to the previous CNN/Opinion Research survey that had the
candidates tied at 48 percent each, although Obama’s advantage
lies within the poll’s sampling error of plus or minus 3
percentage points.
The survey also indicates that more Americans
think Obama would better handle the economy. The Democratic
candidate holds a 10-point lead over McCain.
Obama made gains among key constituencies that
were once seen as part of McCain’s base: men and seniors.
CNN’s poll of polls, which combines numerous
local and national polling data, found that 49 percent of registered
voters favor Obama, compared with 44 percent for McCain.
“The economy has always been considered John
McCain’s Achilles’ heel, and the CNN poll of polls started to
show an Obama edge in the middle of last week—just as the
financial crisis began to hit home for many Americans,” said CNN
Polling Director Keating Holland.
The survey also indicates that one of Obama’s
main campaign messages—that McCain represents “more of the
same” policies of the incumbent Bush administration—is
registering with voters.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans contacted for
the survey think McCain, if elected, will “mostly carry out the
policies” of President George W. Bush, up 3 percentage points from
the previous poll.
‘Change’ recaptured
The poll also suggests Obama has recaptured the
mantle of “change,” a campaign slogan for the Obama camp for
over two years, adopted by McCain in the weeks since adding Alaska
Governor Sarah Palin to the GOP ticket in early September.
Obama holds a 14-point lead over McCain when
voters consider which candidate would be more likely to bring change
to the White House.
The survey finds that 35 percent of those
questioned have an unfavorable opinion of Palin—an eight-point
jump from the last CNN poll.
“Change has always been Obama’s strong suit,
but McCain and Palin clearly made inroads into that issue during the
GOP convention,” said Holland.
“Palin, in particular, was seen as an agent of
change when she made her first appearance on the national stage.
That may be changing now.”
First debate
The poll results come out just days before Obama
and McCain meet in Oxford, Mississippi for the first of three
presidential debates on Saturday.
Strong viewing figures are expected for the
debates, after nearly 40 million Americans tuned in for both the
Democrat and Republican convention speeches.
The poll suggests the debates could be critical
for swaying opinions, with 14 percent of voters saying they have yet
to make up their minds on who to vote for.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll,
conducted September 19 through September 21, interviewed 1,020
Americans, including 909 registered voters and 697 likely voters.
-- AFP
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