Both Rasmussen and SurveyUSA released a ton of polling today, and it is almost uniformly favorable for Barack Obama. All you really need to know about the Rasmussen polling is that the five state they now define as battlegrounds -- Ohio, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia -- went to George Bush by an average of 7 points in 2004. Today, Rasmussen has Obama ahead in four of the five (including his first lead ever in a Rasmussen poll of Ohio), and tied in the other (North Carolina).
docellis wrote:i saw a "democrats for mccain" yard sign tonight
I met one when I was in St. Louis in August. I was jogging in my old neighborhood and stopped by the house of the parents of one my boyhood friends. His name is Irl, he's a Jewish teacher who taught in U. City his whole life and was always a die-hard Democrat. When I was a teenager we'd always talk politics and I always admired his strong liberal leanings. I was shocked when he told me he was voting for McCain this time around. His main concern was Iran. He acknowledged that if he were still my age he would probably vote for Obama, but he said he was a Lieberman Democrat. It broke my heart.
docellis wrote:i saw a "democrats for mccain" yard sign tonight
I met one when I was in St. Louis in August. I was jogging in my old neighborhood and stopped by the house of the parents of one my boyhood friends. His name is Irl, he's a Jewish teacher who taught in U. City his whole life and was always a die-hard Democrat. When I was a teenager we'd always talk politics and I always admired his strong liberal leanings. I was shocked when he told me he was voting for McCain this time around. His main concern was Iran. He acknowledged that if he were still my age he would probably vote for Obama, but he said he was a Lieberman Democrat. It broke my heart.
Interesting. That just reminded me. Right after the first debate, CNN (I believe) was talking with Florida undecideds in a restaurant or deli setting. One was an Iranian immigrant and/or still had family in Iran. He was saying he was impressed with, and likely would give his vote to, Obama as the debate covered Iran. He said when Obama stated that Armadinijad (sp) was not the most powerful person in Iran he realized that Obama gets it. I noticed that moment, too, because I had heard that about Armadinijad months ago around their "election time" and was surprised to see McCain shake his head like he couldn't believe Obama said or believed it.
docellis wrote:i saw a "democrats for mccain" yard sign tonight
I met one when I was in St. Louis in August. I was jogging in my old neighborhood and stopped by the house of the parents of one my boyhood friends. His name is Irl, he's a Jewish teacher who taught in U. City his whole life and was always a die-hard Democrat. When I was a teenager we'd always talk politics and I always admired his strong liberal leanings. I was shocked when he told me he was voting for McCain this time around. His main concern was Iran. He acknowledged that if he were still my age he would probably vote for Obama, but he said he was a Lieberman Democrat. It broke my heart.
Your friend is not the only one; a lot of people in my family are the same way. A lot of people in the Jewish community are becoming single issue voters, that issue being Israel. McCain and Palin have made statements to the effect of "We will support Israel as strongly as possible, no matter what, even if they strike Iran." In contrast, Obama has said he would talk to Ahdmenajad, and a lot of the older Jewish folks (think Florida) are susceptible to the whisper campaigns about Obama - that he has middle eastern and Muslim secret ties, etc etc etc. It could be an issue for the Obama campaign in Florida.
Palin saying in her Couric interview that she would never, ever second-guess Israel scares me a bit.
I mean, I support Israel, but I'm open to second-guessing anyone if they have questionable foreign policy. We're BFF's with Canada and GB, but if they jointly attacked Greenland, I would be all "WTF mates?".
docellis wrote:i saw a "democrats for mccain" yard sign tonight
I met one when I was in St. Louis in August. I was jogging in my old neighborhood and stopped by the house of the parents of one my boyhood friends. His name is Irl, he's a Jewish teacher who taught in U. City his whole life and was always a die-hard Democrat. When I was a teenager we'd always talk politics and I always admired his strong liberal leanings. I was shocked when he told me he was voting for McCain this time around. His main concern was Iran. He acknowledged that if he were still my age he would probably vote for Obama, but he said he was a Lieberman Democrat. It broke my heart.
Your friend is not the only one; a lot of people in my family are the same way. A lot of people in the Jewish community are becoming single issue voters, that issue being Israel. McCain and Palin have made statements to the effect of "We will support Israel as strongly as possible, no matter what, even if they strike Iran." In contrast, Obama has said he would talk to Ahdmenajad, and a lot of the older Jewish folks (think Florida) are susceptible to the whisper campaigns about Obama - that he has middle eastern and Muslim secret ties, etc etc etc. It could be an issue for the Obama campaign in Florida.
Pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. Most of the Jewish people that I know have voted heavily democratic all of their lives. With this campaign though they are in McCains camp because he has strong ties with Lieberman and they trust him more to deal with Iran/have Israel's back.
Popeye_Card wrote:Palin saying in her Couric interview that she would never, ever second-guess Israel scares me a bit.
I mean, I support Israel, but I'm open to second-guessing anyone if they have questionable foreign policy. We're BFF's with Canada and GB, but if they jointly attacked Greenland, I would be all "WTF mates?".
I wholeheartedly support Israel, but they have done plenty of things to be second-guessed. What country hasn't?
docellis wrote:i saw a "democrats for mccain" yard sign tonight
I met one when I was in St. Louis in August. I was jogging in my old neighborhood and stopped by the house of the parents of one my boyhood friends. His name is Irl, he's a Jewish teacher who taught in U. City his whole life and was always a die-hard Democrat. When I was a teenager we'd always talk politics and I always admired his strong liberal leanings. I was shocked when he told me he was voting for McCain this time around. His main concern was Iran. He acknowledged that if he were still my age he would probably vote for Obama, but he said he was a Lieberman Democrat. It broke my heart.
Your friend is not the only one; a lot of people in my family are the same way. A lot of people in the Jewish community are becoming single issue voters, that issue being Israel. McCain and Palin have made statements to the effect of "We will support Israel as strongly as possible, no matter what, even if they strike Iran." In contrast, Obama has said he would talk to Ahdmenajad, and a lot of the older Jewish folks (think Florida) are susceptible to the whisper campaigns about Obama - that he has middle eastern and Muslim secret ties, etc etc etc. It could be an issue for the Obama campaign in Florida.
Pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. Most of the Jewish people that I know have voted heavily democratic all of their lives. With this campaign though they are in McCains camp because he has strong ties with Lieberman and they trust him more to deal with Iran/have Israel's back.
While this is definitely a real phenomenon within the Jewish electorate, the majority of Jews still back Democrats and will be voting for Obama. Perhaps less so than in elections past, but in no way have Jewish voters defected en masse to the Republican party or to McCain. An old Gallup poll during the primaries showed that Jewish voters preferred Obama over McCain by a 2-to-1 margin (61% to 32%). That may have shifted somewhat since then, but I doubt it's shifted so much that McCain is now drawing the majority. Incidentally that same poll found that they also preferred Hilary Clinton to Obama by a 50%-43% margin.
Popeye_Card wrote:Palin saying in her Couric interview that she would never, ever second-guess Israel scares me a bit.
I mean, I support Israel, but I'm open to second-guessing anyone if they have questionable foreign policy. We're BFF's with Canada and GB, but if they jointly attacked Greenland, I would be all "WTF mates?".
I, for one, applaud and support Canada's hegemony over Greenland.
I sympathize with Canada's need for raw materials in the coming world-wide ice-cube shortage.
But let's apply some Kissingerian realism here. Playing Denmark against Canada over the Greenland issue can net us some Danish butter cookies at a reduced rate, and maybe a nice kringle or two.
I love Greenland sovereignty like the next guy, but American culinary interests come first.
