Poll: McCain Takes Post-Convention Lead

Republican Nominee Leads Obama For First Time In New CBS News Poll; Running Mate Sarah Palin A Factor

(CBS)  Republican presidential nominee John McCain leads Democratic rival Barack Obama 46 percent to 44 percent in the latest CBS News poll, which was taken in the three days following the completion of the parties' nominating conventions.

The poll marks the first time that McCain, whose two-point lead is within the poll's margin of error, has led Obama in CBS News general election polling.

Obama led McCain by three points in a CBS News/New York Times survey released on August 20th, just before the political conventions, and led by 8 points in CBS News polling just after the Democratic National Convention. A CBS News survey conducted last week found the two candidates tied.

Though Obama supporters had been much more enthusiastic about their candidate than McCain supporters prior to the conventions, the enthusiasm gap has narrowed considerably. Forty-two percent of McCain's backers now say they are enthusiastic about their candidate, up from 24 percent before the conventions. Fifty-three percent of Obama supporters say the same of their candidate, up slightly from the pre-convention survey.

Roughly 80 percent of both candidates' backers say their minds are made up.

Registered voters have responded positively to the convention address given by McCain running mate Sarah Palin, who was added to the Republican ticket just more than a week ago. Nearly half say the have a better opinion of the Alaska governor as a result of the speech; just 16 percent say the speech gave them a worse impression of her.

Read The Complete Poll

Fifty-three percent of registered voters - including 85 percent of McCain supporters - are glad Palin was selected as McCain's running mate. Obama supporters are less enthusiastic about Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden: Just 65 percent of Obama backers are glad the Delaware senator was selected as Obama's running mate. Forty-eight percent of registered voters overall are glad Biden was selected.

A third of voters say the vice presidential choices will have a great deal of influence on their vote, with those backing the Republican presidential ticket more likely to say running mates will influence their decision.

More voters see Biden, who is a six-term U.S. senator, as prepared to be vice president. Biden is described as prepared for the job by 70 percent of respondents; less than half say the same of Palin.

The Alaska governor is seen as more relatable than her Democratic rival, however. Sixty percent of registered voters, including 64 percent of women, describe Palin as someone they can relate to. That's twenty percentage points higher than the forty percent of registered voters who say they relate to Biden.

Palin's favorable rating now stands at 44 percent, twice what it was immediately after her selection as McCain's nominee. Biden's favorable rating stands at 37 percent, identical to his pre-convention rating. Independents are more likely to have a favorable opinion of Palin (46 percent) than they are of Biden (31 percent).

McCain's move ahead of Obama can be traced in part to movement among previously undecided voters. In this survey, CBS News re-interviewed respondents to a CBS News/New York Times poll taken in mid-August. While many previously undecided voters remain undecided, more of those re-interviewed have moved towards McCain than Obama.

Thanks in large part to the Palin selection, McCain has rallied his white evangelical supporters. The percentage of white evangelical McCain supporters re-interviewed for this survey who are enthusiastic about McCain has doubled to 48 percent from before the convention.

Nearly three in four former supporters of Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, now back Obama over McCain. In the August survey, a smaller percentage, 63 percent, backed the man who bested Clinton in the Democratic primaries.

Both Obama and McCain have talked about bringing change to Washington, but Obama's message appears to be resonating more strongly with voters. Sixty-five percent of Americans think Obama and Biden will bring about real change in Washington, while only 46 percent think the same is true of McCain and Palin.

But McCain has gained ground in this area. In July, before he chose Palin as his running mate, only 28 percent of registered voters said McCain would bring about real change if he were elected President in November.

Forty-two percent of all voters say McCain would continue the policies of the Bush administration if he is elected president - slightly fewer than the 48 percent who said so last week. Voters are now more likely to expect McCain to adopt more conservative positions than President Bush, with 30 percent expecting a McCain administration to adopt more conservative policies. That's up from 20 percent before McCain selected his running mate.

Each candidate has the same strengths and weaknesses as in previous polls; Obama still leads in understanding people’s problems and bringing change, while McCain's lead in experience has expanded. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters say they relate to Obama, while 45 percent say the same of McCain; 76 percent say McCain is prepared to be president, however, while just 42 percent say Obama is prepared for the job.

Fifty-five percent say McCain is "very likely" to be an effective commander-in-chief, up from 46 percent last week. One in four registered voters says the same of Obama. Forty-one percent of Obama backers who have reservations about the candidate cite "inexperience" as their primary concern, while 13 percent of McCain backers with reservations cite the possibility that McCain will be too much like the current president as their primary concern.

Republicans took numerous shots at the news media during their convention last week, and a majority of voters believe the media have been harder on Palin than the other candidates. Voters are more likely to say the media have been easier on both Democratic candidates, especially Obama, who is cited by 36 percent of respondents as the candidate upon whom the press has gone the easiest.

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This poll was conducted by telephone September 5-7, 2008 among 738 respondents first interviewed by CBS News and the New York Times August 15-19,2008. CBS News re-interviewed 655 registered voters for this poll. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample and registered voters could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error on measures of individual change is much smaller.

[cartecce]

that crazy mcsane and that lipstick lady need to sit down somewhere maybe sit in a hog pen and exchange lipstick together they are crazy our country is f***up because of bush and the gop all they can do is run negative ads because they know they cant win against obama .

[mabourn]

What do all of these statements have in common?? They were all posted today Sept. 11 in response to various articles on CBS. What does it say about us as Americans if people have nothing better to do than post this stuff on a day when the country is remembering the thousands that died on 911. Spirited debate is one thing... but this is just embarrassing. You should all be ashamed.

-We call Palin Trailer Trash, because, well, she is....
-TundraBilly Barbie/McWho? 08! All the JaysusBillies are praying for McWho? to die now?
-If I were a Messiah Barbie/McWho? partisan, I ''''d be worried that the End Times were coming and that I had my Left Behind Books with me
-Obama is the disgraceful Pig... with Lipstick on the Bu-tt
-The lipsticked pig has gone back to her home wallow. I hear they have nice mud in Alaska.....
-Here''''s the sound coming from Alaska today..."Oink, Oink."
-Palin: Lipstick on a fascist.
-Obama is lucky that he is supported by Many Self-Hating & Low Self-esteem White Liberals... and Blacks who thought Obama was "really" a Black.
-Getting a religious extremist on the ticket was just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully she gets her orders from a different God than W.
-The rotten hypocrite *** and her sidekick McBush will be exposed soon enough for their lies.

[jondel1]

I keep waiting to wake up from a bad dream. I cannot believe the "bounce" that McCain is getting from the convention and his choice of Palin. I mean a boring convention and a radical pick for the vice president. A pick that should have doomed his campaign may catapult him to the White House. To me it''s crazy that this election is this close. It''s crazy that after eight years of George Bush, the Democrats could lose. It''s crazy that people would flock to McCain, because he chose an unknown governor as his vice president. Do we want a female in the White House that bad? Even though she is pitifully unqualified to be vice-president, or president. Do we want a pair that has run one of the sleaziest campaigns that I can remember. All I can say is, WAKE UP AMERICA!! Read the facts, and don''t let the polls sway you. We need Barack Obama in the White House. Not because he''s interracial, not because he''s a Democrat, but because he''s a breath of fresh air. After eight years of Bush/Cheney, we not only need the overused word, "change". We need DIFFERENT. We need a break. The nation really NEEDS Senator Obama.

[lalabradle]

Contrary to what some of you think. It is very important what the world thinks of the US. Remember, the US is no longer welcome in many countries because of the vicious one sided greed of the Bush administration (blood for oil) war that my son and many of your sons and daughters are dying for. How many politicians or their children have died in this war? No their kids don''t have to go and neither do they. The way they treat our military (the ones actually over there fighting for this country) is appalling. All of you sit back on your sorry behinds and talk, but what have we as a country actually done to show real support for our troops? Nothing. Nobody really cares if you were in a war forty, fifty years ago. We need to stand up for our troops who are in this war now. The Bush administration claims that we are spending all of these billions of dollars on our troops. They don''t even have body armor or armored vehicles to protect them against attacks. They come back here all mangled up and mentally unstable and can get no decent assistance, or else they come back in wood boxes and are buried in a common ceremony. What does that say about us? We the people need to take back over our government. Start making them accountable and stop making excuses.

[akoeppen]

Obama, when he voted, voted with President Bush over 80% of the time--And he is supposedly a Democrat. Not a great argument for Obama to be making.

[missglo]

Polls? Why was''nt I included in these so call polls. Most people do not believe the Media, when it says who''s and what is ahead. Are these Polls taken by empolyees? I get e-mails from CBS every day, and I have not been asked to vote in any polls.

[faizal3-2009]

Posted by Fernando57 at 11:23 PM : Sep 09, 2008
_______________________

I found this potato chip and it has an image of Jesus on it. I will sell it to you at a reasonable price than you can put it on Ebay. You could probably make enough money to keep you in tacos for life.

[standlee5]

I''m happy that people are starting to listen and relate to John McCain. He''s far more mainstream than he''s been given credit.

[kevingrze]

Repugs lie/smear to start a cultural war to win. McCain is an old, confused man who will start a war in Iran. He lies repeatedly and his military record is shameful. Palin lies, is a terrible mother (daughter unwed and pregnant), is creepy and husband is an alcoholic. Enough of these creeps!!!

[prohb]

Sarah Palin is George Bush with lipstick!

[redlipsahead]

Facts.......

Obama has less than 200 days of experience as a JUNIOR
Senator with a terrible voting record.

Obama has NO RECORD to stand behind.

Obama is a Nice Community Organizer.

McCain WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT

[alanrobisch]

You can find all this for yourself, just Google: Palin''''s Church, Palin and the Jews, Palin and the Iraq war, etc.


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Posted by Faizal3 at 07:58 PM : Sep 09, 2008
+ report abuse
Quit spamming

[faizal3-2009]

Palin''s Pastor, Ed Kalnins, makes Rev. Wright look like the Pope. Here is what the Rev. Kalnins has taught her and what she repeats.

She says terrorism against Jews is part of God''s plan because they refuse to accept Jesus as their savior; that the Palestinians killing Jews is part of God%u2019s plan.

She asks her congregation to "pray for the oil pipeline."

She says Alaska has a special place in God''s plan to save it during the "End Times."

She used State fund to transport kids during church outing;

She says the war in Iraq is part of "God''s plan."

She says gaye people can be converted and become straight;

She has said when the spirit moves her, she %u201Cspeaks in tongues.%u201D

She believes in %u201Cfaith healing.%u201D

She tried to ban book in her local library.

These are just a few of her extreme statements.

Is she a nut-job, or what?

You can find all this for yourself, just Google: Palin''s Church, Palin and the Jews, Palin and the Iraq war, etc.

[alanrobisch]

The McCain/Palin machine is starting to pull away! Most people are starting to see that a gay Muslum in the white house would be disaster!


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Posted by mrjake7 at 07:55 PM : Sep 09, 2008
+ report abuse
please don''t make being a republican having to say your sorry. He is to my knowledge neither gay nor muslim

[alanrobisch]

Funny you should say that: McCain voted with Bush over 90% of the time. Seems like a connection to me.


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Posted by Faizal3 at 07:50 PM : Sep 09, 2008
+ report abuse
your good at mimicking dem talking points. You might just try something original and maybe back up your point. what votes did he vote against bills signed by bush. that might prove something. What did he vote for. I am sure you have no idea i don''t. They are distinctly different people. You are much like people who say all blacks Chinese look alike.

[faizal3-2009]

First of all, McCain is in no way connected to Pres. Bush.

Posted by springs888 at 07:03 PM : Sep 09, 2008
____________________

Funny you should say that: McCain voted with Bush over 90% of the time. Seems like a connection to me.

[alanrobisch]

Would any of you proud Republicans please share with us Democrats just which of Bush/McCain policies of the last 8 years you are proud of and would want to see continued for another 4 years?


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Posted by Faizal3 at 07:48 PM : Sep 09, 2008
+ report abuse
The surge lower taxes

[faizal3-2009]

I DOUBT I''LL GET ANY RESPONSES TO THIS!

Would any of you proud Republicans please share with us Democrats just which of Bush/McCain policies of the last 8 years you are proud of and would want to see continued for another 4 years?

[faizal3-2009]

I DOUBT I''LL GET ANY RESPONSES TO THIS!

Would any of you proud Republicans please share with us Democrats just what of Bush/McCain policies of the last 8 years you are proud of and would want to see continued for another 4 years?

[faizal3-2009]

CALLING ALL PROUD REPUBLICANS!

I DOUBT I''LL GET ANY RESPONSES TO THIS!

Would any of you proud Republicans please share with us Democrats just what policies of the last 8 years you are proud of and would want to see continued for another 4 years?