CBS Polls
From CBS News:Eight months from Election Day, it is already a nip-and-tuck Presidential race. George W. Bush currently leads John Kerry by three points among voters, while two weeks ago Kerry was up by one. Seven in ten of each candidate’s voters say they have already locked in their choices, and most voters already have clear opinions of the two presidential candidates’ qualities and their potential strengths and weaknesses in office.
Matt's Chat
It is still too early to be looking at polls and taking them seriously, but I think you can examine them for some trends in regards to how the media is doing their job.Now that the Party of Love (tm) has choosen their man, we're seeing that the coverage is starting to balance out a bit. I think we are going to see an increase in the number of appearances by administration officials on talk shows, etc. Now is the time to start getting the message out there...
I don't think this race is as close as the numbers are projecting, but it is going to be close.
Mark's Remarks
It seems the more Kerry opens his mouth, the more trouble he gets himself into. First it was the whole war thing (voting for it, but then not wanting to vote for it, but voting to threaten). Now it is the foreign leader endorsement thing, and chastising a regular citizen who called him on it. Wow, Mr. Kerry, a couple more of these and you will Deaniac yourself. And I will love every second of it. Mr. Kerry, why don't you simply tell the American people you suffer from no spine disease, another common name for it is Lack of Moral Fiber/Core disease. You are nothing more than a huckster, one who inspires class warfare and hatred when we should be coming together. I hope you continue to unravel, so people will see the vicious political egomaniac you really are.
Here are some more things that you probably will not see in regards to this poll from the Partisan(tm)media, if/when they cover it on the nightly news tonight:
The President's job approval is rising. A majority of Americans, 51%, approve, while 42% disapprove, a net increase of 6 points from the 47% that approved and 44% that disapproved in the late February CBS News poll.
The President now leads Kerry by 3 points among registered voters, 46% to 43%. This is a net increase of 4 points since mid-February, when Kerry led by a point.
The President's support is also more intense than Kerry's. 76% of the President's supporters say that their mind is made up, while just 70% of Kerry's say the same.
President Bush is viewed more favorably by Americans. 43% of Americans view the President favorably, an increase of 3 points since mid-February. 39% view him unfavorably and 17% have no opinion of him.
More Americans now view John Kerry unfavorably. Kerry's favorability declined, from 37% favorable/28% unfavorable to 28% favorable/29% unfavorable, a net decrease of 10 points since the late February CBS News poll. 41% of voters have never heard of Kerry or have no opinion of him.
A majority of Americans now see Kerry as a man who only says what people want to hear. Just 33% say that Kerry says what he believes, while 57% say that he does not. On the other hand, a majority of Americans, 51%, see President Bush as a man who says what he believes.
The real story from this poll is Kerry's 10-point drop in favorability since the late February CBS News poll and President Bush's rise in the midst of months of negative attacks from the Democrats.
