Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth

Presidential election minus 29 days

As much for personal amusement as anything else, I will henceforth be doing my own polling aggregates for swing states. To account for the fact that state polling lags behind the nightly national tracking polls, each result is adjusted according to the change in the Real Clear Politics national average since the date of the poll (if the polling period was more than one day, the last date is used). For example, the only poll from Indiana was a 46-all result from October 3: the RCP average has since had Obama up 0.6 and McCain up 0.2, so into the Obama column it goes. The results are also adjusted so that greater weight is given to polls with larger samples. I’ve only been doing this for a few days, so at present the only polls used are those ending October 1 or later. This means I have no data for Wisconsin, which Electoral-Vote says was most recently polled on September 23 (I’m following their lead and giving it to Obama). As you can see, Obama currently has a clean sweep of the swing states: I’ll have to reconsider which ones to include if this keeps up. (UPDATE: I’m progressively updating this as new polls come in, so much of what I’ve just said is now out of date).

October 1-8 Obama McCain Sample D-EV R-EV
Pennsylvania 51.3 40.6 2552 21
Michigan 51.1 41.3 531 17
Washington 53.0 43.6 700 11
New Hampshire 52.6 43.3 2160 4
Minnesota 51.1 42.2 3073 10
Wisconsin 51.2 44.3 1531 10
New Mexico 46.8 42.2 1159 5
Maine 51.0 46.6 500 4
Ohio 49.3 44.9 6622 20
Virginia 49.6 45.4 2891 13
Nevada 49.9 46.2 1768 5
Colorado 48.5 45.2 2110 9
Florida 49.3 46.0 2250 27
North Carolina 48.6 46.0 3113 15
Missouri 49.7 47.5 1000 11
Indiana 45.5 48.7 1477 11
Others - - - 182 163
RCP/Total 49 43.9 - 364 174

As was the case last week, tomorrow I will have an open thread for discussion of the presidential candidates’ debate, which will run independently of this one.

UPDATE: Polls from Time/CNN shift Indiana to the McCain column.

760 Comments

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  1. 701
    ShowsOn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:12 pm | Permalink

    Great article on McCain’s anti-socialist campaign rally:
    http://www.slate.com/id/2201951/

  2. 702
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:13 pm | Permalink

    700

    [The old rules of the Government being the problem have been thrown out the window. (Which is why I think McCain’s campaign is running a completely counter-intuitive message)].

    You hit the nail right on the head there ShowsOn

  3. 703
    Diogenes
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:27 pm | Permalink

    Obama lost WV to Hillary 65% to 35% from memory. It was almost the greatest thrashing in history for a successful nominee. It has the highest percentage of “rednecks” in the US. ARG is going to look very smart or very stupid (I choose the latter).

  4. 704
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:40 pm | Permalink

    If by “rednecks” you mean working-class whites, that’s probably true. The use of the term “redneck” by elite commentators is a symbol of the kind of arrogant condescension that has alienated these voters from their natural home in the Democrat Party – if WV had voted for Al Gore, the Bush presidency would never have happened, so condescension has its price. If WV really has flipped to Obama, that’s a sign that economics really has driven all other issues out of the election.

  5. 705
    Swing Lowe
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 1:55 pm | Permalink

    WV switched from being reliably blue to reliably red solely because of social issues. I would assume that the Lewinsky scandal played especially badly over there.

    However, the whole reason why WV was a blue state in the first place was because of economic issues (even Dukakis – the most liberal nominee in years – won there). If the economy looks like tanking, there may be a chance WV switches to blue again.

    Of course, I was pretty certain that Hillary would have won WV even if economic issues hadn’t come to the fore – the Clintons seem to be quite popular (still) amongst the rural poor.

  6. 706
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:04 pm | Permalink

    Palin making more gaffes on her supposed strong suit, energy

    At a townhall event in Wisconsin on Thursday, Palin was asked by a concerned questioner whether it was true that the United States was shipping 75 percent of its Alaskan oil overseas. She responded by proclaiming it impossible, since Congress had put strict bans on the amount of oil and gas that America could export.

    Not so. As the Associated Press reported:

    "Congress has never imposed outright bans on oil exports. Congress prohibited exports of Alaska oil in 1973 when the Alaska oil pipeline was built. But that ban was lifted in 1996 when there were large volumes of Alaska oil coming down from the North Slope and U.S. demand was soft.

    The Alaska ban has never been reinstated."

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/09/palin-stumped-again-on-he_n_133449.html

  7. 707
    ShowsOn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:06 pm | Permalink

    Obama lost WV to Hillary 65% to 35% from memory. It was almost the greatest thrashing in history for a successful nominee. It has the highest percentage of “rednecks” in the US. ARG is going to look very smart or very stupid (I choose the latter).

    Surely it would’ve been closer if he campaigned there?

    If by “rednecks” you mean working-class whites, that’s probably true.

    Don’t worry Adam, the rednecks are on board:
    http://rednecks4obama.com/HomePage.php
    Check out the photo. To say Obama is some elitist who doesn’t care about working class voters is a joke. The idea that ‘NASCAR Rednecks’ only vote Republican is just a myth created by Republicans.

  8. 708
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:09 pm | Permalink

    That Gore and Kerry lost WV, a state full of working-class whites, is not a myth.

  9. 709
    Al
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:14 pm | Permalink

    Adam, WV is stereotyped by most of the US as an inbred and dumb state. Rightly or wrongly, it’s the butt of a lot of jokes; and I’m not talking about elite commentators. I’m talking about people all across the country from all walks of life.

  10. 710
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:20 pm | Permalink

    706

    That would be right. Palin doesn’t even know what’s going on in her own backyard. Great choice for VP of the whole country.

  11. 711
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:21 pm | Permalink

    Another poll puts Obama up by 5 in NC…

    Civitas Institute (R)/Tel Opinion Research
    October 6-8, 2008, n=600 registered voters, margin of error +/- 4.2

    Obama 48 (up 3)
    McCain 43 (down 2)

    http://www.nccivitas.org/media/press-releases/nc-poll-obama-takes-lead-nc

  12. 712
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

    708

    If a state full of working class whites votes for the Republican party they’re certainly not the sharpest tools in the shed. Talk about shoot yourself in the foot.

  13. 713
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

    More bad numbers for McCain in Ohio (Obama +2) and especially Florida (Obama +8!!)

    Strategic Vision (R)
    10/6-8/2008;
    Mode: Live Telephone Interviews
    Each poll 1,200 likely voters, +/-3

    Florida:
    Obama 52 (up 7)
    McCain 44 (down 4)

    Ohio:
    Obama 48 (up 4)
    McCain 46 (down 2)

    http://www.pollster.com/blogs/strategic_vision_fl_oh_1068.php

  14. 714
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:32 pm | Permalink

    713

    My God – if that’s right for Florida, this swing is huge. (7% does seem a bit over the top though).

  15. 715
    Gusface
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:35 pm | Permalink

    dont know if this has been posted before
    but the sheer gall is unbelievable
    “Palin pre-empts state report, clears self in probe”

    http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOTk11gvqDAgD0cY3i4WjI_2YOxwD93NBOT00

  16. 716
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:37 pm | Permalink

    That’s from a Republican affiliated pollster too…

  17. 717
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:38 pm | Permalink

    dont know if this has been posted before
    but the sheer gall is unbelievable
    “Palin pre-empts state report, clears self in probe”

    Sounds like the report is going to hammer her then…

  18. 718
    ltep
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:42 pm | Permalink

    Why would anyone believe a report released by a party’s own campaign team? Really dumb.

  19. 719
    Gusface
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:49 pm | Permalink

    “…..because Ms. Palin was also planning to attend and did not want him nearby.
    Somewhat bewildered, Mr. Monegan soon determined that Trooper Wooten had indeed volunteered for duty at the fairgrounds — in full costume as “Safety Bear,” the troopers’ child-friendly mascot.”

    Palins Repeatedly Pressed Case Against Trooper

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/10trooper.html?bl&ex=1223697600&en=ce240ad3162ac5ac&ei=5087

  20. 720
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 2:53 pm | Permalink

    719

    It would be poetic justice if Palin was severely damaged by a scandal after her scurrilous attacks on Obama. How does the saying go? Those who live by the sword die by the sword.

  21. 721
    Gusface
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:11 pm | Permalink

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/10/2387807.htm?section=justin

    “Alaska’s Supreme Court has dismissed a bid by six US Republican politicians to stop an investigation into alleged abuse of power by vice-presidential nominee and Alaskan Governor, Sarah Palin.”

    Darn,personally I think death by thousand cuts would be more appropriate :)

  22. 722
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:23 pm | Permalink

    Darn @ 673,

    McCain won’t be around to entertain the thought in 2012 ……

  23. 723
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:26 pm | Permalink

    ltep @ 692,

    If Obama is serious about putting some Republicans in his cabinet, I suspect that Colin Powell might be his first port of call ………

  24. 724
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:30 pm | Permalink

    Has McCain not disclosed his gambling winnings of late as per Senate ethics rules?

    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/09/watchdog-group-seeks-ethics-investigation-of-mccain/

  25. 725
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:37 pm | Permalink

    The McCain camp is getting increasingly desperate ;-)

    Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a McCain campaign co-chairman, edged up to an explicitly racial attack on Barack Obama on Thursday, describing the Illinois Senator as a "guy of the street" before raising his youthful drug use. ............ It's unclear what Keating meant by "a guy of the street," but his assertion that Obama should "admit" his brief drug use in high school makes little sense, since it was Obama himself who did disclose it in his memoir published 12 years ago.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/09/mccain-co-chair-calls-oba_n_133369.html

  26. 726
    Diogenes
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    Adam

    I used the term “rednecks” in quotation marks for those reasons. I was pretty dismissive of “rednecks” until I read “Deer Hunting with Jesus” which is a great book. Now I’ve got a grudging respect for them.

  27. 727
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:46 pm | Permalink

    722

    Julie, I presume you mean McCain won’t be around politically. Or do you know something about his state of health that we don’t?

  28. 728
    fredn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:47 pm | Permalink

    Adam

    Perhaps a right wing intellectual that votes labor should go and read the comments at: http://rednecks4obama.com/HomePage.php.

    Some talk about economics but many talk about the shame of being led by a drongo.

  29. 729
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:47 pm | Permalink

    How is “guy of the street” an “explicitly racial attack”? An explicit racial attack must contain an explicit reference to race.

  30. 730
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:48 pm | Permalink

    727,

    I know nothing concrete about either his political future nor his health. I was speculating on the latter though.

  31. 731
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:49 pm | Permalink

    fredn, I already did. Most amusing. And I am not a right-wing intellectual. I am a mainstream Labor hack. I only look right-wing in the present company.

  32. 732
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

    I could also have said “I only look like an intellectual in the present company,” but I refrained.

  33. 733
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:51 pm | Permalink

    732,

    I will take that as an extreme compliment ;-)

  34. 734
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

    Nice to know, Adam, that you are on our side though, here where it counts :)

  35. 735
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:01 pm | Permalink

    How is “guy of the street” an “explicitly racial attack”? An explicit racial attack must contain an explicit reference to race.

    Adam, the longer quote was “edged up to an explicitly racial attack”. As in it wasn’t explicit but was getting close.

  36. 736
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:05 pm | Permalink

    731 & 732 Adam

    I only look right-wing in the present company.

    I could also have said “I only look like an intellectual in the present company

    LOL

  37. 737
    Darn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:07 pm | Permalink

    How’s the cricket going Julie?

  38. 738
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:09 pm | Permalink

    Aus 299-5 just after drinks in the first session …. lunch break 5pm local time in Canberra …..

    hussey 75 from 146 and haddin 10 from 34, haddin on strike at the moment

  39. 739
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:12 pm | Permalink

    Is this Palin’s high school report card?

    http://buzzfeed.com/scott/sarah-palins-sat-scores

  40. 740
    fredn
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:23 pm | Permalink

    Adam says:

    “I am a mainstream Labor hack”

    Yes it worries me, I think if your honest you would put right in there some where, the current strength of the labor party in my view is it can tolerate a range of views including no doubt yours and Mr Rudd’s.

    I am impressed with the current Victorian Labor party, nice balance of economic rationalism and social Liberalism ( go Brumby I say). I suspect the current abortion and fertility legislation would be causing you some concern, and if not, why do you believe we should enjoy such liberal outcomes while the Americans have to put up with religious zealots?

  41. 741
    Diogenes
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:24 pm | Permalink

    Perhaps I was too kind about the rednecks. What rock did these Republicans crawl out from under?

    As a comment said “Low information voters are looking for low information solutions from low information candidates.”

    http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Obama_as_terrorist.html#comments

  42. 742
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    Dario,

    SAT (or ACT, there are two main competing tests out there) is a standardized test that is required for entry to all US colleges and universities. Since there are 50 states and hundreds, if not thousands, of schools in each one; this is how the universities and colleges put all potential students on a level playing field. Here it is done with the HSC (or your states equivelent, measured in universal units to put entrants on a level playing field).

    Hawaii Pacific University doesn’t list their SAT or ACT requirements on their website. Can’t remember where else Palin attended.

    I can guarantee you that SAT scores like those wouldn’t have gained her even a “sniff” of admission to a university with any major reputation. I had about 1300 total between math and verbal scores on my SAT and that wasn’t enough for my university (University of Michigan). I had to take the other test as well (ACT) despite having left school ranked #10 out of 242 students.

  43. 743
    Dario
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:35 pm | Permalink

    I can guarantee you that SAT scores like those wouldn’t have gained her even a “sniff” of admission to a university with any major reputation

    Well she did go to 5 different unis…

  44. 744
    Diogenes
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 4:56 pm | Permalink

    Is the US the first banana republic with nuclear weapons? Balanced as always, from Christopher Hitchens. I have to agree with this bit.

    Now ask yourself another question. Has anybody resigned, from either the public or the private sectors (overlapping so lavishly as they now do)? Has anybody even offered to resign? Have you heard anybody in authority apologize, as in: “So very sorry about your savings and pensions and homes and college funds, and I feel personally rotten about it”? Have you even heard the question being posed? O.K., then, has anybody been fired? Any regulator, any supervisor, any runaway would-be golden-parachute artist? Anyone responsible for smugly putting the word “derivative” like a virus into the system? To ask the question is to answer it.

    http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/10/hitchens200810?currentPage=1

  45. 745
    Ron
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm | Permalink

    Diogeneoski #645

    Ronster 623 “I’m not disagreeing with any of those facts, just the interpretation”

    That’s a vague disingenuous comment Which of th 4 interpetations do you disagree with

    One , that William Ayres was one of worst terrorists in US history Do you Dispiute that ?

    (if so, I can detail miles more supporting data than that given in a short 60 second add).

    Two , that at age 34 years Obama a LAWYER , FIRST started his politcl career by going to th home of William Ayres in 95 , Ayres being his first politcl sponsor to meet William Ayres political operatives for an intro & OK

    (..when Obama made his initial run for Illinois Senate…or there close long subsequent associations eg as a Director on Ayres Foundation anand OTHER close associations with him) Do you Dispute that ?

    Three , my assertion this Ayres relationship demonstrates Obama shows , not that Obama is a terrorist , but Obama displayed poor judgement asociating not with elite or normative people but such crude people & may as well hav been a multipley convicted pedilfile given Ayres terorist record

    (and further Obama’s Ayres ‘friendship’ displayed lack of decency standards associating with th vileness of an Ayres & a lack of governance convictions instead to befriend (& longterm) any seeedy person for his personal ambitions) Th test is of Obama’s character , as a stand alone , and not comparative to McCain or anyone else Do you Dispute that ?

    Four , because th perception is this econamy crisis was caused by th Republicans and therfore is driving Obama’s lead & probable electon , is your interpretation is use this econamic crisis (& polling resulting) to avoid either acknowledging or disagreeing with specificalty one , two or thre IF so it is what I’ve said aboiut Obamabots , live in an internet intelectecual virtual reality fantasyland as if any adverse Obama acknowledgement means they cann’t support there messiah any more

  46. 746
    Al
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:08 pm | Permalink

    Ron, I dispute point number 1. I don’t think anyone from the Weatherman would classify as one of the worst US terrorists, when you consider that that group contains people like the Unabomber, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

  47. 747
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:10 pm | Permalink

    Lunch 333/5 – Haddin 26 from 93, Hussey 92 from 181

    back on at 5:40

  48. 748
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:15 pm | Permalink

    may as well hav been a multipley convicted pedilfile given Ayres terorist record

    Calm down, Ron.

  49. 749
    Diogenes
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:23 pm | Permalink

    Ronster

    1. Ayers was not even close to being one of the worst terrorists in the US. He’s never even done jail time from what I can read. He’s never killed anyone and I don’t think he’s ever injured anyone. Look up Metesky, McVeigh and Kaczynski is you want a decent terrorist. Ayers isn’t in their league.

    2. Probably true (but couldn’t give a shit if it was or wasn’t)

    3. Ayers had renounced his terrorism by that stage. It was perhaps a bit naive of Obama to work with him but it depends on how much he believed in the project doing good. I know a few seedy people and have to work with them. It’s a part of “doing business”. I don’t like it but I do it. I had to operate on one of Australia’s only terrorists this year and I’ve operated on plenty of murderers and worse. Sometimes you just separate your beliefs from your job.

    4. It honestly doesn’t bother me (and Wright did to some extent). I’m an existentialist. People are defined by their actions and decisions. Personally, Obama’s support for capital punishment disgusts me and is more important than Wright, Ayers and Rezko.

  50. 750
    juliem
    Posted Friday, October 10, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Permalink

    Canada goes to the polls on Tuesday …….

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