CBS Poll: More Uncommitted Voters Saw Biden As Winner
Posted by Brian Montopoli October 2, 2008, 11:10 PM
UPDATED CBS News and Knowledge Networks have conducted a nationally representative poll of 473 uncommitted voters to get their immediate reaction to tonight's vice presidential debate.
After the first presidential debate, a similar survey showed that more uncommitted voters identified Barack Obama as the winner
Final numbers from tonight's poll have yet to come in, but we do have some early results. (These numbers may change as more respondents complete the survey.) They suggest that once again more voters have responded favorably to the Democratic candidate.
Forty-six percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed say Democrat Joe Biden won the debate, compared to 21 percent for Republican Sarah Palin. Thirty-three percent said it was a tie.
Eighteen percent of previously uncommitted percent say they are now committed to the Obama-Biden ticket. Ten percent say they are now committed to McCain-Palin. Seventy-one percent are still uncommitted.
Both candidates improved their overall image tonight. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say they now have a better impression of Biden. Five percent say they have a worse opinion of the Delaware senator, while 42 percent say they debate did not change their opinion.
Fifty-five percent say they now have a better opinion of Palin. Fourteen percent say they have a worse opinion, while 30 percent say their opinion hasn't changed.
After the debate, 66 percent see Palin as knowledgeable about important issues – up from 43 percent before the debate. But Biden still has the advantage on this – 98 percent saw him as knowledgeable after the debate. That figure was 79 percent before the debate.
Uncommitted voters’ views of Palin’s preparedness for the job of vice president also improved as a result of her debate performance - but they are still nowhere near the percentage that thinks Biden is prepared.
Fifty-five percent say Palin is prepared for the job, up from 39 percent before the debate. Ninty-seven percent say Biden is prepared, up from 81 percent pre-debate.
Although Palin made some gains on the question of whether she could serve as president if needed, she rose just 9 points on that measure. Now 44 percent say the Alaska governor could be an effective president. Ninety-one percent said Biden could be effective as president, up from 66 percent before the debate.
We will have a full report on the poll later on. Uncommitted voters are those who don't yet know who they will vote for, or who have chosen a candidate but may still change their minds.
Huffington Post | Rachel Sklar | October 2, 2008 02:29 PM Perhaps this will make up for CoverGate: The New Yorker has just endorsed Barack Obama in an editorial just released online and on newsstands on Monday in the October 13th issue.
The editorial — by "the Editors" — is called "The Choice" and should probably surprise no one, but man do they make their case: 4,214 words with a laundry list of areas in which the Bush administration has failed the country, and McCain has failed to lead or inspire. (That's the kindest way of expressing it. Here's a ess kind way: "John McCain [has] played the part of a vaudeville illusionist, asking to be regarded as an apostle of change after years of embracing the essentials of the Bush agenda with ever- increasing ardor.") In contrast, the "Editors" point out how Obama has done just that: Leading and inspiring, but also following up his promise for change with thought, strategy, work and action.
It is notable, too, that in an essay of this length, only a single paragraph is devoted to McCain's "cyicism" in choosing Palin. That said, on this, the day of the Vice-Presidential debate, it's the one everyone will read it looking for. Here's an excerpt.
We are watching a candidate for Vice-President cram for her ongoing exam in elementary domestic and foreign policy. This is funny as a Tina Fey routine on "Saturday Night Live," but as a vision of the political future it's deeply unsettling. Palin has no business being the backup to a President of any age, much less to one who is seventy-two and in imperfect health. In choosing her, McCain committed an act of breathtaking heedlessness and irresponsibility. Here's their conclusion:
At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness... It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader's name is Barack Obama.
Of course, they would say that — look at their logo! The New Yorker is obviously a snooty Joe Sixpack-hating member of the gotcha media elite. So, they can't be trusted, just like the silly facts they cite. Right?
Share October 03, 2008 8:29 AM ABC News' Matt Jaffe Reports: Following Thursday's one and only vice-presidential debate, the mood in the Biden camp was nothing short of buoyant as they bolted out of St. Louis in the middle of the night.
When he arrived at the airport after his big Show-Me State showdown with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. Joe Biden told reporters that he was "feeling good" and flashed two thumbs up.
Aboard the flight back to Wilmington, the good vibes continued with a champagne toast from the senator's son Hunter, one of 15 Biden family members to accompany the Democratic vice-presidential nominee to the Washington University duel.
"I want to make a toast," Hunter announced over the in-flight intercom. "To the next vice-president of the United States, my Dad, Joe Biden."
"And another to the team back there that made it happen.," he added, thanking the Biden staffers.
The Biden camp then raised their glasses of champagne and cheered loudly.
Upon arrival back in Wilmington close to 2:00am, though, thoughts quickly turned to Biden's other son, Beau, whose one-year deployment to Iraq as a National Guardsman begins with a ceremony this weekend. The senator will speak at his eldest son's departure ceremony Friday morning in Dover, after which Beau will spend the weekend with the family before reporting Sunday to Ft. Bliss, TX, for about six weeks of training.
Due to his pending deployment, Beau was unable to accompany his father to the debate.
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