http://democratictribune.com/...
By staying on message and eschewing personal attacks, the Democratic Party has reminded American voters why they prefer change come November.
Just one week after John McCain had opened a modest lead in the presidential race, Barack Obama has roared back to assume control over the narrative - AND the election.
Below are the most recent national polls released by several independent polling firms:
CBS News/NY Times 09/12 - 09/16
49 Obama
44 McCain
Obama +5
Quinnipiac
09/11 - 09/16
987 LV
49 Obama
45 McCain
Obama +4
Gallup Tracking
09/14 - 09/16
2787 RV
47 Obama
45 McCain
Obama +2
Hotline/FD Tracking
09/14 - 09/16
909 RV
45 Obama
42 McCain
Obama +3
Additional battleground polls released also indicate shifting support for the Obama-Biden ticket:
Ohio
CNN/Time
09/13 - 09/14
913 RV
49 Obama
47 McCain
Obama +2
Indiana
Indy Star/Selzer
09/14 - 09/16
600 LV
47 Obama
44 McCain
Obama +3
New Mexico
SurveyUSA
09/14 - 09/16
671 LV
52 Obama
44 McCain
Obama +8
Virginia
SurveyUSA
09/12 - 09/14
732 LV
50 Obama
46 McCain
Obama +4
Iowa
Des Moines Register
09/08 - 09/10
616 LV
52 Obama
40 McCain
Obama +12
There are other polls from other states, but these polls have been highlighted for one reason: They were red states in 2004.
One could surmise that these polls reflect the American public's growing dissatisfaction with a collapsing economy. To be certain, the economy has changed how many view their choices come November. However, the economy was in deep trouble even before the recent sharp financial market downturn. To what do we attribute the sudden public attention to this escalating crisis?
The answer rests in the shift of campaign focus on the part of Obama-Biden and its supporters from personal attacks to an issue-driven narrative. To be completely honest, the American public could probably care less about Sarah Palin's lipstick or her tanning bed. They could give a rip about Obama's pastor or who he had coffee with 25 years ago. The American public cares about their ability to obtain and keep well-paying jobs. They care about their ability to afford skyrocketing energy costs. Their concern about the financial market runs from their confidence in their own checking and savings accounts to the safety of their 401k. In other words, the American public prefers an issues-related campaign - and the Obama campaign has been more than happy to satisfy that preference.
There is a lesson to be learned with the recent turn of events described above. Making a campaign personal i.e. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, tanning bed, or hunting preferences make for great sound bites, but they don't bring supporters to your campaign. Taking the low road like Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, and Beck only diverts attention from the issues that Republicans simply cannot win. When you get in the sewer with their bomb-throwers, you are giving Republicans exactly what they want. When you hammer them on the issues of this election, you bring the focus back to our message of change - and in the process, bring voters along with you