A new Reuters/Zogby poll shows that McCain now has a five point lead, 46-41, over Obama. That is a dramatic change from the same poll a month ago, that showed Obama up by seven. It looks like McCain’s hard-hitting ads from the last few weeks have been working. People are finally starting to realize that Obama’s hype doesn’t live up to reality, and he just does not have the experience that would make him ready to lead.
The poll shows that McCain has a 9 point lead, 49-40, over Obama regarding which candidate is more qualified to manage the economy. That is incredibly significant, because the economy is one of the most prominent issues on most American’s minds these days.
Also interesting is that the poll shows that Obama’s lead among young voters age 18-29 slipped 12 points from July. His lead among our age demographic is now only 12 points, 52-40. This is the second major poll that has shown Obama losing his grip on this group of voters.
Considering all the hype about Obama’s appeal to young voters, that relatively narrow a gap is incredibly significant. If McCain can continue to make inroads into one of his opponent’s key constituencies, Obama is going to have a very difficult time winning this November.
It’s 3:00am and what the hell is Barack Obama thinking?! Whatever it is, America can’t afford to have our next president think the same way…
Showing his true abilities in reaching out to other countries, Obama apparently used the Kremlin’s press offices when writing his response to McCain’s very prescient statement on the Russian invasion of Georgia. I say prescient because it was only one day before Obama began to correct his initial statements on the matter to look more like the more informed judgments of John McCain. Also, McCain has been warning of the dangerous Putin-led return to Soviet-style politics in Russia since 1999. Was Obama even in office then? Yes, he was. While John McCain was working on the international stage solving global problems, Barack Obama was in his first term as a state senator in Illinois.
In the end, here’s what the news coverage of the events looked like:
As that stupid YouTube video says, “Ouch, Charlie! That really hurts!”
Tuesday I wrote about an ATV/Zogby poll that showed McCain had increased his support among young voters by 20% while Obama lost 16%. Now The Atlanticis reporting that when it comes to pop culture, McCain might actually have more in common with our generation than Obama.
The Republican presidential candidate tells Entertainment Weekly he enjoys Dexter, a quirky drama about a loveable serial killer, that his wife enjoys Big Love, about polygamist Mormons, that President David Palmer on 24 is the model of a tough TV president, and that, if he could be a superhero, he’d be Batman because “does justice sometimes against insurmountable odds. And he doesn’t make his good works known to a lot of people, so a lot of people think he’s just a rich playboy.” Oh, and McCain likes Usher….
…And check out the music that Obama likes — Frank Sinatra and Coltrane — and the sitcoms that Obama enjoys: M*A*S*H and the Dick Van Dyke show.
Wow. M*A*S*H and Dick Van Dyke? For a candidate who says he’s all about change, it sounds like Obama is stuck in the past.
Anyway, the College Repubicans in Minnesota did a masterful job of demonstrating to Minnesota voters (and evening news viewers) what Obama’s energy plans are: a couple of inflated tires and a tire guage.
While Barack Obama’s plan encourages everyone to inflate their tires, turn down the temperature, and turn off your lights early, John McCain is proposing an “all of the above” solution to our energy crisis: drill now, invest heavily in alternative fuels, and get off foreign oil.
It looks like the constant media coverage of Barack Obama may be backfiring and actually having a negative affect on his campaign. A new Pew Research Center poll found that:
Barack Obama may be the fresh face in this year’s presidential election, but nearly half say they’re already tired of hearing about him, a poll says.
With Election Day still three months away, 48 percent said they’re hearing too much about the Democratic candidate, according to a poll released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. Just 26 percent said the same about his Republican rival, John McCain.
…ask Obama routine questions about his past voting record.
Once again, Barack Obama has proven unwilling to face any tough questions from the press. A reporter recently asked the Senator to explain a contradiction between an Obama attack ad and his own voting history. Obama’s first reaction was to hedge, and when the reporter pressed the issue, he got downright hostile.
REPORTER: I guess what the American people want to know though Senator, is what is the real difference between you and John McCain. You are running this ad tying him to the industry saying that he has taken all of these contributions, but as you well know there is a story out today about how you supported the Dick Cheney bill and he opposed it. That bill gave subsidies to the oil and gas companies, John McCain opposed the bill saying those are tax breaks for those companies, Barack Obama favored it.
SEN. OBAMA: Holdon a second Jon, I thought I was talking to you instead of debating John McCain…
Energy policy is proving to be a weak spot for Obama. An overwhelming majority of Americans support drilling as one method to reduce energy costs, so much so that he recently amended his opinion on the issue to appear closer to the mainstream. This weakness is clearly a touchy subject for Obama. When the McCain campaign handed reporters metal tire gauges inscribed with the words “Obama’s Energy Plan,” Obama snapped:
“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant. They think it’s funny that they’re making fun of something that is actually true.”
Meanwhile, the McCain campaign responded to the insult by saying:
“Instead of calling on his party’s leadership to return to Congress and carve out an ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis, Barack Obama would rather tell commuters to inflate their car tires.”
This morning I attended a breakfast event that was part of the GOPAC State and Local Summit going on this week. The keynote speaker was Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and he had some really interesting things to say.
One of the primary themes of his speech was how Republicans need should communicate our party’s message to the voters. He spoke of people he called “Sam’s Club Republicans.” They are working class individuals like his brothers and sisters who agree with Republicans on key issues like taxes, immigration, and personal responsibility. Yet, often times they are loathe to vote for Republicans because of the myth that our party “doesn’t care about the working class.” Countering that myth and communicating that Republican policies are actually more beneficial to the working class is crucial for us to win elections.
Finally, after the event I spent a few minutes catching up with GOPAC Chairman, former Maryland Lt. Governor, and all around awesome guy Michael Steele. It’s always a pleasure speaking with him. He has proven himself to be a shining star in the Republican Party, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.
By now, many of you have probably heard of the #dontgo Movement that has sprung up in up in support of House Republicans who are refusing to go on vacation until Congress passes a bill to solve the energy crisis. It started as a small group of Congressmen and their supporters using the hashtag #dontgo on Twitter to discuss what was happening on the floor of the House. However, it quickly grew much larger than anyone expected, with thousands of Americans following along and demanding that Speaker Pelosi call Congress back.
Today, the #dontgo team launched a website where supporters can go to learn more and find out how they can help. Check it out.
One of the leaders listed on the #dontgo Crew page is Maryland College Republican Executive Vice Chair Evan Lazerowitz. It’s great to see our members getting involved in national activism projects like this, so way to go, Evan! (I would say it’s because MDCRs are the best of the best, but that might sound biased—I was the MDCR State Chair last year).
The media would like people to believe that nearly every young person in America supports Barack Obama. However, a new ATV/ Zogby poll shows that is not the case, and that McCain’s support among young voters is increasing rapidly. The poll says that “McCain gained 20% and Obama lost 16% among voters ages 18-29.” Obama still leads among young voters 49%-38%, but with the way his support has been increasing, we might see McCain becoming very competitive for the youth vote soon.
This poll just goes to show that you shouldn’t believe all the hype. Young people all across America are getting excited for John McCain and the GOP, and will turn out in large numbers for our candidates in the fall.
