by Mark Silva
On the question of what Gov. Sarah Palin is doing for Sen. John McCain's campaign, a new survey conducted by NBC News shows that McCain has drawn virtually even with Democrat Barack Obama with growing support from women.
The NBC take on the "dead heat'' that some national polls are showing: Obama 47 percent, McCain 46 percent, in a poll with a 3.3 percent possible margin of error, a virtual tie.
McCain moved up, NBC's Chuck Todd says, "partially because women moved... Women under 50 moved 11 points in McCain's direction... Thank you, Sarah Palin.''
Of course, this swing of women voters isn't quite the 20 percent shift in white women toward McCain that ABC News had reported the day before. And both McCain and Obama had made some gains of their own in the NBC survey--with McCain's positive rating of 50 percent his highest yet, and Obama's 53 also a personal best in the NBC survey.
Enthusiasm for McCain also had grown significantly - to 34 percent - "again, thank you, Sarah Palin,'' network political director Todd said on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Enthusiasm for Obama, however, also was running at a healthy 55 percent.
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The national numbers are one thing, Todd notes, counting nine real "battleground'' states - Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, New Mexico among them - and four states that should be considered tossups: Colorado, Ohio, Virginia and New Hampshire.
So Palin would appear to have had an impact, perhaps a short-term impact, perhaps longer-term, on the race.
Even Obama admits that there is something compelling about Palin's story.
"It's an interesting story,'' Obama said campaigning in Virginia on Tuesday. "I mean that sincerely - mother, governor, moose-shooter, it's cool... That's cool... There's no doubt that Gov. Palin attracted a lot of attention this week.''
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Comments
If you are a woman and care about your rights and the rights of other minorities, there is no way that you could vote for McCain/Palin. Sure, she is interesting. I'm sure I would like to chat with her one on one over coffee and moose burgers but I'm a liberal. Obama/Biden is the way to go at this time in our history. And personally I detest guns and especially hunters of any kind!
Posted by: Leslie | September 10, 2008 6:58 AM
Exactly as I predicted right after her VP "acceptance" speech.
Posted by: stephen p tzankoff | September 10, 2008 7:01 AM
Finally, someone whose just like us! And I bet she knows there are not 57 states but 50!Also , how does a Harvard graduate not know it's an uncle not a uncle? He'd give Quail a run for his money. Obama's just not qualified to be President.That's what's scary! Did anyone see the liplock he gave Biden's wife at the convention behind Biden's back? Can anyone say inappropiate! How was this missed?
Posted by: MARY H. TORIBIO | September 10, 2008 7:07 AM
Finally, someone whose just like us! And I bet she knows there are not 57 states but 50!Also , how does a Harvard graduate not know it's an uncle not a uncle? He'd give Quail a run for his money. Obama's just not qualified to be President.That's what's scary! Did anyone see the liplock he gave Biden's wife at the convention behind Biden's back? Can anyone say inappropiate! How was this missed?
Posted by: MARY H. TORIBIO | September 10, 2008 7:08 AM
obama is finished .... how stupid america has come to even think of this clown running a country such as Us and trying to turn it communist under the guist that he is trying to help poor people.......ok afican stalin whatever
Posted by: jim | September 10, 2008 7:25 AM
Too bad about Todd...I liked him when he commented on Washington Journal. Now I think he's become like all the rest.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | September 10, 2008 7:27 AM
Sarah Palin is not running for president. It's the one thing people seem to keep forgetting. Her views are not even the same as McCains in many instances.
Can we remember this is a Presidental campaign and not an Obama-Palin ticket?
Posted by: Carol O | September 10, 2008 7:31 AM
One of the main reasons Republicans are energized by Sarah Palin is that McCain is so incredibly dull. They are ready to rally behind anyone with a pulse, even if it is the former mayor of Mayberry/Governor of our final gathering place
Posted by: Bob Caler | September 10, 2008 7:32 AM
I am one of many, many women I know who have not been "moved" by Palin. Her idology scares the living daylights out of me. I don't even know if I can calculate exactly how many years our country will be set back if she and McCain were to be put in office. She praises her daughter for making the right "decision," yet wants to take that right away from everyone else. Endangered species? No such thing. They just get in the way of more oil. Global warming? Just your imagination. Bbbrrrr. Sends shivers down my spine.
Posted by: SouthSideD | September 10, 2008 9:33 PM
As experienced trial lawyers like to say,
Women are the harshest judges of women.
Only question: is there enough time to expose this piece of work for the right-wing hack nut she really is?
Posted by: ornery | September 10, 2008 11:25 PM