Poll Watch: McCain Gains on Obama, Buoyed by Crisis in Georgia

In new poll, McCain narrows Obama's lead to 5 points

By Nikki Schwab

August 19, 2008 RSS Feed Print

John McCain is making gains on Barack Obama, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll released today, and one reason appears to be the smoldering crisis between Georgia and Russia.

A large majority of respondents said they could see the Republican senator handling the situation with Russia more effectively than his Democratic counterpart.

While a July 15 Quinnipiac poll had Obama 9 points ahead of McCain, today's poll has McCain trailing by 5, with 47 percent of likely voters preferring Obama, and 42 percent favoring McCain. At the same time, independent voters who had been split 44-44 in July are now tilting slightly more Democratic, with 45 percent saying they will vote for Obama versus 39 percent for McCain.

In dealing with Russia, 55 percent of likely voters said they could see McCain handling the situation better, compared with 27 percent for Obama. When the question was posed to Republicans, they supported McCain overwhelmingly, 86 percent to 5 percent. For Democrats, the response was more tepid, with 48 percent of Democrats saying Obama would do better. Thirty-one percent of Democrats, including Obama supporters, said that McCain would be better qualified to deal with Russia.

While McCain has improved his standing in this poll since July, 52 percent of those surveyed said the economy was the issue that mattered to them most in this election. And on that issue, it is Obama who leads McCain, 49 percent to 41 percent.

Tags:
Russia,
Georgia (country),
presidential election 2008,
foreign policy,
John McCain,
Barack Obama,
polls

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Frankly, I'd rather have a testosterone-laden cowboy in the White House, provided he has the same sophisticated grasp of America's strategic interests as McCain,than a naive, inexperienced, serial equivocator who wallows in evasiveness(please don't call it "nuance"). Obama's first response to Russia's invasion of Georgia--asking Georgia, the victim, to show restraint and referring the matter to the United Nations where Russia has veto power, was enough to convince me that this is not the man we want answering that 3:00 am phone call.The job is, indeed, above his pay grade. As for a FAIR campaign and election, the way the Democratic party leaders subverted the primary process and threw the more qualified candidate under their glam rock star's bus was egregious. The media swoon over a newbie one year out of the state Senate is scary. Who cares if he's black? What matters is that he's too green for the White House. For me, Obama is the cool guy you date. McCain is the solid guy you marry.

Maxine Schnall of FL 4:58PM August 20, 2008

Some Americans really are stupid, just what did or could McCain or Obama do about the situation in Georgia. McCain did what Bush always does, talk with a swagger and big threats that they cannot follow through on. My fellow Americans are not paying attention to the history of this particular dirty little war Georgia was coaxed by McCain and Bush to invade Osettia as though they had a right to it and invoking their wrath. They also don't seem to realize that Bush's idea to put missles at Russia's door on Polish soil in also angering Russia just as we were angered during the Cuban Missle Crisis. Americans are too involved in their computer games, barbeques, SUVs, wet t-shirt contests and other trivia to even analyze what they are hearing. All they see is that Obama is black and that scares the bejesus out of them and they only see those silly dances that McCain does while he's singing "Bomb, Bomb Iran". He also married money, Obama had to come up the ranks to it. If Americans could get past their ridiculous fear of anything that isn't white and Christian and learn to value intelligence and real management skill then they would not put their faith in a man like McCain. One more thing, who the hell does Quinnipiac poll anyway? I'm a veteran, a tax payer, work hard for my money and no one has ever asked me what I think. So like George Bush I don't care about any focus groups or polls, the only thing that is really meaningful is if we have a FAIR campaign and election unlike the last two that were literally stolen the GOP and their lackeys, Russia has nothing on us at all. God knows what this country needs is a real leader and not another testosterone laden cowboy.

David Bronx of NY 3:30PM August 20, 2008

Well,always support Obama for the reasons as following

Obama is so sexy that I ever met many sexy girls on a great dating site

http://www.NaturistMeet.com

they all claimed that Obama is their lover in dream.

secondly, Obama is wealthly for his hard work

henry of NY 7:34AM August 20, 2008

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