The Democratic National Convention is five days away. As convention planners get ready to throw open the doors, new polls suggest voters are not ready for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
CNN’s poll of polls shows Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain has been cut in half. And for the first time, McCain tops Obama in a national survey. The latest Reuters/Zogby poll of likely voters found McCain leads Obama 46 percent to 41 percent.
Pollster John Zogby said:
Since Obama returned from his overseas trip, it seems like McCain has thrown all the punches. Clearly, the blows have landed. In recent days, Obama is fighting back, going after McCain on the economy, the issue voters care about most. McCain has changed the dynamic of the race heading into the two conventions. That puts more pressure on Obama to go to Denver and effectively define himself and McCain.
The Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll similarly found that McCain’s negative ads are working. Obama's favorable rating is 48 percent, down from 59 percent in June. The Times reports:
Barack Obama's public image has eroded this summer amid a daily onslaught of attacks from Republican rival John McCain, leaving the race for the White House statistically tied, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released today.
Far more voters say McCain has the right experience to be president, the poll found. More than a third have questions about Obama's patriotism.
Indeed, 80 percent say McCain has the right stuff compared to 44 percent who think Obama has the right experience. As worrisome, 35 percent question Obama’s patriotism.
So, Obama is going on the attack against McCain in key battleground states. He is also tackling his vulnerabilities head-on. In remarks before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Obama said:
Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain.
There is some encouraging news. Independent voters prefer Obama 47 percent to 36 percent. Obama’s supporters are also more enthusiastic than McCain’s. This should transform record numbers of newly registered voters into likely voters. And Obama will need every vote he can get to make it across the finish line on Nov. 4.
