Bush Up By Eight In Wisconsin In Latest Gallup Poll
A Gallup poll of the key state of Wisconsin, reported in this morning's USA Today, could spell serious trouble for the Kerry campaign. Al Gore carried the state (albeit narrowly) in 2000, and most analysts believe Sen. Kerry must win there this year in order to have a short at an electoral college victory. The new survey shows Bush getting 52% of the vote, with 44% for Kerry and 1% for independent Ralph Nader. In a two-way race, Bush also leads 52%-44%.
Kerry's Favorability Ratings Rival Joe McCarthy's, Martha Stewart's.
The Washington Post reports that in last week's Washington Post-ABC News Poll, Kerry "was viewed favorably by 36 percent of registered voters, down 18 points over the past six months." Kerry now "finds himself in a dead heat with Martha Stewart and Joseph McCarthy, and behind Herbert Hoover – although he narrowly beats O.J. Simpson."
Democrats' Mood Ranges From "Concern To Despondency To Anger."
Democrats are feeling increasingly concern about the course of the campaign. Columnist Al Hunt writes in today's Wall Street Journal that the Democratic mood over the last few days "ranged from concern to despondency to anger. This is true outside as well as inside the Beltway." Hunt adds, "The common complaint was that John Kerry lacks any lucid message." Robert Novak, also a columnist, said on CNN's Inside Politics yesterday that Democrats are "very, very gloomy about Senator Kerry. They really feel that it's an uphill climb now, much different mood than a month ago."
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, meanwhile, says the Rev. Jesse Jackson "criticized Democratic Sen. John Kerry's campaign Monday for lying down in 'Dukakis fashion' to Republican punches and urged Kerry to go on the offensive over issues that matter most to struggling Americans."
GOP Suggests Alternative Reason For Bush's Poll Rise.
Republican Party officials today said they are amused at the way the press covers Sen. John Kerry's freefall in the polls – a decline that occurs as President Bush builds a substantial lead. "Nobody wants to write that maybe it had something to do with the President's great August or his convention," said a party official. "It wasn't all Kerry's fault." Another official said, too, that the President and his campaign team have received no credit in stories about the polling reversal. "The numbers are amazing but he gets no credit. It's all about how bad Kerry handled the month." But GOP officials say they are not drawing attention to the often underestimated President, hoping to keep expectations low, while they focus on Kerry's campaign management and strategy to recover as the presidential debates near.
