CBS Poll: Support For Obama Rebounds

In Wake Of Controversy Over Former Pastor, Illinois Senator Builds Lead Over McCain, Clinton

(CBS)  Democrat Barack Obama appears to have rebounded from some of the damage caused by the controversy surrounding his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll.

On one key measure, Obama has seen a big reversal since his denunciation of Wright’s remarks on Tuesday. He now leads presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in the hypothetical fall contest by eleven points, 51 percent to 40 percent. That compares to a tied match-up in a CBS News/New York Times poll that was released last Wednesday.

Positive assessments of how Obama has handled the situation with Wright are also reflected by a continued lead over fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton in his battle for their party’s nomination. Among Democratic primary voters (those who have voted or plan to vote in a Democratic primary) Obama’s lead over Clinton has increased -- he now leads Clinton by twelve points, 50 percent to 38 percent. That’s up from his eight point lead in the poll released just a few days ago.

However, among all registered voters who identify themselves as Democrats (regardless of whether they have voted or plan to vote in a Democratic primary) Obama and Clinton are virtually tied -- 45 percent for Clinton and 44 percent for Obama. This is similar to the numbers earlier in the week.

The poll also shows good news for both Democrats in a campaign versus McCain in the fall. Just like Obama, Clinton’s lead over McCain has jumped, from 5 to 12 points.

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Complete CBS News Polls:
Wright, Obama, And The Campaign
The Economy And The Gas Tax

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Independents back Obama in a head to head against McCain, but in a Clinton-McCain contest independents support McCain by five points. However, more Democrats say they will vote Clinton in the fall than say they will vote for Obama.

The poll shows that almost eight in ten Democratic primary voters would support either Obama or Clinton against McCain in November. Among Democratic primary voters who support Obama now, 70 percent say they would vote for Clinton in November if she is the Democratic nominee. Among those who support Clinton now, 60 percent say they would vote for Obama if he is the nominee.

This poll was conducted after Obama’s public comments on Tuesday denouncing Wright’s statements, something most voters think he handled well. Democratic primary voters are especially approving.

By a margin of nearly three to one, registered voters who have heard about the situation approve of how Obama has handled it, with 60 percent approving to 23 percent who disapprove. Among Democratic primary voters, the margin is 68 percent to 22 percent.

Just over half of registered voters say Obama has been appropriately critical of his ex-pastor. But one in four voters (and slightly more Republicans) would have liked him to have gone further in his rejection.

However, 47 percent of voters see political motivation as the main reason behind Obama’s decision to renounce his minister. Fewer, 34 percent, think the split came mainly because Obama disagreed with things Wright said.

A large number of voters - three-quarters - say that what Wright has said has not changed their opinion of Obama. However, Wright has caused 24 percent to change their view, with 22 percent saying their view of Obama is less favorable. Republicans are more likely than Democrats or Independents to describe the Wright impact negatively.

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Poll Database
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Favorable views of Obama have rebounded some in this poll compared to earlier in the week when his ratings had dipped in the days after Wright’s recent speeches. Forty-four percent now say they have a favorable view of Obama, compared to 39 percent on Wednesday and 43 percent back in March. His negative rating is 30 percent now, compared to 34 percent on Wednesday and 24 percent in March.

When voters are asked about their support for Obama as a candidate, the impact of the Wright situation is again negative -- but limited. Seventy-three percent say say it has not changed their likelihood of voting for him, 18 percent say it makes it less likely and six percent say it makes them more likely. As with personal views of Obama, it is Republicans most likely to report a negative impact.

Most voters also say they do not expect Wright’s impact to linger in their own minds. Only about one in ten say this will affect their November vote a lot, with 73 percent saying it will not affect them at all. The impact appears strongest, however, among Republicans, who are least likely to vote for any Democrat.

[pepperwood2]

said last week watch the polls read "OBAMA IN THE LEAD" now my predictions were Obama 45% McCain 49% but, because everyone has this Clinton hate thing going on Obama 97% Clinton 3% I told everyone he was going to make sure the polls had him in the lead...

I concur & you make a good point. Keep us posted. Why didn''t we think of that? Whether they''re right or wrong we need more exit polling details. Such as the price of gasoline an oil on the day of primary. How much Gold rose or dropped. How corn is doing on the commody market. etc. I think there''s common ground here.

[pepperwood2]

I like others thought Hillary had what it takes. She didn''t let us down. She took the low road of bitterly attacking & bashing Obama & Rev Wright and close to a $500,000,000 dollars of contributions and still counting. The Power of Negative Campaigning 101 as taught by Bill & HIllary. Free will offerings accepted at the door.

Bill, Chelsae, Rendell & the Campaign Committee really won. They get paid up front.

After all she is still there for us. That is, for all the Fund Raisers. 35 years experience has PAID off for the Clintons. ITS ALL ABOUT ME. Wheeeeeee this is FUND time. I''m just warming up.

"Don''t forget the Superdelegates are on my side and their not happy that Obama doesn''t know his place." Soooooo Sad what the Clintons & the Old Guard Demos have done to the Democratic Party & its not over yet.

[rowdytexan2]

nYour words are the words of a "fool." If you happen to know anyone more intelligent than you are,(that should be a piece of cake) show them your stupid sentence. Maybe they will correct you so you don''''''''t look like the idiot your are. Go and get your GED, you need it.


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Posted by rufisgufis at 03:16 PM : May 06, 2008

At least I''m not FOOL enough to vote for Obama the Scam!

What''s your problem, a little anal retentiveness???

[mgck59]

Because the people on my job said they wouldn''t vote for Obama if he was the only man running......But, the polls say people JUST LOVE HIM!!!!!

[rufisgufis]

"Obama is a FOOL if he excepts to have any CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER!"

Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 02:37 PM : May 06, 2008
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Your words are the words of a "fool." If you happen to know anyone more intelligent than you are,(that should be a piece of cake) show them your stupid sentence. Maybe they will correct you so you don''''t look like the idiot your are. Go and get your GED, you need it.

[mgck59]

I said last week watch the polls read "OBAMA IN THE LEAD" now my predictions were Obama 45% McCain 49% but, because everyone has this Clinton hate thing going on Obama 97% Clinton 3% I told everyone he was going to make sure the polls had him in the lead....LOL

[rufisgufis]

"Obama is a FOOL if he excepts to have any CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER!"

Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 02:37 PM : May 06, 2008
-------------------------------

Your words are the words of a "fool." If you happen to know anyone more intelligent than you are, show them your stupid sentence. Maybe they will correct you so you don''t look like the idiot your are. Go and get your GED, you need it.

[eddynewhope]

RowdyTexan - You once again betray your ignorance. A state gas tax is not the source of income for transportation infrastructure, and hence, won''t cost the US 300,000 jobs (after Hillary shrieks "jobs, jobs, jobs"). Furthermore, Hillary won''t be able to pass jack sheet with Bush holding the veto pen so it''s a moot point. Moreover, there is not even a windfall tax bill being proposed in either the house or senate so that too is a bold faced lie. I think Hillary put it best: "I don''t put much stock in economists." Sound familiar like G. W. Bush? No - of course not. You don''t think, you just rant and rave hate and fear. Would hate to be you.

[rowdytexan2]

Hahahahaha! Obama''''s still out there touting that the gax tax vacation is scheme, when everybody knows he supported it THREE TIMES in his own state! NOW he claimes it didn''''t work just so he can try to make Hillary Clinton look bad!

Obama also voted for Cheney''''s oil and energy plan allowing US oil companies access to oil on federal lands with basically NO royalties paid to the government for the oil!

THEN he proposes we give $845 billion EXTRA to the Global Poverty ACT, which will have to be paid for with a $.35 to $1.00 additional federal gas tax increase!

Not only that, The Global Policy Act requires that participants ban small weapons, subverting our 2nd Amendment rights!

Obama is a FOOL if he excepts to have any CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER!

[phillysage]

More exaggerations in favor of Obama, does the media really need to throw him so many pillows and continue to massage his tired feet?
Isn''t the really important news in this poll the fact that Hillary is still seen as the most viable candidate for the Democrats?
Americans are not really gonna end up voting for a guy whose Dad wasn''t even an American and whose Mom was an atheist who only slept with foreigners.

[rufisgufis]

HILLARY CLINTON%u2019S 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BS: The first 15 years she spent in %u201Cpublic service%u201D she worked for the biggest law firm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her goal then: make as much money as possible, ethics be damned. Almost forgot her stint working in Goldwater%u2019s campaign for president. Then there was White Water, Travelgate Vincent Foster, et al. Then there was her job working at Wal-Mart where she did an outstanding job of fighting off the workers attempts to organize a union for collective bargaining. And what a disaster her health plan was. When she took the DC Bar exam she failed twice. By then, she was fighting against the %u201CVast right-wing conspiracy.%u201D Stole items from the White House and later gave them back - only because she was caught. The most extensive experience this woman has is serving tea to foreign dignitaries.

And what a detailed LIAR she is: Bosnia, Northern Ireland, NAFTA. You can always tell when she%u2019s lying, her lips move. Claimed to be a New Yorker so she could run for the senate. She has a reputation of being the queen of earmarks and recently secured a 1.5 million dollar earmark awarded to a Harlem minister who endorsed her candidacy for President. She also has accepted more corporate donations than any of the Republican candidates.
Voted to authorize Iraq war; voted to give Bush power to go to war against Iran and praised NAFTA. AND: Do you want an ex-con for a Co-President?

[rufisgufis]

When Bill Clinton came to the White House in1993, Democrats were a congressional majority, with 258 seats in the House. When he left in 2001, they were a minority with 46 fewer seats. There were 30 Democratic governors, when he arrived, 21 eight years later.
A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found nearly 60 percent of voters think Clinton is dishonest and will lie whenever she thinks she needs to.

[rufisgufis]

When Bill Clinton came to the White House in1993, Democrats were a congressional majority, with 258 seats in the House. When he left in 2001, they were a minority with 46 fewer seats. There were 30 Democratic governors, when he arrived, 21 eight years later.
A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found nearly 60 percent of voters think Clinton is dishonest and will lie whenever she thinks she needs to.

[rufisgufis]

Obama is leading in number of delegates won;

Obama is leading in number of states won;

Obama is leading in number of popular votes won;

Obama is leading in number of the caucuses won;

Obama is leading in every demographic;

Clinton is leading among the senile;

Clinton is leading among the uneducated;

Clinton is leading among the stupid;

Clinton is leading in number of lies told.

FIGURES DON''T LIE BUT LIARS CAN FIGURE

OBAMA 08

[rowdytexan2]

VOTE FOR A REAL DEMOCRAT, NOT SOME LEFT-WING ISM''''''''IST WITH HIS OWN AGENDA!

We don''''''''t need to switch from the EXTREMISM right-wing to the EXTREMISM left-wing!

We need a president that will work for ALL the people at the same time!

Obama will suck the soul of this country for tax money to support his flim flam economy and whack job ism''''''''s, just like BUSH is sucking the soul out of us for HIS own interests!

[rufisgufis]

HILLARY CLINTON%u2019S 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BS: The first 15 years she spent in %u201Cpublic service%u201D she worked for the biggest law firm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her goal then: make as much money as possible, ethics be damned. Almost forgot her stint working in Goldwater%u2019s campaign for president. Then there was White Water, Travelgate Vincent Foster, et al. Then there was her job working at Wal-Mart where she did an outstanding job of fighting off the workers attempts to organize a union for collective bargaining. And what a disaster her health plan was. When she took the DC Bar exam she failed twice. By then, she was fighting against the %u201CVast right-wing conspiracy.%u201D Stole items from the White House and later gave them back - only because she was caught. The most extensive experience this woman has is serving tea to foreign dignitaries.

And what a detailed LIAR she is: Bosnia, Northern Ireland, NAFTA. You can always tell when she%u2019s lying, her lips move. Claimed to be a New Yorker so she could run for the senate. She has a reputation of being the queen of earmarks and recently secured a 1.5 million dollar earmark awarded to a Harlem minister who endorsed her candidacy for President. She also has accepted more corporate donations than any of the Republican candidates.
Voted to authorize Iraq war; voted to give Bush power to go to war against Iran and praised NAFTA. AND: Do you want an ex-con for a Co-President?

[rowdytexan2]

VOTE FOR A REAL DEMOCRAT, NOT SOME LEFT-WING ISM''''''''IST WITH HIS OWN AGENDA!

We don''''''''t need to switch from the EXTREMISM right-wing to the EXTREMISM left-wing!

We need a president that will work for ALL the people at the same time!

Obama will suck the soul of this country for tax money to support his flim flam economy and whack job ism''''''''s, just like BUSH is sucking the soul out of us for HIS own interests!

[rufisgufis]

I was in the audience the day Hillary related her story about her %u201Charrowing%u201D trip to Bosnia. She was no more than thirty feet from me. She appeared to be looking me straight in the eyes. As she told her story I was thinking: What a woman. She laughed (cackled) as she told her story which I thought was somewhat inappropriate. But I was so proud of her and I was prepared to go out and campaign on her behalf. Imagine how insulted I felt when I learned it was all a big lie. Now, several of my friend who were also there have formed a group and are fervently campaigning AGAINST her.

[rufisgufis]

libagent:

Who in dere rite mind be wantin a useless ol woman for president. Posing dere really be a 3am call an Hillary be having a PMS fit or some other femine stuff, den what. It won''t work. She be married and her husband he be old too. Posing he be needing something and she aint around. Maybe he want her to run an errand or fetch something for him. Den what, he have to get the stuff fore hisself?

[rufisgufis]

Forget that her husband is an ex-con, convicted of lying to a federal grand jury, convicted of obstruction of justice, convicted of sexual assault. Forget that he settled other sexual assault cases for over a million dollars, forget that he was engaged in sexual encounters IN the White House with: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman - Ms. Lewinsky. Forget that he in on the campaign trail for his wife and raising the race issue at every opportunity. Forget that he was disbarred and stripped of his right to practice law. Forget that he was the first president IMPEACHED in modern history.

Forget that Hillary voted for the Iraq war. Forget that she voted to authorize Bush to declare war on Iran. Forget that she is now threatening to %u201Cobliterate Iran.%u201C Forget about Hillary%u2019s elaborate lie about dodging bullets in Bosnia. Forget that Hillary supported NAFTA until she began to run for president, Forget that her campaign manager supported a free trade agreement with Colombia that she (wink, wink) didn%u2019t know about. Forget that Hillary signed a pledge not to recognize the Michigan results and is now trying to get the votes counted even though Obama was not even on the list. Forget that Harold Ickes, Hillary%u2019s campaign manager, was on the committee that decided to strip Michigan delegates for voting to early. IN FACT, FORGET BOTH CLINTONS.