CBS Poll: Obama Boosted Most By Debate

Uncommitted Voters Give Edge To Obama On Economy, McCain On Iraq

(CBS)  The first presidential debate helped uncommitted voters learn about the candidates - and it appears that Democrat Barack Obama benefited the most, according to a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll taken immediately following the debate.

Uncommitted voters said Obama won the debate against Republican John McCain, and more of those voters improved their opinion of the Democrat. But while 66 percent think Obama would make the right decisions about the economy, 56 percent think McCain would do so about Iraq.

Immediately after the debate, CBS News interviewed a nationally representative sample of nearly 500 debate watchers assembled by Knowledge Networks who were "uncommitted voters" - voters who are either undecided about who to vote for or who say they could still change their minds. Thirty-nine percent of these uncommitted debate watchers said Obama won the debate. Twenty-four percent said McCain won, and another 37 percent thought it was a tie.

Nearly half of those uncommitted voters who watched the debate said that their image of Obama changed for the better as a result. Just eight percent say their opinion of Obama got worse, and 46 percent reported no change in their opinions.

McCain saw less improvement in his image. Thirty-two percent have improved their image of McCain as a result of the debate, but 21 percent said their views of him are now worse than before.

Why did voters' image of Obama improve? Many volunteered that they were impressed by his poise and knowledge about the issues, that he was more knowledgeable about the issues than they thought previously. When it came to McCain, those same voters said he "didn’t control himself well under pressure," that he was "angry and bad-tempered," and that he "talked too much about the past."

On the other hand, voters who thought McCain won the debate felt he showed more experience and understanding of the issues - particularly foreign policy. Many felt he exceeded their expectations in how he presented himself tonight, saying he was a "better debater" and a "skilled speaker."

Although much of this debate addressed foreign policy issues, the candidates talked about the economy for about 30 minutes - which is after all what voters say is their most important concern. Uncommitted debate watchers saw Obama as the clear winner on handling the economy; 66 percent felt he would make the right decisions about the economy, while 42 percent felt McCain would do so.

But when it came to the war in Iraq, McCain was the stronger candidate. Before the debate, 44 percent said that McCain would make the right decisions about the war; that rose to 56 percent after the debate. Fewer thought Obama would make the right decisions on Iraq.

Both candidates made some gains in presenting their respective visions for the country. Sixty-five percent said that Obama made it clear what he would do as president; 64 percent said that of his rival, McCain.

In national polls of registered voters overall, one of McCain's strengths has been the perception that he is ready for the presidency, while Obama's has been the perception that he is empathetic to voters' needs. Uncommitted voters who watched the debate share those perceptions.

But while eight in 10 uncommitted voters who watched the debate think McCain is prepared to be president, six in 10 now think Obama is prepared as well - a significant improvement from his standing among these same voters before the debate. The percentage of watchers who think Obama understands their needs and problems has also increased by 21 points, while a majority still say McCain does not.

Uncommitted voters include those who say they have a preference, but also say they could still change their minds. Before the debate, 36 percent favored Obama and 34 percent favored McCain. Obama now leads by 12 points among uncommitted debate watchers - 41 percent to 29 percent -- in their choice for president in November. But nearly three in 10 remain undecided, and most of those with a choice now say their minds could still change.

Read the complete poll (PDF)

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This CBS News poll was conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a nationwide random sample of 483 uncommitted voters - voters who don’t yet know who they will vote for, or who have chosen a candidate but may still change their minds - who have agreed to watch the debate. Knowledge Networks, a Silicon Valley company, conducted the poll among a sample of adult members of its household panel, a nationally representative sample given access to the Internet via Web TV. The questions were administered using the Internet.

This is a scientifically representative poll of undecided voters’ reaction to the presidential debate. The margin of sampling error could be plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on the entire sample.

[elmaskbron]

OBAMA!!! OBAMA!!! baby all the way si senor
bye bye mcbush

[markinga7]

Eac had their strong points in the debate, but Obama probably will come out ahead since he held his own on foreign policy which McCain had a clear advantage going in.

[simplemind2]

Those folks voted for GWB and then whining about the Economy or the invasion in IRAQ - please don''t.
Because you deserve to have GWB his Third term.
Those undecided voters please remain do be undecided.
Those claim that they may flip-flop - just remember - who cares?!

[perflead]

We should acknowledge the fact that every thing is messed up.
We must acnkowledge the fact that republican administration had been at the helm of the series of screw ups we have seen in the last eight years.
We must acknowledge the fact McCain supported the moves of the republican administration most of the time with few exceptions.
We must acknowledge Obama is highly educated from Columbia and Harvard with Magna *** laude and a degree in law.
He was the president of Harvard law review
Look at the way he has organized his campign.
He is so well organized and well planned and proactive.
He will most like win.
Obama has already shown that even his judgments on foreign policy issues have been wiser than McCain.
Look at the fact Mccain was not even looking Obama into his eyes where as Obama was looking straight into his eyes.
McCain was being condascending & mean.
Obama was so humble and well composed.
I think we must change the driver or the neocoservative agenda is going to conclude the disaster already underway due to their policies.

[wonamerica]

The media concurs Obama kicked McCan''ts butt. Oh I forgot Fox news thinks McCan''t won. Sad really. John McCan''t is a sad sad man who couldn''t get hired to bag groceries at a supermarket and people are thinking about voting for him to be president. Scary!!! Along with the Witch Hunter Palin. God Bless America bc we need it right now with these crazy religious zealots. Almost as crazy as Muslim extremists.

[xargaw]

Tonight John McCain appeared angry and agitated several times whereas Obama held onto his usual calm demeanor. Obama appeared very Presidential. Both did a good job, but Obama appears to have a better handle on the economy (his math makes some sense, McCain''s math makes no sense). McCain was wrong about the War in both Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no way to undo his poor judgement and support for eight years of the worst President in history. His history has a big de-regulator has contributed to the current mess as well.

[oly_joe]

Hey Charlie 1000 .. did you fall and land on your head when you were young?

[sleepydiane]

Obama was amazing. I wouldn''t have bothered even voting if it wasn''t for an inspirational, amazing person like him. McCain is out of touch.
Good luck Obama. You have some support here in Tennessee.

[sherry1080]

i am sure mc cain has experience, dirty , politcal experience ..this coutry needs pure , good hearted kind obama fresh clean start for this country for growth rejuvination and this country needs to grow from the young seeds rather than experience old *** mc cain , smelly and sulphuric , next put this country on flames, his old *** supporters will light the smelly sulphuric flames ..this is already becoming a dead country we need to liven it freshen it nurture it , love it and grow it groom it ,,,this what obama for president is all about ,,,give this country a zing from dull faced sick faced , fake faced mc cain ....this country need inner beauty people so the inner beauty of this country will shine and resonate

[sherry1080]

SleepyDiane hey u go girl ,,,,i am also from tennessee..

[sherry1080]

Obama was amazing. I wouldn''''t have bothered even voting if it wasn''''t for an inspirational, amazing person like him. McCain is out of touch.
Good luck Obama. You have some support here in Tennessee

[aj4321-2009]

Posted by Charlie1000 at 02:46 AM : Sep 27, 2008
---------------

Please don''t regurgitate McCain campaign trash. If you have an honest opinion, give that.

[sleepydiane]

Republicans rule the Roost, so to speak, in Tennessee, but I have heard from a lot of my Republican neighbors that they are voting for Obama as well, reasoning that our economy cannot withstand anymore of this endless financing of a war without end.
Go figure, I was right 8 years ago ;)

[joe_transit]

One problem with Obama is that many people mistake kindness for weakness. Obama credited McCain too many times. He needs to sharpen his teeth and file his nails to a point. McCain is an old pro here and he was very good, his "Oh please" comment was great. McCains biggest drawback is his idiot VP along with his Bush theme for government and being a liar. Obama is clearly the better choice but I think people would like to see him more as an attack dog, he needs to get in there and rip McCain''s heart out. What does it take to get Obama mad? Come on Joe help out your boss, he needs a lesson in angry passion.

[sleepydiane]

I agree with you. It''s time for the gloves to come off, but I do believe this was more a "feeling each other out" session rather than a full-blown debate.
Next time I think it could get pretty messy. You could already see the contempt coming from McCains side, and a few really sharp comments from Obama.
Just a warm up really.

[sherry1080]

obama will win, the wicked and fake republicans will loose, hypocrites ,,,seemingly awesome ,,,they hold so much animosity inside them and fake as if the get along and well tuned hahaha ....the republicans hold so much inside them , give them a little power and they will stab u on ur back conseravtives , conserve their hatred ,,they carry on as if they gte along but they will stab u ..watch out ..sarah palin is all beautyLOOK FOR THE INNER BEAUTY PEOPLE ...DO NTO GO FOR FAKE ...LIKE A MOOS ECAME OUT OF HER HOLE IN ALASKA , SKUNKY AND SMELLY

[perflead]

Obama is genuine & more truthful than McCain.
He does not disagee for the sake of disagreement.
In fact McCain did not have the generoristy to agree or appreciate even when his opponenet was right.
I was looking at the Fact Check on CNN & Obama was right & McCain was not accurate.
As an example,McCain denial related to Iran & Kissinger was wrong.
Kissinger did say it is ok to talk to Iran.
Obama does not win debates by throwing kitchen sink or lying.
His approach may not be good for the initial stages right after the debate, but it did helped him in the later stages in the primaries.
It will help him as more and more independents and democrates will find out who is more accurate.
Obama''s attitude is no different from the current republican administration.
How do we expect things to get better by accepting similar appraoch over and over.

[perflead]

CORRECTION:
McCain''s attitude is no different from the current republican administration.
How do we expect things to get better by accepting similar appraoch over and over.

[samthetvcat]

---"Before the debate, 36 percent favored Obama and 34 percent favored McCain. Obama now leads by 12 points among uncommitted debate watchers - 41 percent to 29 percent -- in their choice for president in November."---

To be more accurate, I would have liked to know each person''s party affiliation - like was it 34% leaning Obama and Democratic, 2% leaning Obama and Republican, 25% leaning McCain and Republican, 9% leaning McCain and Democratic?

Because I didn''t see anything tonight that would explain that much of a shift unless people leaning McCain already wanted to vote Obama but had doubts about his ability to deal with more experienced world leaders (such as McCain).

If you were leaning McCain because you''re socially liberal and economically conservative, or like having somebody with vast foreign policy experience Obama really do or say anything to reach across the aisle (take the what would you cut from your budget answer for example).

Although McCain didn''t reach across the aisle either - given how important it was for him to do so in this economic climate, maybe it was that failure that was the problem?

I don''t know . . .

[larry82356]

I believe only the undecided changed their minds today however, it is hard for me to believe there are not many of them. Personally, I think the debates in term of content were essentially a tie. One of the reasons the conversation was about the Iraq war. I personally believe we need to get out of Iraq. We are not winning the war and General Patreus said this in an interview that to use the term "victory" will never be used to define the Iraq war. I thought McCain shoot from the hip and I personally would like a president that would give deep thought prior to decisions at least when making grave decisions such as war. Anger, stubbornness, narrow minded thinking, are not ideal traits for a president. I am willing to give Obama a chance to get it right. He could never be as bad as Bush. However, it appears with McCain erratic behavior and his lack of judgment these are observations based on the methods used to conduct his campaign; this definitely gives me pause. If he can not carry out an organized well thought out campaign what will he do for our country? McCain is willing to lie and stick to it without apology and I can not believe this "Maverick" as he would like to be labeled will give the American people any explanation for any of his choices in running this country because he will not believe he has to give explanation to the American people. Does this not scare the living daylights out of some of you!!!

[sherry1080]

IN TENESSEE WE ALL LOVE BORACKA OBAMA WE LOVE HIM WE LOVE, WE HAVE NO LOVE LOVE FOR FAKE OLD DEVIRGINISED MCCAIN, BEEN THERE DONE THAT, BUT DID NOTHING HAHAHAHAHA

[s1ckd09]

You gotta love the way CBS spins things... Funny how they don''t mention the change in the results of the last question "If the election were held today who would you vote for" - Obama still leads, but he lost 5 points and McCain gained 5 points, so Obama only leads by 2 points now. Go CBS!!!!

[sleepydiane]

Great point perflead. I had not yet checked the accuracy of those balls of flying mud ;)
But he does have poise. He also seems to rise above the contempt and just drive the point home rather than being condescending and snarky as McCain seemed to be with the Cheshire cat weird grin he kept plying us with.

[madkeyra2]

Obama clearly won the debate. Obama was very assertive and command the issues, he was also very knowledgeable of the issues and Mccains positions on those issues. Mccain looked uncomfortable, he looked down as if he was reading notes allot and each attack Mccain posed against Obama he wasn''t able to back up. I think Obama was saving the arguments of the economy for another debate and this debate was to take the foriegn policy mantel from Mccain and he did that tonight. Obama telling Mccain he was " wrong , wrong, wrong on Iraq was definately the most memorable statement of the evening.

[cattiej]

Obama won this round. McCain would''t look at Obama. He just couldn''t look in the eye, why is that? This debate could have been a boon for the American people who are sitting at home, wondering where they jobs are,some wondering when they are going to lose their homes, some wondering when they are going to gat a job. some knowing never will be the answer to all the above. McCain was ill-mannered to Obama tonight, and ill-mannered to the people watching the debate. Americans are not as stupid as McCain thinks that they are going to let him be PaPa and lead with a big stick, if you don''t do as he says, he''ll kick the snott out of ya or turn you over to Sarah P. for ****-poor. Manners went out the window with McCain tonight. This man can''t stand many more debates..he will probably have a heart attack, then Romney can step forward and do a much better job. McCain must have a lot of dirt on Republicans that he was the once selected to run for their Party. I wonder how many Republicans will jump ship. If McCain was 5 from the bottom of the class at the Navel acadamey, he can''t be too smart. I am tired of I was a prisioner, he was a prioner because his Dad was an Admiral. He was used and allowed himself to be used. He still hates North Korea and if he get a change he will wipe it off the face of the earth. Did you notice the expression on his face with he talked about North Korea tonight. This man also doesn''t look healthy..then we get Palin. God help us all.

[sherry1080]

You gotta love the way CBS spins things... Funny how they don''''t mention the change in the results of the last question "If the election were held today who would you vote for" - Obama still leads, CBS NEWS

[sherry1080]

the election were held today who would you vote for" - Obama still leads, CBS NEWS

[madkeyra2]

Mccain lost this debate because he doesn''t have a vision for the country just the same old failed Bush policies. When the question was possed to Mccain what he would do differently than Obama, all Mccain could say is cut down on spending and ear marks. If earmarks is 18 billion and he wants to give 300 billion away to the rich how is that cutting down on spending. Mccain is a fraud and Obama exposed him tonight.

[billmel8er]

What buried McCain tonight, for me, was his vehement insistence that his friend, Henry Kissinger, would ever say that he supported talking with Iran. He was completely wrong there as Kissinger has said he does support unconditional talks with Iran. I think too few viewers knew this. I think McCain is ignorant of what his "close friend" has said - at least I give him the latitude of ignorance on that one. I''d hate to think he was purposely trying to mislead anyone there.

Anyway, McCain doesn''t even know what has been said by his own advisors. Not good.

[madkeyra2]

I would vote for Obama period. Mccain doesn''t have a vision or a plan for the future. Mccain has run a shaky campaign, can''t stick to a message, back and forth, up and down and tonight Obama exposed him enough were even republicans are saying Obama won the debate.

[sherry1080]

Who won the presidential debate? * 478788 responses

John McCain
33%

Barack Obama
52%

Tie
6.1%

Not sure
8.2%
Not a scientific survey. Click to learn more. Results may not total 100% due to rounding. MSNBC

[sherry1080]

A separate poll, conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, showed that nearly six in 10 Americans think Obama will win the debates, against less than ...

AFP - 1915 related articles ;

[sleepydiane]

McCain choosing Palin as his running mate would have cinched it for me if I had not already decided Obama was my pic. If McCains health fails, we get Palin???? Geez. Are you kidding me?? How many people are there in Alaska? 12? I could keep 12 people happy if I was the "governor". I mean really... what could she possibly know? At least with Obama, we have a solid candidate (in good health) and Biden who is already an admirable person.
Too bad this time McCain. Republicans, this just isn''t your term. Shakes Mr. Bush''s hand on the way out.

[madkeyra2]

I think Obama''s objective was not to focus on the economy tonight but to take the foriegn policy mantel that Mccain claims he has away from him. I believe Obama wants to get into the economy in great depth during another debate but tonight he wanted to go toe to toe with Mccain on foreign policy. Tonight was a great opportunity for Obama to hold his own on foriegn policy because we proberly wont hear about foriegn policy again with the economic crisis on Wall st. which is another good thing for Obama. Mccain needed to come out of this debate with a win and he didn''t do that tonight.

[sherry1080]

And more than half those polled by CNN/ORC -- 53 percent -- said they had more faith in Obama when it comes to dealing with economic issues than in McCain, who had the trust of 43 percent of voters

[vrysassy]

Obama seemed the more presidential candidate. He answered the questions in a thoughtful and precise manner. McCain was obviously nervous and showed it was taking everything he had not to explode when caught up in untruths. He grimaced and put on that fake smile he uses everytime he is caught red handed stretching the truth. Some faulted Obama for not being more forceful. I, for one appreciated hearing a candidate who knew how to be a gentleman and could speak with intelligence and precision about his goals for our country. This is the man I will vote for in the coming election.

[cattiej]

Who cares what Henry Kissinger has to say. This man is older than dirt. He should be in Miami, sitting on the beach in the sun.How many years ago was Nixon the Pres???Let''s get real here folks..McCain is over the top, last week he was intereved on TV and one of the ways he would save money was to reduce the defence budget what?????? Two weeks ago, he said our country was in great ecomonical condition. What???? I am and all my firends are sick and tired of hearing about his being a prison of war.....what......get over it, John....you weren''t the only on, just stop trying to use it to get elected. Anyone stupid enough to let themselves be prisoners as long as you were can''t be real smart..How much did you tell the North Korean''s anyway, so they could keep you alive. You could have done yourself in and God would have welcomed you to his kingdom. or are you the anti-christ? You talked Loud tonight, you interuped numerous times, you bragged about yourself and put Obama down again and again. You need some classes in how to handle rage managment. If you can''t stand the heat, get outta the kitchen....go back to Arizonia or where ever you other 8 homes happen to be. Don''t give us BS on cutting spending because we know you won''t cut YOUR spending..Get rid of the barracuda Veep, she is nothing but trouble.

[abmitus]

Charlie1000,

What you were looking at was from what I can tell was a bad TV set. Must be still using one of those old floor modles. Go get yourself one of those new HD TVs so you can really see whats going on. Barack seemed to be as cool, calm and collective as a cucumber on my set. Now McCain on the other hand was , as Elvis would say, "All Shook Up"

[madkeyra2]

Thats just it with Mccain, he''s more interested in spin, trickery, deciet, and stunts than actuall policies and vision. Palin was just another stunt to get him over his base hurdle. Just like his stunt to suspend his campaign and go save Washington. Mccain is clearly a liar and a cheat. Mccain has no real answers of solutions just stunt and tricks.

[ofbyfor2]

I used to have a great deal of respect for McCain years ago when he acted like a true maverick, but it seems to me that those days are long gone.

I did not like his actions tonight--not looking at Obama, lying about Obama''s record, not giving Obama a chance to correct his lies, McCain''s tense body language, etc.

In contrast, Obama was gracious, saying when he agreed with McCain and did not grossly misrepresent McCain''s views.

Obama spent more time spelling out HIS plans, while McCain went on the offensive against Obama.

IMHO, Obama seemed infinitely more Presidential.

[madkeyra2]

Its very clear that Mccain wants to give the rich more money and Obama wants to help the middle class Americans. Mccain wants to give Oil companies billions of dollars while Obama wants to tax their profits. Its clear who is the leader for the middle class and who wants to champion billions for the corporations and wealthiest Americans.

[madkeyra2]

I don''t like the stunts Mccain pulls just to win points. Mccain is living in the past and Obama has the vision for the future. I didn''t hear one thing Mccain wanted to do for the future for working class Americans. Mccain didn''t even mention working class Americans.

[billmel8er]

Hey Cattie,

C''mon now, don''t hold back... we want to know how you really feel...

When I referred to the Kissinger thing, I was referring to how badly McCain acted there. You are right, apparently MCCain doesn''t even care what Kissinger had to say. But he was completely wrong and he blew up right there insisting he was right and that Kissinger would never say such a thing, etc.

That was a very very very poor display IMHO.

[cattiej]

Well, tonight I have decided to vote for Obama. I want a young man or women who won''t be clouded in their judgement about how things are done..that''s the trouble right now, If it''s not the Republican way, your a traitor according to them...then they atart shouting at you because they don''t know what they are talking about, so they shout...That''s what the devil does, if he can''t win you over, she shouts at you to try and get your attention.
We are from Illinois and have written to Obama numerous times. We don''t agree with some of his policies and we don''t agree with his stance on giving illegals amnesty. At least he acts like a gentleman, which is more than McCain does. Bragging about being in Washington at this time is NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT, JOHN. This Congress and your and your firends made this mess for America, you have just been at it longer..how can you brag about that? Shame on you for making our country have such a mess as this. Get out of Washington and take a permanent vacation in one of your 8 homes. You can go to the Caymen Islands and Switzerland and count your bank accounts monies. Take your corrupt Congress people with you. we don''t want them in Washington anymore.

[billmel8er]

I think the only reason McCain is polling as well as he is is because of the fear factor. Bush, Cheney, and Rove still have most of the country shaking in their shoes about Al-Queda and the mean old nasty muslims. McCain is still riding that wave.

There is absolutely no reason to think that any democrat anywhere at any time would be soft on people that attack us and mean to do our country harm. You need only to look at FDR, JFK, LBJ, or even Bill Clinton. All took our enemies to task and so will Obama and Biden.

In fact, when Obama gets in, Bin Laden will be shopping for an even deeper cave.

[kolsa]

Obama won that debate not just on substance. He won it on the issue of calm temperament that is so essential for the commander in chief. We cannot afford another crack at restoring our international humiliation as a bunch of ignorant rednecks but sending another trigger finger to the Oval office. Obama has my vote

[sleepydiane]

I live way out in the country in Tennessee, and I''m not kidding, I had someone tell me today that Obama''s parents killed 2 people. WHAT????? Those polls also consist of people believing things such as this. They just sit out here in the backwoods making up things to hide the true reason they don''t like Obama. Thankfully, not all southerners, or people who live in the country, are ignorant... so that poll should keep sliding in the Obama direction.

[sleepydiane]

Is it just me, or did McCain seem to have a bitterness about him?

[mkbjon]

I want to know what the deal is with AOL polls. They ae so skewed in McCain''s favor as opposed to nearly every other poll I have seen. I was supposed to do the web/phone survey for hcd.net during the debate, but the server was overloaded. Now there''s an interesting poll of what Republicans, Democrats, and Independents thought about it. You can go to mediacurves.com to get the outcome. Apparently Obama opened a can of b*u*t*t whipping, based on the results.

[mkbjon]

One problem with Obama is that many people mistake kindness for weakness. Obama credited McCain too many times. He needs to sharpen his teeth and file his nails to a point. McCain is an old pro here and he was very good, his "Oh please" comment was great. McCains biggest drawback is his idiot VP along with his Bush theme for government and being a liar. Obama is clearly the better choice but I think people would like to see him more as an attack dog, he needs to get in there and rip McCain''''s heart out. What does it take to get Obama mad? Come on Joe help out your boss, he needs a lesson in angry passion.
Posted by joe_transit

I understand exactly what you are saying, but societal perception being what it is, Obama has to walk a fine line. He has the misfortune of having to present a calm, rational, and polite demeanor to a group of people who view blacks as threatening or thuggish, and still effectively deflect attacks from McCain. If you watched the 20/20 experiments on race, you know that what I''m saying is true. I''m a black woman, and my sister and I were literally stalked by a security guard in a Radio Shack in Louisiana. I am a professional, and was dressed conservatively. He was probably making a fraction of the salary that I did at that time, but he still perceived me to be a shoplifter. When you are dealing with the public, you have to take into account some biases that have stubbornly taken root regarding the "black image."