Public Opinion: Do Polls of the Barack Obama-John McCain Matchup Matter This Far Out?

Is it too early to pay attention to presidential preference polls?

By U.S. News Staff

July 24, 2008 RSS Feed Print

A half-dozen new presidential polls have been released in the past 24 hours alone. Pundits pore over the polling data and discuss the latest wrinkles in the John McCain-Barack Obama horse race. But does any of it matter? Do presidential polls taken this far from the election merit attention? Or are they just meaningless grist for the beltway, the blogosphere, and the 24-hour cable news channels? Post your thoughts below.

Previously: John McCain's complaints about media bias toward Barack Obama

Tags:
presidential election 2008,
Barack Obama,
John McCain,
polls

Reader Comments Read all comments (8)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Mc Cain showed ability to make a decision and lead, while Obama

looked like your typical intellectual, confused over which side

to take, if you layed Obama and all the profs in the world end to end they still wouldn't reach a conclusion. Can you trust a man who doesn't have the moral courage to defend a person in the womb to defend you?

Clyde W Paro of CA 11:26PM August 16, 2008

The biggest dilemna by John Mcain is to be elected by the media as the most likely candidate

Gad of NY 3:09PM August 05, 2008

The media messes up all our elections with all these stupid polls, don't they have anything better to do than help to keep our elections so close. Why can't Americans all vote at the same time. People see how its going in the east and change how they vote in the west. It should be a very private thing once the election starts and we should all be surprised how it turns out in the end. When the media does is turns Americans against each other by saying and reports how each state is voting that should be illegal.

rick of MI 2:06PM July 29, 2008

Cartoons

advertisement

Debate Club

Was 2011 One of the Worst Years for the U.S. Government in American History?

Experts debate where 2011 ranks among Washington's worst years.

Latest Video

Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

Romney's Bain Experience Wasn't Real American Capitalism

The fact that Bain Capital served to make money for investors, not to create jobs, could endanger Romney.

Why Is Mitt Romney Embracing Birther Donald Trump?

Maybe Trump is Romney's idea of a rich guy that common people can relate to?

Does Barack Obama Actually Want to Be Re-Elected?

The president's lack of enthusiasm jeopardizes his campaign.

3 Reasons Why the Scott Walker Wisconsin Recall Election Matters

Scott Walker is a canary in a coal mine.

The Right's Fixation With 'Vetting' Obama

American voters can use the past four years to judge Obama's qualifications as president

Voters Tuning Out Flood of 2012 Super PAC, Campaign Ads

This will be the year of grassroots voters, not Nielsen families.

Scott Walker's Union Fight Helps Mitt Romney Against Barack Obama

The Wisconsin governor refuses to back down from his opposition to collective bargaining.

Why Is It Only Women Who Need 'Informing' on Reproductive Health?

Men's sexual behavior could also use some "controlling."

advertisement

  1. 10 Ways to Pay for Retirement
  2. 10 Places Where Retirees Live in Poverty
  3. The Best Jobs of 2012
  4. The Colleges That Made Them CEOs
  5. There's No Flesh-Eating Bacteria Epidemic, Experts Say