The Race is On

[papau]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6159637/site/newsweek/

The Race is On
With voters widely viewing Kerry as the debate’s winner, Bush’s lead in the NEWSWEEK poll has evaporated

Ron Edmonds / AP
The face of frustration?: Bush on debate night
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Brian Braiker
Newsweek
Updated: 5:56 p.m. ET Oct. 2, 2004Oct. 2 - With a solid majority of voters concluding that John Kerry outperformed George W. Bush in the first presidential debate on Thursday, the president’s lead in the race for the White House has vanished, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. In the first national telephone poll using a fresh sample, NEWSWEEK found the race now statistically tied among all registered voters, 47 percent of whom say they would vote for Kerry and 45 percent for George W. Bush in a three-way race.

Removing Independent candidate Ralph Nader, who draws 2 percent of the vote, widens the Kerry-Edwards lead to three points with 49 percent of the vote versus the incumbent’s 46 percent. Four weeks ago the Republican ticket, coming out of a successful convention in New York, enjoyed an 11-point lead over Kerry-Edwards with Bush pulling 52 percent of the vote and the challenger just 41 percent.<snip>

Kerry’s perceived victory may be attributed to the fact that, by a wide margin (62 percent to 26 percent), debate watchers felt the senator came across as more confident than the president. More than half (56 percent) also see Kerry has having a better command of the facts than Bush (37 percent). As a result, the challenger’s favorability ratings (52 percent, versus 40 percent unfavorable) are better than Bush’s, who at 49 percent (and 46 percent unfavorable), has dipped below the halfway mark for the first time since July. Kerry, typically characterized as aloof and out of touch by his opponents, came across as more personally likeable than Bush (47 percent to the president’s 41 percent).

In fact, Kerry’s numbers have improved across the board, while Bush’s vulnerabilities have become more pronounced. The senator is seen as more intelligent and well-informed (80 percent, up six points over last month, compared to Bush’s steady 59 percent); as having strong leadership skills (56 percent, also up 6 points, but still less than Bush’s 62 percent) and as someone who can be trusted to make the right calls in an international crisis (51 percent, up five points and tied with Bush).

Meanwhile, Bush’s approval ratings have dropped to below the halfway mark (46 percent) for the first time since the GOP convention in late August. Nearly half of all voters (48 percent) say they do not want to see Bush re-elected, while 46 percent say they do. Still, a majority of voters (55 percent versus 29 percent) believe the president will be re-hired on Nov. 2. <snip>

[sonicx]

1. i can't stand it when i see this...

Still, a majority of voters (55 percent versus 29 percent) believe the president will be re-hired on Nov. 2.

:eyes:

[skylarmae]

2. It makes me sick - literally -

There can be nothing but victory for us 11/2 -

[Lexingtonian]

6. Don't worry

That too shall pass....

[PATRICK]

15. Cute question

Most Dems are quite aware of the crooked edge and the propaganda flood and are bitter and pessimistic- NOT going to vote for Bush. This weak life preserver will not float.

The wonder of these polls is that the moment is still too early for a professional estimation of the effect of the debate. They want to put the debate results quickly behind and let silence descend so Bush can engineer a comeback without using the word.

I doubt he can. Most of his reservoirs are getting tapped out. I hope the Kerry people keep remembering this is not just a conventional campaign. This is precisely why people are glumly thinking Bush will win- not because of any intent to vote for the blankety-blank fraud.

Yet now most of the nation have positive, comforting, inspiring reasons to vote for Kerry. It is all looking very good and WE never said a campaign against America's worst President ever would be a cakewalk. We are going in with everything we got and then some and this time with the support of all humanity.

[crossroads]

17. Shows how STUPID they think the masses are...

:eyes:

[citoyen]

22. Good starting point, though. People being so beaten down

allows room for a revolution of rising expectations. This will be a momentum election, just like 1980.

[Jasper 91]

25. It shows how successful all the brainwashing has been .

Unfortunately , no-one can deny that the Repugs are the best at putting out propaganda , especially when being ably assisted by skewed polls which oversample Repugs . If they say something enough times , people come to believe that what they are saying must be true and that it is inevitable that Bush will win .

Well it is not inevitable . Remember this :

Gore won the popular vote in 2000 .
There are numerous reports of known Republicans switching their allegience to Kerry this time .
There are no equal reports of Democrats switching to Bush . Zell Miller excepted .;-)
Democrats are out-registering new voters , in some areas by as much as 10 to 1 .
Bush is the most unpopular President in living memory , both at home and abroad . Check this out too .
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8694

Surely we should be asking ourselves , how anyone could think Bush would win ? It goes against all the evidence out there .

Be positive and spread the word . Kerry in a landslide . :toast:

[bain_sidhe]

3. Ah, the famous "web exclusive"

How come they never put this stuff in the print issue, which is read by FAR MORE people. Especially that photo! It's priceless!

[papau]

4. It is a great photo!

:-)

[bigpathpaul]

5. More photos. Inspired by DNC's "Faces" Video. Please download.

I've just completed a new set of ads relating to George Bush's apathetic performance in the first debate, where he should have been focused on making us feel safe, but instead showed us just how out-of-touch and lacking in credibility he really is.

I think it's fair and necessary to challenge the administration on these concepts at this exact point in time. I think the president's performance in the debate created a sense of doubt, even in voters who may thought they'd made up their minds to support Bush.



The versions shown above are reduced-size, low-resolution versions. Full-size versions can be downloaded from http://bigpath.net/politics/Voting/VotingStart.html

[papau]

7. Excellent :-)

:-)

[leQ]

9. *KICK*

n/t

[fearnobush]

23. Now thats what I call Aloft.

What is he on?

[Moderator]

8. Kick

:kick:

[Yavin4]

10. I Smell A Terror Alert Coming

It's getting mighty orange around here.

[bigpathpaul]

12. Yeah. It's taking them awhile. Is Ridge still in the gov't? n/t

[shockingelk]

11. graphed it

http://fearofclowns.com/text/net_difference_poll_results/

Keep it up, Kerry!

[montana500]

13. ?

"Still, a majority of voters (55 percent versus 29 percent) believe the president will be re-hired on Nov. 2."


You must be pretty negative. YOu look at those awesome numbers and this is what grabs you most?

Kerry took away Bush's leadership edge in the polls.

[Orangepeel]

14. I wonder what the margin among likely voters is (n/t)

[crossroads]

16. Bring the REST of the debates on!!!

:kick:

[OKNancy]

18. Reuters link

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6396328

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. Remember that Gore was down in the polls at this point

And still won. This is going to be an out and out landslide!

[PCIntern]

20. What this means is that Kerry is ahead by nine points

if you figure in the 'curve' that these big-assed media types have instituted against the next President.

[Kimber Scott]

21. Nobody trusts these bastards not to steal the election.

55% vs 29% believe Bush will be re-elected, even though he is behind in the rest of the poll. Hmmmmm.....?

[DeepModem Mom]

24. NOTE: Kerry more "likeable"!

"Kerry, typically characterized as aloof and out of touch by his opponents, came across as more personally likeable than Bush (47 percent to the president’s 41 percent)."

[obiwan]

26. This election is a lot like buying a used car...

...from a shady dealership.

The car looks great sitting on the lot, but once you lift the hood, kick the tires, and test drive it you realize what a clunker it is.

The debates are like this; the public is finally getting to test- drive the president and they realize that he is a high-mileage, clapped out retread with sawdust in the crankcase.

These debates are manna from heaven for Kerry and Edwards. For the first time in this campaign, I am becoming genuinely enthused about the prospect of voting for Kerry. He showed real leadership potential Friday night.

You don't have to be gold-plated if your competition is a steaming heap of dog shit. Illiterate dog shit, at that.