According to CBS poll of uncommited voters Obama gained 5% support, McCain lost 5% among them

[ShadowLiberal]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/opinion/polls/main4482119.shtml

Nearly half of those uncommitted voters who watched the debate said that their image of Obama changed for the better as a result. Just eight percent say their opinion of Obama got worse, and 46 percent reported no change in their opinions.

McCain saw less improvement in his image. Thirty-two percent have improved their image of McCain as a result of the debate, but 21 percent said their views of him are now worse than before.

...

But while eight in 10 uncommitted voters who watched the debate think McCain is prepared to be president, six in 10 now think Obama is prepared as well - a significant improvement from his standing among these same voters before the debate. The percentage of watchers who think Obama understands their needs and problems has also increased by 21 points, while a majority still say McCain does not.

Uncommitted voters include those who say they have a preference, but also say they could still change their minds. Before the debate, 36 percent favored Obama and 34 percent favored McCain. Obama now leads by 12 points among uncommitted debate watchers - 41 percent to 29 percent -- in their choice for president in November. But nearly three in 10 remain undecided, and most of those with a choice now say their minds could still change.

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So overall Obama's support among uncommitted voters went up by 5%, and McCain lost 5%. It's also interesting that most's opinions on Obama either improved or remained the same, while McCain was more polarizing with just a 11% different between those who's opinions improved and those who's opinions got worse towards him. It's also great for Obama that he got a 'significant improvement' among voters who see him as prepared to be president, I just wish they had said how many felt that way about Obama before the debate.

[ryanmuegge]

1. Zogby has McCain up by 2%.

What the fuck is wrong with the retards in this country?

[writes3000]

4. At this point, the question is what's wrong with Zogby. Really. nt

[emulatorloo]

5. better question -- what is wrong with Zogby? He has been wrong consistently

Example -- he said Kerry was going to win in a landslide.

[ryanmuegge]

9. That's reassuring, then.

[still_one]

6. If it is one of zogby's call in interactive polls, it is not worth anything

All the polls and impressions I am getting is that Obama won in the eyes of independents

[Jennicut]

11. What happened to Zogby, he is the only one ever showing a McTroll lead.

[still_one]

12. He changed his methodology for one. After the NH primary when he

predicted a win for Obama, he has been poor at best

[mamalone]

13. Please, please, please...

Don't use the term "retards"... I have two children with Down syndrome and it is very hurtful to hear that kind of talk..


I'm sure you didn't mean to be hurtful, and I don't want to put you on the spot, but I've decided that I owe it to my kids to let people know how inappropriate the epithet "retard" is.

[ryanmuegge]

14. Sorry.

[mamalone]

15. Forgiven..

Like I said... I know it wasn't unkindly meant. And I do appreciate you taking the time to say sorry:hi:

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Debate = Disaster for McCain

Already sliding in polls, he lost big among the only voter demographic that counts now: undecideds.

Obama played a perfect strategy for these undecideds. He had a soft touch where appropriate, and came off as tolerating McCain's petulant bullshit. McCain's strategy, supposing there was any, was flawed at its core. He went on the extreme attack, coming off as very hostile. That shit doesn't play with undecideds. To respond in kind would have had one major effect. It would have alienated the undecideds and thereby reduced voter turn-out. It seems that that was McCain was trying to bait Obama into, and it didn't work. That's why McCain grew increasingly bhostile as the debate went on. He knew the strategy was tanking, and that Obama was playing him.

There was probably a group of McCain bigwigs watching on a TV saying "Hit back Obama! Hit back!" When he played it smooth, they deflated. They gambled and lost to a better man.

[napi21]

3. I chose to watch the debte on CNN mainly to watch their meter.

Realizing that 30 people's opinions arent much of an indicator, but they're better than nothing. It was obvious that McNuts wasn't scoring any points with the indies and Obama was. There were no big swings, but overall, it was obvious. Of course as soon as Leherer said goonight I switched to MSNBC. I found my impressions to be mostly reinforced.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

8. I watched the lines on cnn too, and the indie line more often then not

was tracking the dem line. McCranks grumpiness was also a turn off to them.

[Sodan]

7. can't wait for the polls next week if these debate-polls are correct!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

10. Gains for Obama on fitness for office and favorables even BIGGER. FULL CBS/KnowledgeNetworks result...

results are at LINK http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/2008Debate1.pdf . .

Obama's main debate goal 5 weeks before Election Day presumably was to improve his favorable perceptions among uncommitted voters. Few of those voters would suddenly have made up their minds decisively in one night, so big changes in perceptions may have cumulative payoffs in votes over time. The full CBS/KnowledgeNetworks poll of 500 uncommitted voters shows clearly that Obama may have achieved that goal:

The proportion of uncommitted who think Obama is prepared to be President rose from 44 percent before the debate to 60 percent after the debate, while their assessment of McCain's fitness for office remained unchanged at 78 percent.

The proportion of uncommitted whose opinion of Obama improved because of the debate was 14 percentage points more than the proportion whose opinion of McCain improved. And the proportion of uncommitted whose opinion of Obama worsened was 13 percentage points less than the proportion whose opinion of McCain worsened. IMO, those measures of debate gains for Obama are HUGE.